With the Writers Guild Strike of 2023 now on, some remember the only best thing to come out of its 2007 counterpart. Despite rigorous negotiations between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, no deal has been signed. This results in a strike that would have a massive impact on TV and movies — a situation that has never happened since 2007. In light of the Writers Guild Strike of 2023, some recall memories from more than a decade ago, when the last one took place.
Despite its negative widespread effects on Hollywood, one great thing during that time was Conan O’Brien’s late-night antics as he tried doing his show without his writers. As seen in several tweets, O’Brien had to be very creative in making sure that Late Night with Conan O’Brien would offer entertainment to its viewers despite what was happening behind the scenes. A stand-out segment from that era was his shtick with his eventual associate producer, Jordan Schlansky. Check out the tweets below:
Why Conan O’Brien’s 2007 Late-Night Antics Were So Great
Conan’s late-night stint wasn’t without any hiccups. He infamously has a conflict with Jay Leno, following a scandal about hosting NBC’s The Tonight Show. This led to him moving to TBS to spearhead his own series, Conan. The talk show lasted for 11 seasons until Conan ended it in 2021. Throughout it all, he and his team were able to consistently come up with creative and hilarious ways to entertain its viewers. The 2007-2008 Writers Guild Strike, however, revealed just how pivotal he was in the creative process of his projects.
Aside from doing his exclusive bits during the said period, Conan also worked with John Stewart (The Daily Show) and Stephen Colbert (The Colbert Report) to come up with a three-show collaboration. The hosts leaned on their fake feud for this running gag crossed over all three shows throughout the strike. Until now, it’s one of the most bizarrely funny moments in late-night history.
Conan will not be impacted by the Writers Guild Strike of 2023. But to further highlight just how impressive his work was during the 2007 protest, all late-night shows are to shut down immediately in light of the strike. Also, Conan paying his affected staff back then with their salaries makes him more admirable.
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