Jimmy Fallon opened the segment by noting the “major news” surrounding O’Brien’s departure from his trademark towering wave, flashing headlines from outlets such as the New York Post that asked whether the comedian had lost a bet.
O’Brien laughed and displayed the same headlines, then recounted that the look originated at an event for the Obama Library, where he spent hours in the audience without a hat and “head baked” after applying sunblock.
He said the resulting scalp sunburn was painful enough to warrant a dermatologist visit, where he was handed a bottle of oil. “I put the oil in my hair and it immediately felt better,” O’Brien told Fallon, adding that he quickly slicked his hair before a podcast taping with Molly Shannon.
The host noted that his publicist called to say the story was “everywhere,” and O’Brien admitted he had never realized how much attention his hair commanded, remarking that there were “major news happening that is more important than my slicked‑down locs.”
After the July episode of his “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” podcast aired, fans took to Instagram and other platforms to mock the change, with comments ranging from jokes about a New York cab driver to calling the new look a “doppelgänger.”
O’Brien also reminded viewers that he first invented his signature hairstyle in high school, a move he once explained on a 2010 “60 Minutes” interview as a way to create a memorable hook for a career in show business.