Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY
Los Angeles, CA, USA; Conan O'Brien arrives at the 73rd Emmy Awards at L.A. Live
Conan O’Brien is a poster boy for Irish heritage, as the origins of his last name are driven home by his pale complexion and orange hair. He’s styled that fiery mane in the same manner for the bulk of his career, and he has provided an explanation after unexpectedly switching things up.
Many people on the taller side go out of their way to avoid attracting more attention than necessary in an inherently futile attempt to avoid sticking out. However, that is not the case with Conan O’Brien, the 6’4″ comedian who has historically added a couple more inches by styling his hair into the coif that serves as his signature look.
It was front and center when the first episode of Late Night with Conan O’Brien aired all the way back in 1993, and while it has evolved ever so slightly over the years, people who’ve tuned into the various projects he’s helmed over the past few decades have become accustomed to seeing the pronounced poof on display.
However, it was nowhere to be found during a recent episode of his long-running podcast, and we have some insight into why that was the case.
Conan O’Brien says a sunburn on his scalp forced him to switch up his hairdo
On Monday, we were treated to a new episode of Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend featuring Molly Shannon, but the content of the interview was overshadowed by the fact that the man who lends his name to the show was sporting slicked-back hair that became a very hot topic of conversation.
No one involved with the podcast addressed the host’s new look during the recording, and the sheer lack of acknowledgement almost made it seem like it was a bit designed to get people talking (which it certainly did).
However, it turns out it was addressed on the day the show was recorded, as the mystery was solved in a clip that was uploaded on Tuesday.
O’Brien revealed the pivot stemmed from his presence at the grand opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, where he spent hours in the sun that beat down on the ceremony on June 18th.
He had the foresight to put on sunscreen, but he realized he’d neglected his scalp when sunburn started to set in. He initially felt like Ghost Rider, saying his skull was “on fire,” and while the pain ultimately subsided, he was subsequently treated to the itching and peeling that make it look like “white freckled confetti is pouring off of my head.”
Conan said he was advised to rub oil into his hair to hasten his recovery, but it weighed down his mane to the point where he can’t do his “normal thing.” However, it does not appear it’s going to be a permanent change.
Mystery solved.