Caught between a need to support striking writers and save non-WGA employees, late night TV hosts Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien will return on January 2^nd, Variety reports. In a statement released by NBC today, O’Brien said, "With the New Year upon us, I am left with a difficult decision: Either go back to work and keep my staff employed or stay dark and allow 80 people, many of whom have worked for me for fourteen years, to lose their jobs.”

O’Brien and other late show hosts like David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel, and Leno do not rely on their writers to produce scripts, because much of the show is improvised by the host and guests. O’Brien admitted as much in his statement: "If my show were entirely scripted I would have no choice. But the truth is that shows like mine are hybrids, with both written and non-written content. An unwritten version of ‘Late Night,’ though not desirable, is possible – and no one has to be fired."

And though O’Brien’s statement included an intention to acknowledge and discuss the strike on his show, fundamentally the decision puts the WGA in a difficult position. The lack of fresh late night content was one of the immediately noticeable side effects of the strike. The return of such shows will certainly deflect a fraction of the attention from the strike, potentially limiting union negotiators.

Leno released a statement similar to O’Brien’s: "Now that the talks have broken down and there are no further negotiations scheduled I feel it’s my responsibility to get my 100 non-writing staff, which were laid off, back to work. We fully support our writers and I think they understand my decision."

No official word on other prominent hosts as of yet, though Variety said Kimmel and Letterman are likely to return soon, and Jon Stewart of “The Daily Show” is seeking the WGA’s approval.

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Photo from NBC.com