Several late-night talk shows will be canceled for Tuesday evening due to a Writers Guild of America strike.
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The shows affected by the strike include The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and The Daily Show, Additionally, networks are slated to pivot re-runs as reported by Deadline. Several guests were scheduled to appear on the late-night shows, but it is unclear when the strike will be lifted.
PAY THEM WHATEVER THEY NEED
i still have trauma from heroes being cancelled/destroyed during the 2007/8 writers’strike. i’ll never trust people because of this. https://t.co/We0yANcDyr pic.twitter.com/WTDX59pdmJ
— Jahn Zilch, Tiddy F. Baby, OCP (@JahnZilch) May 2, 2023
After learning about the strike, Seth Meyers said writers should be entitled to fair compensation for their work in television, shows, and other projects. “But for those people who have a job, they are entitled to fair compensation. They are entitled to make a living. I think it’s a very reasonable demand that’s being set out by the guild. And I support those demands,” he explained to the outlet.
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A main issue for this year’s negotiation between the writers and studios is late-night shows on streaming platforms, and writers who work on these shows are not qualified for MBA minimums. Showrunners also said they would stay in touch with the WGA to have a unified approach.
Over the years, the WGA has been involved in several high-profile labor disputes with studios and production companies. One of the most famous was the 2007-2008 writers’ strike, which lasted for 100 days and brought Hollywood to a standstill. During the strike, thousands of writers walked off the job to protest the studios’ refusal to pay them for work that was being distributed over the Internet. The strike ended with a new agreement that gave writers a share of the revenue from digital media
The WGA represents over 15,000 writers in various fields, including film, television, and new media. The organization is divided into two branches: the WGA West, which represents writers in Hollywood and the West Coast, and the WGA East, which represents writers in New York and the East Coast.
The WGA’s main mission is to protect and promote the interests of its members. This includes negotiating minimum wages and working conditions, enforcing contracts, and providing a range of services and resources to help writers develop their craft and further their careers. The WGA also plays an important role in advocating for the rights of writers, both within the industry and in broader society.
In addition to its work on behalf of writers, the WGA is also involved in a range of initiatives aimed at promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the entertainment industry. This includes programs to support underrepresented writers, as well as efforts to improve representation and inclusivity on screen.