Conan O’Brien is leaving his house.
The Conan host will begin filming his TBS show at L.A.’s Largo at the Coronet on July 6, becoming the first late-night host to move away from at-home filming since studio production shut down in March. Episodes will film without an audience and with a limited number of crew and staff members on site, per government and industry protocols. O’Brien will continue to interview guests via Zoom.
O’Brien chose Largo to resume filming rather than his studio at the Warner Bros. lot as a way to keep the theater, a favorite among the L.A. comedy scene, going during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I got started doing improv at the Coronet in 1986, and I’m glad we’ve figured out a way to safely keep that theater going during this lockdown,” he said.
Added Largo owner Mark Flanagan, “We are thrilled that Conan and his great team reached out and offered to help us through these awful times. We have a long history together and look forward to many more great years to come.”
The decision to move Conan to Largo comes as Los Angeles and the rest of California has seen a spike in coronavirus cases in recent weeks. The upturn in cases led California Gov. Gavin Newsom to close movie theaters and indoor dining at restaurants; the state is also moving to close bars in 19 counties.
A small handful of productions have resumed since the state lifted restrictions on filming in June. CBS’ daytime drama The Bold and the Beautiful returned to studio production on June 17, and fellow soap The Young and the Restless is also gearing up to return to filming on July 6.
