Striking writers picket Dancing with the Stars rehearsal spaces
Striking writers are picketing outside of Dancing with the Stars rehearsals today (September 20). This morning, a group of around 25 picketers in West Hollywood protested outside of the production’s rehearsal as of 8 a.m. Later in the day, WGA picketers arrived at another rehearsal location near the Beverly center.
Writers are hoping that by picketing, either the network decides not to air the show, or some of the stars (which include How I Met Your Mother‘s Alyson Hannigan, Oscar winner Mira Sorvino and particularly Veep’s Matt Walsh, who is also a member of the WGA) to drop out.
The writers are targeting those stars, and Barry Williams with signs with their names and photos on them. They are also being very loud so that people can hear them inside the rehearsal stage. The writers are also hoping Jamie Lynn Spears and Xochitl Gomez also bow out. Spears announced she was donating her salary to charities helping those affected by the strikes.
The WGA took to a second location after learning that stars including Walsh were spotted there. He was spotted leaving the facility with a member of the show. There could be a third picket line today, reports Deadline, as the striking writers head to other locations
DWTS is covered ty one WGA writer on its staff
Dancing with the Stars is a WGA show as it traditionally employs one WGA writer on its 500-person crew.
“The WGA respects all writing whether it’s a single writer on a feature film with 500 people or it’s a single writer on a TV show with 500 people; it’s all the same to us and we’re going to protect writing across the board,” one writer on the picket told Deadline.
“Dancing with the Stars is a WGA signatory show. It shouldn’t be shooting right now. ABC has no fall programming, narratively speaking, because they chose to impose this strike upon us so we want to disrupt all of their programming as much as we can so they’ll come back to the table with a reasonable offer,” the source added.
MacGyver exec producer David Slack told Deadline, “The reason that it’s so important that Dancing with the Stars not move forward with scab writing is that it encourages the studio to make the strike last longer and to hold out to see if other shows will be able to move forward with scab writing. While it may put the crew for Dancing with the Stars back to work, that’s keeping every other crew in Hollywood out of work. This economy in LA is losing $30M a day because of what the companies have chosen not to do, the path of not negotiating, that they’ve chosen.”
Dancing with the Stars new season is set to premiere live on ABC and Disney+ on Tuesday September 26.
