News > O'Brien Pays Employees Out of Own Pocket
November 30, 2007
Written by David Morgan
In a bit of good news for a change, Late Night host Conan O'Brien has ensured the jobs of the 75 members of his non-writing production staff by paying them their full salaries out of his own pocket. Their salaries had already been guaranteed through the end of this month, along with those of Jay Leno's The Tonight Show and Carson Daly's Last Call. With December beginning Saturday, all of those employees were in danger of being laid off.
Daly has already saved his own staff members in a different way, by returning to production, a move that has drawn criticism from WGA leaders. He recently issued this statement in response:
If I didn't go back to work, roughly 75 staff and crew would have lost their jobs. As a non-WGA member, I feel I have supported the Writers Guild of America and the strike by suspending production for a month. While I continue to support the cause, I can't, in all good conscience, stand by and let that happen to my loyal staff and crew. I sincerely hope the strike will be resolved soon.
Thus far, there has been no word on Leno and the fate of his staff.
Needless to say, in the wake of O'Brien's magnanimity, those two other hosts are looking pretty bad.
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