On December 17, 2007, NBC announced that Jay Leno would resume production of his show on January 2, 2008, regardless if the ongoing Writers Guild Strike was over by then.
Background
Leno stated it was his "responsibility" to resume production of The Tonight Show when talks between the WGA and the AMPTP stalled in December 2007.EW.com: Conan, Jay to Return Jan. 2 (December 17, 2007) He, along with fellow NBC late-night host Conan O'Brien, returned to their respective shows the following month.
Leno was criticized by the WGA after his first episode back. According to the guild, Leno violated its rules when he wrote his own monologue for the show. Leno and NBC argued that the WGA agreement allowed him to write for himself.MSNBC.com: Leno broke union rules, Writers Guild says (January 4, 2008)
Meanwhile, Leno's CBS rival David Letterman managed to strike an interim agreement with the WGA, thereby allowing him to return with his writers on January 2. Leno still beat Letterman in the ratings by a margin of 1.7 million viewers.MSNBC.com: Leno broke union rules, Writers Guild says (January 4, 2008)
References
Fast Facts
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Strike started
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Strike ended
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Leno returned
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Fact:
Leno said that 100 non-writing jobs would be lost if he did not resume productionThe New York Times: Leno and O’Brien to Resume Their Shows (December 17, 2007)
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Fact:
