Jonathan Mendelsohn
A current writers’ strike sees many screenwriters performing a walkout after a deal concerning a new contract reached a stalemate. Due to this occurrence, several late-night talk shows are halting production and will be airing reruns starting May 2. These shows include The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and The Daily Show.
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The catalyst for the issue was the expiration of an existing contract between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Many popular networks and film companies are part of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, including Netflix, NBC Universal, Paramount, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Sony.
Late Night Shows Halting Production Because of Writers Strike
Many of the late-night hosts show support for the writers involved in the strike. Jimmy Fallon told NBC News, “I support my writers. We have a lot of staff and crew that will be affected by this but, you know, they got to get a fair deal.”
In one of the last episodes of Late Night with Seth Meyers to air before the strike, Meyers shared his thoughts on the situation. He said, “I love writing. I love writing for TV. I love writing this show. I love that we get to come in with an idea for what we want to do every day and we get to work on it all afternoon and then I have the pleasure of coming out here. No one is entitled to a job in show business. 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.”
There is a chance the strike could come to a close this week if writers’ demands are met. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Real Time with Bill Maher, and Saturday Night Live are all still set to air but are in jeopardy of also being cut, although those shows will be salvaged if the strike ends soon enough.
