Jay and Conan returning

Tonight show hosts Conan O’Brien and Jay Leno will return to work on January 2, whether the writer’s strike is over or not.

The hosts, who have been off air as a show of support for the WGA, now feel that as talks have broken down they need to show support for their non-writing production staff.

“The truth is that shows like mine are hybrids, with both written and nonwritten content,” O’Brien said. “An unwritten version of Late Night, though not desirable, is possible — and no one has to be fired.”

“We fully support our writers, and I think they understand my decision.”

David Letterman meanwhile may negotiate with the WGA separately of the studios. His production company Worldwide Pants couldl strike waivers with the union and set itself apart from the AMPTP.

One of Conan’s head writers indicated understanding of the difficult position his boss was in, and commented on the challenge of working ‘scriptless.’

“It’s like a high-wire act,” Mike Sweeney said. “I remember during the 1988 strike, I was excited to see when Letterman came back on what he would do without writers.

“I’m assuming there will be a lot more guests,” he said. “Maybe they’ll have people with interesting coin collections on, I’m not sure.”

Source: Variety