In a major development in Hollywood, hundreds of film and television writers from the Writers Guild of America (WGA) have gone on strike. The labor dispute between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) began on May 2, 2023, and is the largest disruption to American television and film production since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This is also the biggest labor stoppage for the WGA since the 2007-2008 strike.
The strike was called after 97.85% of WGA members voted on April 18, 2023, to take action if a satisfactory agreement could not be reached with the AMPTP by May 1. The AMPTP represented major studios such as Amazon Studios, Apple Studios, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount Global, Sony Pictures, the Walt Disney Company, and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) in lengthy negotiations with the WGA. However, a deal was not reached before the deadline, and the leadership of both the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) unanimously approved the strike, which began with members picketing on May 2.
At the heart of the dispute is the issue of residuals from streaming media, with the WGA claiming that the AMPTP's share of such residuals has resulted in a significant reduction in the average income of writers compared to a decade ago.
The strike has already had a significant impact on late-night talk shows, with productions such as Disney's Jimmy Kimmel Live!, NBCUniversal's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Late Night with Seth Meyers, Paramount's The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The Daily Show, and WBD's Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and Real Time with Bill Maher, all shut down immediately.
In a show of solidarity, the Writers' Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) has announced its support for the strike and instructed its members to avoid working on American projects during the duration of the strike.