Late-night shows to air rerun episodes amid writers' strike
Late-night talk shows, including The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel Live, will go off the air, following the writers' strike that has shaken the Hollywood industry. The move comes after the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and studios failed to reach a new contract that would raise the pay of screenwriters. In 2007, a WGA strike exploded and lasted 100 days.
Why does this story matter?
The Writers Guild announced a strike late Monday night after negotiations with the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) failed to reach a new, improved contract. The contract expired on Monday. Around 11,500 unionized screenwriters closed their laptops and raised their voices regarding their union's low pay in the streaming era. Besides, writers also demanded pay equity and better pre-production writer's room.
'Saturday Night Live' shut down amid the labor dispute
Talk shows like The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, were the first ones to be impacted by the strike. NBC's Saturday Night Live, scheduled to air on Saturday, has been canceled this week, which was supposed to be hosted by Pete Davidson. The series will air a rerun show amid the strike, reportedly.
Hosts Kimmel and Colbert faced a similar situation in 2007-2008
A strike of this magnitude was last seen in the year 2007, and two of the night hosts—Kimmel and Colbert faced similar situations. Even, Real Time with Bill Maher was also hit, with its season finale replaced by a rerun. Notably, one of the prominent issues in this year's negotiations between the Writers Guild and the studios is surrounding late-night shows on streaming platforms.
Strike's cascading effect on TV and film production
Depending on how long the strike lasts, it will leave a cascading effect on TV and film production. Apart from SNL, two HBO shows will also shut down, according to Deadline. Reportedly, Colbert was set to have Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Chita Rivera on Tuesday's show, with Chris Hayes, Zach Cherry, Michael J Fox, and Shonda Rhimes lined up for later in the week.
Member of WGA called out Warner Bros. Discovery CEO
Member of the WGA Negotiating Committee, Adam Conover has been vocal about the run-up to the guild's talk with AMPTP on social media. While appearing on CNN's morning show, he called out Warner Bros. Discovery CEO and stated, "David Zaslav was paid $250M last year. That's about the same level as what 10,000 writers are asking him to pay all of us collectively."
