Fallon, more react to WGA strike: 'I wouldn't have a show if it wasn't for my writers'
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As a work stoppage has been called and members of the Writers Guild of America prepare to begin picketing Tuesday afternoon, the union is getting support within Hollywood and around the globe.
Unable to reach a deal with the major studios on a new three-year contract to replace one that expired Monday night, the boards of directors for the East and West Coast divisions of the WGA called Hollywood’s first strike in 15 years to dispute how writers are compensated in the streaming era.
The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain has also sent guidance to its members about the U.S. strike and reminded them not to work on U.S. shows for the duration of the work stoppage. WGGB members taking work would essentially be viewed as "crossing a picket line" and could result in them being blacklisted, that guild said. The Writers Guild of Canada issued a similar directive, and the WGA has also received strong displays of solidarity from several other powerful Hollywood unions, including SAG-AFTRA, Teamsters, the Directors Guild and IATSE.
U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) also backed the effort, tweeting that the WGA's fight for better pay and wage protections in the streaming-content era "is vital to ensuring the livelihood of those who make the entertainment industry such a creative powerhouse." He called on both sides to come to a deal to improve worker salaries and one that "keeps our favorite TV and movie productions afloat."
The WGA fight for better pay and wage protections in the era of streaming content is vital to ensuring the livelihood of those who make the entertainment industry such a creative powerhouse.
I stand with those striking and urge both sides to swiftly come to a deal that supports…— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) May 2, 2023
Numerous showrunners have also weighed in on the strike's potential effect on the industry, describing a halt as "pure chaos." Additionally, guild members have warned fellow writers in separate genres — comic book writers and novelists, for example — to turn down offers to write for studios during the stoppage because it can be interpreted as crossing picket lines and potentially preclude them from future membership in the guild.
PSA: The WGA strike may mean that novelists & authors get approached for screenwriting. While this may seem like a perfect opportunity, please note that the WGA does strongly enforces its right to prevent non-members who have engaged in scabbing from ever becoming members.
— Victoria Marini (@LitAgentMarini) May 2, 2023
Comics writers — no matter how stoked you are to work on media projects, if you’re solicited to do development work right now, you’re being asked to scab.
This burns every team you want to work with, and your own future with them. Cite the strike, say no, and be patient. 💪— Dylan Meconis (@dmeconis) May 2, 2023
The WGA's work stoppage will probably delay the key fall network TV season, including 45% of the episodes produced by legacy media companies Disney, Paramount Global and Comcast NBCUniversal. Late-night TV shows will be the first to feel the effect and are already making plans to air reruns on Tuesday.
"Everyone including myself hope both sides reach a deal. But I also think that the writers' demands are not unreasonable," TV host Stephen Colbert said on the Monday episode of CBS' "The Late Show." "I'm a member of the guild. I support collective bargaining. This nation owes so much to unions. Unions are the reason we have weekends, and by extension why we have TGI Fridays."
"I wouldn't have a show if it wasn't for my writers, I support them all the way," NBC's "Tonight Show" host Jimmy Fallon told Variety on Monday at the glitzy Met Gala in New York.
"I support the writers, and I think it'll affect all of us," actor-director Olivia Wilde told Reuters. "It'll affect every part of the industry and people beyond the industry. But we have to stand up for our rights and I support unions, and they've spent a lot of time thinking about what they deserve. I wish it didn't have to come to this."
"I wish this wasn't happening and support it absolutely," tweeted "The Sandman" writer Neil Gaiman. "When I wake up tomorrow I'll be on strike. (To forestall the inevitable questions, Good Omens 2 is completed and handed in. Although I may not be able to promote it as I had hoped.)" Gaiman added in a follow-up tweet that Season 2 of Prime Video's "Good Omens" will be out this summer: "It's all done and dusted."
I'm in the Writers Guild of America. I wish this wasn't happening and support it absolutely. When I wake up tomorrow I'll be on strike. (To forestall the inevitable questions, Good Omens 2 is completed and handed in. Although I may not be able to promote it as I had hoped.) https://t.co/sc64H4bm5E
— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) May 2, 2023
Actor-comedian and writer Wanda Sykes was also poised to join the picket line, sharing an apparent throwback photo of herself protesting conditions during the 100-day writers' strike in 2007.
"Here we go again! #wgastrong," she tweeted Tuesday.
"I'm a member of WGA and support WGA, and them getting — we, us — getting what we need," "Abbott Elementary" star and creator Quinta Brunson told the Associated Press.
"I stand with @WGAWest and @WGAEast and fully support them in their strike," tweeted "Star Wars" actor Mark Hamill. "'If it ain't on the page, it ain't on the stage.' #WGAStrong"
I stand with @WGAWest and @WGAEast and fully support them in their strike.
"If it ain't on the page, it ain't on the stage."#WGAStrong— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) May 2, 2023
Writers are seeking increased pay, particularly from streaming residuals, and new regulations on working conditions. The WGA has sought pay increases and other changes to the contract valued at nearly $600 million at a time when studios are being roiled by cutbacks and layoffs, with many under pressure to make their streaming services more profitable, The Times has reported.
"Everything changed with streaming, and everybody should be compensated for their work. It’s f— easy," Oscar-nominated actor Amanda Seyfried also told Variety on Monday at the Met Gala.
"I just hope that everyone is treated equally.… People strike for a reason," "Eternals" and "Atlanta" star Brian Tyree Henry said Monday.
In response to the WGA's tweet announcing that it had called for a strike, Twitter users chimed in with their signature indifference and snarky jokes about artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT taking on the productions.
Well Ai gonna be putting in overtime this year
— T☣️XiC Melonz (@SaggyMelonz) May 2, 2023
Will anyone notice?
— GayLumberjack (@gay_lumberjack) May 2, 2023
How many Hollywood studio execs are trying to get a full season of scripts from ChatGPT right now? 😂 #WritersStrike
— bynumforpresident (@bynum4president) May 2, 2023
Many others recalled how the 2007 writers strike affected several beloved TV shows, including "Friday Night Lights," "Pushing Daisies" and "Heroes," and how the ramifications of that strike can still be seen today. Several recalled how late-night host Conan O'Brien spun his wedding ring on his desk or took viewers on a tour of his office to fill airtime without using writers.
"Abbott Elementary" star and creator Quinta Brunson set the record straight about her involvement in the strike after a fan urged her on Twitter to "help them writers girl! We love them just as much as the cast who deliver them lines!"
"I am a writer. I’m in the wga. I’m also on strike!" Brunson replied. "I have no real power here other than to join my union in demanding fair compensation for writers! #wgastrong."
"I’m on the way back to la currently but this week you’ll probably find me on picket line," she added. "This strike also isn’t about me, and I don’t want to make it about me. It’s about all writers :) support the wga. No show or movie you love is written without… writers."
the children don’t remember how bad TV got during the 2007 writers strike
— ashley "big shoes" ray (@theashleyray) May 1, 2023
A weird thing I see keep cropping up is "The last writers strike made reality TV more popular!" in a "be careful what you wish for!" way.
Except this is just completely untrue?— Emily St. James (@emilystjams) May 2, 2023
... there was a heavier pivot to reality bc of the strike, and Black people were then and are still heavily underrepresented in writers rooms as it is.
— Naima Cochrane (@naima) May 2, 2023
i used to watch heroes so yes i do understand the cultural implications of a writers’ strike
— carey (@brokebackstan) May 2, 2023
Y’all need to pay TV writers what they are worth because the last time they went on strike 1) we lost out on another season of PUSHING DAISIES and 2) ended up with a reality TV star popular enough to become president #WGA
— Jennifer Griffin Graham (@jgriffingraham) May 1, 2023
Steve Carell calling in sick to not come into the set of The Office on the first day of the writers strike is one of my favorite stories from that time period. https://t.co/MtLkADixyh pic.twitter.com/9Y3ItiMJui
— Chase Snyder (@ChasingSnyder) May 2, 2023
Here's a look at how the strike news is being received:
Watch this #WGA strike carefully.
Understand that our fight is the same fight that is coming to your professional sector next: it’s the devaluing of human effort, skill, and talent in favor of automation and profits. @WGAWest @WGAEast #Humanism #AI— Justine Bateman (@JustineBateman) May 2, 2023
The Writers Guild has existed for 90 years. We’ve negotiated contracts with studios roughly every 3 years. With or without a strike, we’ve made a deal every time.
If they could do without us, they would. If they could break us, they would. They can’t. They won’t. #WGAStrong— David Slack (@slack2thefuture) May 2, 2023
No writer wants to strike. We want to work. We want to continue writing the scripts that become the shows that set this app on fire night after night, week after week.
Our work creates BILLIONS of dollars that make CEOs and shareholders millions of dollars and guess what?— Travon (@Travon) May 2, 2023
Wow. This is scary. But a future where we accept what the companies are trying to do— low paid, freelancer writing gigs with no job security— is much scarier. You can’t make good art that way. And writers generate far too much profit for them to accept it. So, I’m on strike! https://t.co/1WK88spKEl
— Ashley Nicole Black (@ashleyn1cole) May 2, 2023
Best thing you could do. In a recession this will give a chance for people who are actually talented to step forward
— Tom Humes (@tom_humes) May 2, 2023
Incredibly impressed with this @TheWritersGuild statement - absolutely no messing, total solidarity with @WGAWest. You steal work from US writers on the sly, and you're blacklisted. ✊🏼✊🏼✊🏼 https://t.co/LCKl92nSqF
— David Allison (@DavidHAllison) May 2, 2023
I might be in the UK, but as a member of the @TheWritersGuild in the UK, I stand in solidarity with the@WGAWest & @WGAEast. Pay writers. #UnionStrong #WritersGuildofAmerica
— Tony Lee (@mrtonylee) May 2, 2023
Shows don't just create stories magically by themselves. Wether you're a Guild member, student as I am or just an audience member, support the artists who make life better for all of us. #wgastrong #wgastrike @WGAWest @WGAEast @TheWritersGuild @WGCtweet pic.twitter.com/3US28EFCps
— Donald Belliveau (@Donsb315) May 2, 2023
Solidarity with writers stateside right now. I’ve had people try and pressure me into signing away all rights to my work. Offered shares of tv net profits that wouldn’t pay for a cup of coffee. Thank goodness for unions. #WGAStrong #WGAStrike @TheWritersGuild @WGAWest @WGAEast
— Eliza Power (@elizapower) May 2, 2023
When “streaming” started and our old contract was negotiated, “streaming” was YouTube videos. It was mostly promo clips of TV shows - writers got paid for the show so if the clip didn’t pay it wasn’t a huge deal for them. But now the ENTIRE SHOW is streaming. 2/3
— Eliza Skinner 🦐 (@elizaskinner) May 2, 2023
Not to be hyperbolic, but this WGA strike is the canary in the coal mine. If we don’t stop this industry from insane automation and devaluing wages that’s a wrap. That’s dystopia.
— Akilah Hughes (@AkilahObviously) May 2, 2023
If you’re mad that your favorite show could be cancelled or is on hold due to the strike, remember to blame the studios and not the workers fighting for fair wages.
— Maggie Lovitt (@maggieofthetown) May 2, 2023
Writer’s strike goin’ up & we running fades.
— vince (@vincestaples) May 2, 2023
We hate to strike, but if we must, we strike hard. Pencils down in the Cobra Kai writers room. No writers on set. These aren't fun times, but it's unfortunately necessary. The moment a fair deal is in place, we'll get back to kicking ass. In the meantime, sending strength and… https://t.co/99UulF7HeW
— Jon Hurwitz (@jonhurwitz) May 2, 2023
WGA Captain here, you have any questions, there’s plenty of us on here who can help answer them for you. Please don’t get your information from non WGA members or trades.
Also, a strike means ALL work stoppage. It’s scary but please stop trying to find loopholes to keep working— Caroline “WGA Captain” Renard (@carolinerenard_) May 2, 2023
Netflix didn’t start producing content until 2011. They’ve never truly experienced a writers strike. Amazon has made sure to keep unions out of their workforce but entered Hollywood after guilds were established… this is going to be interesting.
— Leah Poulliot (@astoldbyLP) May 2, 2023
may the momentum of the writers strike also be granted to vfx workers, animation workers, stop motion workers, below the line workers in iatse, video game workers, and all other creative workers without enough protection i love you and i wish for your success as well <3
— klaudia amenábar (@kaludiasays) May 2, 2023
The Writers Guild of America is now on strike. The AMPTP chose this. They would rather shut down an industry than pay the people who make that industry happen. See you on the picket line. https://t.co/EcAhXRKgTI
— Mike Drucker (@MikeDrucker) May 2, 2023
From the @nytimes today. THIS right here is the crux of the issue: We have a consistently profitable business, but that doesn't matter anymore because we've sacrificed everything at the alter of 'exponential growth.' It's a false idol. It's insanity. #wgastrong pic.twitter.com/uubSgiyURt
— (HBO) Max Perry Mason (@maxfperry) April 30, 2023
SAG-AFTRA supports WGA! #WGAStrong #1u @WGAEast #sagaftramembers, join us in New York TODAY at the Peacock NewFront at 1:30-4 PM ET to stand in #solidarity with WGA members as they fight for a fair contract. pic.twitter.com/HFuuUHrmUR
— SAG-AFTRA (@sagaftra) May 2, 2023
Here are the #WGA’s proposals to help writers achieve a living wage (note: our minimum basic agreement is not a guarantee of employment, this is only applicable IF we are so lucky to land a coveted writing job!). #WGAstrong pic.twitter.com/q4qv2jXStV
— Robin Thede (@robinthede) May 2, 2023
The WGA negotiations document is absolutely wild. It’s like “the WGA requested a 45% wage increase as well as healthcare and a decent pension plan and the studios counter offered with $4 and a greeting card that said ‘being broke is a disease, get well soon❤️” #WGAstrong
— abby govindan (@abbygov) May 2, 2023
We're just asking for half the catering budget of "Lord of the Rings".
— Alan Spencer (@MrAlanSpencer) May 2, 2023
According to the WGA negotiating committee, the studios are pushing for a "day rate" for comedy/variety writers. Truly horrifying. We won't survive something like that. #WGAStrong #WGAStrike #WGAStressed
— Sara Schaefer (@saraschaefer1) May 2, 2023
two things we as non-WGA members and film/tv fans and viewers can do is:
1) stop using chatgpt and training these programs that companies want to use to replace human beings' jobs
2) follow ONLY the union themself and be skeptical of articles you read#WGAStrong— klaudia amenábar (@kaludiasays) May 2, 2023
A “mini-room” is a term invented by studios for short-term employment on a TV show before it’s greenlit. One fun feature is that mini-rooms way underpay TV writers, and yet have come to dominate the work available to us.
I like Ashley’s solution… 😀 #wgastrong https://t.co/6eAJLAnQth— Lisa Takeuchi Cullen 竹内理沙 (@LisaCullen) May 2, 2023
Times staff writer Christi Carras contributed to this report.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.