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Conan O’Brien divulges painful reason he ditched signature hairstyle for greaseball look after fan uproar

Conan O'Brien with one arm raised and hand on his head, talking into a microphone.
Conan O'Brien with one arm raised and hand on his head, talking into a microphone.

The comedian joked that he looks like a member of the 1950s Sha Na Na doo-wop band, also comparing himself to Four Seasons' Frankie Valli.

Conan O’Brien blamed his headline-making “greaseball” hairstyle on a scalp sunburn.

The comedian explained in a podcast clip, obtained by Entertainment Weekly on Wednesday, that his “skull [was] on fire” — and then “really itchy” — from attending the Obama Presidential Center grand opening in Chicago last month.

The former “Conan” host, 63, thought he was “going crazy,” noting, “Whenever I itch it, it looks like a snow globe. It looks like confetti — white freckled confetti is pouring off of my head. It’s disgusting.”

Conan O'Brien with one arm raised and hand on his head, talking into a microphone.
Conan O’Brien debuted a new hairstyle earlier this week because of a gnarly June sunburn, he explained Wednesday. Team Coco/Youtube
Conan O'Brien and Molly Shannon smiling together with arms around each other.
The comedian (pictured above with Molly Shannon on Monday) addressed his headline-making transformation in a clip obtained by Entertainment Weekly. teamcoco/Instagram

He pointed out that since he has “so much hair,” he isn’t “used to” needing to protect his scalp from being “roasted.”

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O’Brien was told to “rub oil into it” as treatment — and was “not thinking” about filming his “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” podcast episode with Molly Shannon when he did so.

“I come in and I look like I’m in Sha Na Na,” he said, referencing the 1950s doo-wop band. “I’m a greaseball. I’m so greasy. I’m Frankie [Valli of the Four Seasons].”

Conan O'Brien with his hands on his head, talking into a microphone.
He “rubb[ed] oil into” his hair before filming the “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” episode, “not thinking” about the uproar it would cause. Team Coco/Youtube
Conan O'Brien speaking into a microphone.
O’Brien admitted to looking like a total “greaseball.” Team Coco/Youtube

The Emmy winner joked, “I look like I want to fight one of you in the parking lot by swinging a chain at you in 1952, or come at you with a switchblade. I really feel different. I just want to fight people on the street. I want to get a hot rod and drive it around.”

“I want to get Rizzo pregnant, so that Rizzo has a bun in the oven,” he continued of the “Grease” character. “You know what I mean?”

Still referencing the 1978 movie, he quipped, “I’m one of the Thunderbirds that is easily 55 years old. I’m going to put a bubble-gum cigarette behind my ear.”

Conan O'Brien speaking into a podcast microphone.
He mocked himself, likening the look to a doo-wop singer, a “Grease” character and more. teamcoco/YouTube
Conan O'Brien with clasped hands during a conversation.
The Emmy winner, notably, is known for his signature pompadour. Getty Images

Declaring himself a “greaseball” covered in WD40, he clarified, “I’m just gonna keep rubbing oil into my head until this my skull heals.”

O’Brien, additionally, praised Hillary Clinton for wearing a “giant … huge” hat at the June event, saying, “She’s smart. She’s laughing at me right now.”

The former “Saturday Night Live” writer’s new ‘do sparked chatter on Monday, with social media users comparing O’Brien to a “Sopranos” actor, a used car salesman and more after he ditched his usual pompadour.

He re-posted a few of the funniest comments to his Instagram feed on Tuesday.

Conan O'Brien poses for a picture during the dedication ceremony for the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.
He got burnt at the Obama Presidential Center grand opening in Chicago in June. REUTERS
Conan O'Brien adjusting his red hair and smiling, wearing a blue shirt and suit jacket, with sunglasses on his nose.
After last month’s event, O’Brien felt like his “skull [was] on fire” before it got “really itchy” and began to rain “hite freckled confetti … like a snow globe.” REUTERS

“Who hosed down Conan?” one read, with another admitting that “seeing Conan’s hair like this feels illegal.”

O’Brien’s signature wave dates back to high school, with him explaining on “60 Minutes” in 2010 that he needed it as a “hook” to make it in Hollywood.

At the time, the former late night host called it “structurally sound” and told viewers, “If there’s an earthquake and you’re in the Pacific Northwest, get under my hair.”

Conan O'Brien and Molly Shannon smiling together with arms around each other.
Conan O'Brien and Molly Shannon smiling together with arms around each other.
Conan O'Brien with his hands on his head, talking into a microphone.
Conan O'Brien with his hands on his head, talking into a microphone.
Conan O'Brien speaking into a microphone.
Conan O'Brien speaking into a microphone.
Conan O'Brien speaking into a podcast microphone.
Conan O'Brien speaking into a podcast microphone.
Conan O'Brien with clasped hands during a conversation.
Conan O'Brien with clasped hands during a conversation.
Conan O'Brien poses for a picture during the dedication ceremony for the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.
Conan O'Brien poses for a picture during the dedication ceremony for the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.
Conan O'Brien adjusting his red hair and smiling, wearing a blue shirt and suit jacket, with sunglasses on his nose.
Conan O'Brien adjusting his red hair and smiling, wearing a blue shirt and suit jacket, with sunglasses on his nose.
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