Celebrities Supporting the WGA Strike, What You Need to Know

Celebrities are uniting to show their support following the announcement of a strike by members of the Writers’ Guild of America (WGA). The strike broke out on May 2, when the union disagreed with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers regarding low compensation for writers.

As a result, members of the WGA pledged to abstain from creating or offering new TV and film scripts. Several prominent figures from Hollywood are expressing their opinions and joining the demonstrators to back the WGA’s cause.

Talk show hosts, including Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Stephen Colbert, and Jimmy Kimmel, were some of the first to announce the halt of their series’ production. Drew Barrymore also showed her support for the strike, stating, “I have listened to the writers, and in order to truly respect them, I will pivot from hosting the MTV Movie & TV Awards live in solidarity with the strike. Everything we celebrate and honor about movies and television is born out of their creation. And until a solution is reached, I am choosing to wait.”

Abbott Elementary’s Quinta Brunson took to Twitter, “I am a writer. I’m in the WGA. I’m also on strike!” She added, “I have no real power here other than to join my union in demanding fair compensation for writers! #wgastrong.”

While picketing for the strike in New York on May 3 with other WGA members, Yang spoke, from Saturday Night Live expressed empathy for the new cast and writers who joined the show this season, stating, “the new cast and the new writers who started out [on ‘SNL’ this season] — they didn’t get a chance to ring in the end of their first season, which is always a big milestone.”

Some celebrities that attended the Met Gala also took the opportunity to use the platform to bring the cause more attention. During a red carpet interview, Olivia Wilde mentions, “I support the writers.” “I think it’ll affect all of us,” she added. “It’ll affect every part of the industry and people beyond the industry, but, you know, we have to stand up for our rights. I support unions. They’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what they deserve, and I wish it didn’t have to come to this.”

Amanda Seyfried, Jimmy Fallon, and Brian Tyree Henry are some of the other stars that showed their solidarity with the writers.

Here are some other celebrities that either joined the writers’ picket in New York and Los Angeles or expressed their thoughts on social media:

Despite the ongoing strike, the members of the Writers Guild of America remain steadfast in their negotiations. To know more about the strike and its impact, click here.