Leno, O'Brien returning

Two hosts to resume broadcasting to keep staffs from suffering due to writer's strike.

By Times Staff Writer
Published December 18, 2007

After two months off the air in support of their union and their writers, NBC's late-night hosts will go back to work in 2008.

The Tonight Show and Late Night with Conan O'Brien will return without writers supplying jokes Jan. 2. NBC said Monday the decision was similar to Johnny Carson's in 1988 to bring back the Tonight Show two months into a writers strike to keep his staff from being laid off.

Leno and O'Brien's shows have been in reruns since this writers strike began in early November. Both hosts are members of the Writers Guild of America, and both made it clear Monday that they continue to support the union. But in statements they also expressed concern for the rest of their shows' staffs.

O'Brien and Leno have been paying staff salaries for several weeks, but doing that indefinitely wouldn't be possible.

"I have been and continue to be an ardent supporter of the WGA and their cause," said O'Brien, an Emmy winner this year with the rest of his staff for writing for a variety, music or comedy program. "Unfortunately, now with the New Year upon us, I am left with a difficult decision: Either go back to work and keep my staff employed or stay dark and allow 80 people, many of whom have worked for me for 14 years, to lose their jobs."

Leno said now that talks with the Alliance For Motion Picture and Television Producers have broken down and no more negotiations are scheduled, "I feel it's my responsibility to get my 100 nonwriting staff . . . back to work. We fully support our writers, and I think they understand my decision."

Mike Sweeney, chief of Late Night's staff of 14 writers, said, "We all know what a difficult position Conan is in. He's been incredibly supportive of us." Sweeney said he didn't want to comment on his boss' decision, and the guild had no comment.

Whether the other late-night hosts follow suit remained to be seen. Some reports said that David Letterman's company, Worldwide Pants, wanted to work out its own deal with the guild for both CBS late shows (Worldwide Pants owns Late Night and Craig Ferguson's Late Late Show). In '88, Carson worked without writers for three weeks, then reached a separate deal with the union to bring them back.

Jimmy Kimmel's ABC show and Comedy Central's Daily Show and Colbert Report remain dark. Carson Daly, who's not a union member, resumed his NBC show this month.

What writerless versions of The Tonight Show and Late Night will look like is an open question. The Web site Deadline Hollywood Daily reported that according to rules sent to all comedy and variety shows before the strike, union members can't write anything they usually would for bits that appear on-air, including monologues.

"I'll do the best version of Late Night I can under the circumstances," O'Brien said. "Of course, my show will not be as good. In fact, in moments it may very well be terrible."

He and Leno may be forced to spend more time with guests. The shows' executive producers - Jeff Ross of Late Night and Debbie Vickers of the Tonight Show - said many potential guests had privately expressed reluctance to cross picket lines to appear. But as the strike continues, that opposition is melting, they said.

Information from Zap2it.com, the Associated Press and DeadlineHollywoodDaily.com was used in this report.

[Last modified December 17, 2007, 22:42:33]