Conan O’Brien is the latest host to figure out a way to keep making new content after all the late-night shows temporarily suspended production amid the growing COVID-19 pandemic.
But while Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel have been filming 10-minute segments from their respective homes, O’Brien will be producing full-length episodes of his TBS show, Conan.
On Monday, March 30, Conan will begin airing its usual 30-minute episodes. But they will be shot remotely with an iPhone, with no studio audience and featuring O’Brien conducting guest interviews via video chat. Conan’s production staff will continue working from home.
“The quality of my work will not go down because technically that’s not possible,” said O’Brien in a statement.
“Our first priority is the health and well-being of everyone in the Team Coco family, and our second priority is to try and find a way that we can do our jobs safely, from home, and contribute some entertainment for our fans out there who may be hungry for silly distraction,” said Conan executive producer Jeff Ross.
It will be easier for O’Brien to film full-length episodes than his late-night rivals, given that Conan shifted from an hour to a half-hour format last year.