ABC May Postpone Premiere Amid Sit-Ins

Matt Walsh

Manny Karabell/Getty Images

ABC may delay the scheduled premiere of its film Dancing with the stars After striking writers targeted the show with sit-ins in recent days. Meanwhile, one of the celebrities participating in the show said that he will not participate in it Dancing with the stars Until the writers’ strike ends.

Matt Walsh (vice president) said in a statement that he would “temporarily pause” his participation in the show “until an agreement is reached with… [Writers Guild of America]. I was excited to join the offer and did so under the impression that it was not a WGA offer and that it fell under a different agreement. This morning, when my union, the WGA, informed me that this constituted strike action, I walked out of training. I have and will always stand with my union members at the WGA, SAG and DGA.

Although it is an unscripted presentation, Dancing with the stars It is a signatory to the Writers Guild’s Minimum Basic Agreement and has in the past employed a WGA writer among its 500 employees to write certain comments for hosts.

Walsh added in his statement: “Beyond our union artists, I am sensitive to the many people affected by the strike and hope for a quick and fair resolution, and to one day work again with all the wonderful people I have met in the process.” Dancing with the stars Who bore my dancing.”

Striking writers picketed outside the show’s rehearsal spaces this week, some holding signs specifically mentioning Walsh, a member of the WGA, and actresses Alyson Hannigan and Mira Sorvino, who are arguably the most prominent SAG-AFTRA cast members in Season 32. .

Dancing with the stars It falls under SAG-AFTRA’s so-called network code contract, which covers talk shows, variety shows and daytime soap operas and runs through June 2024. The celebrities participating in the show are therefore not violating SAG-AFTRA’s strike rules, but due to increased scrutiny and criticism of participants who cross WGA lines, Sources say ABC is looking to postpone the premiere, currently scheduled for September 26.

The WGA strike falls on Day 143. Union negotiators are scheduled to enter a second straight day of talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents media companies in labor negotiations. After Wednesday’s session, the WGA and AMPTP issued a rare joint statement confirming Thursday’s talks.