Yesterday, TBS rocked the world of Conan O’Brien fans by announcing some big news: In June 2021, O’Brien’s show Conan will end its run on television, marking the end of the longtime late-night host’s 28-year reign. (He will move on to host a weekly variety show for HBO Max, so it isn’t all bad news.) So naturally, O’Brien used last night’s show to address the elephant in the room with an official statement of his own. Oh, you thought the elephant was the approaching end of his show? No, no, we’re referring to his hair, which has become so long during his COVID-era shows that he, unlike Seth Meyers, has apparently been ridiculed for it more than complimented. And this needs to stop now, if O’Brien has any say in it.
After reading some insults written by fans of the show on Instagram (calling him “a homeless lesbian” and “a full-grown David Spade,” among other things), O’Brien addressed his audience with a plea. “I’m quite proud of the show that we’ve been putting out under these very difficult circumstances. Everyone here works hard coming up with the comedy, booking the guests, so it seems almost disrespectful to watch a clip of the show and then go to the comments and harp on the one thing nobody really put any effort into, which is my hair,” he said. “Do you realize that the very future of our republic is at risk? Our delicate democratic process hangs in the balance right now, and people are thinking about how my hair is coiffed or whether it’s been cut or hasn’t been cut or how long it’s getting?!” While we doubt that this announcement will have the effect that Conan is going for, after a cursory glance at the top comments under this clip on YouTube, there are several fans already too bummed about his upcoming TBS departure to even bother with the whole hair thing. (For example: “Now all the comments are going to be about people being really sad cuz you’ll be leaving the show conan.”) So in a way, O’Brien’s wish has been granted. And for the record, Conan, we think you look great and we are firmly on Team No Haircut.
