Writers' Strike 2023: How It Will Affect Your TV Shows

Amidst the rising tensions of the current Hollywood writer’s strike, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav faced a storm of boos and angry chants as he took the stage to accept his honorary degree at the University of Boston’s commencement ceremony.

William Earl Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav felt the effect of the WGA strike while delivering a commencement speech at Boston University, getting jeered and facing chants of “pay your writers” while he was trying to speak. “Late Night with Seth Meyers” writer Mike Scollins posted a video of one moment during the address in which the chant was loud enough to make Zaslav pause in the middle of his speech. Scollins captioned the video “Zaslav getting hit with a Pay Your Writers chant in Boston. This is so good.”Zaslav getting hit with a Pay Your Writers chant in Boston. This is so good. pic.twitter.com/00pL4ahAqZ In a statement after the speech, Zaslav expressed gratitude to the university where he earned his law degree in 1985. He didn’t reference the Writers Guild of America strike at the commencement, but he did afterward.

Jeers and chants of “pay your writers” from picketers and a number of audience members greeted Warner Bros Discovery chief David Zaslav on Sunday as he delivered Boston University’s commencement address.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Jeremy O. Harris is best known as the playwright of “Slave Play,” which picked up a record-setting 12 Tony Award nominations in 2021, but he’s also a producer on HBO’s Emmy-winning “Euphoria.” During an interview as part of Variety and Kering’s Women in Motion talks at Cannes, Harris called on Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav “to make a deal” so that the ongoing writers strike can end and “Euphoria” Season 3 can go into production as scheduled. “All I’ll say is Sam Levinson is not a scab,” Harris said about the “Euphoria” creator not crossing picket lines to go into production. “He’s not a scab. David Zaslav, make a deal. That’s what I’ll say about Season 3 of ‘Euphoria.’ Make a deal, David. It’s easy. Just come to that table.”

Pat Saperstein Deputy Editor Since the writers strike started on May 2, celebrities have turned out to support WGA members picketing for a better guild contract. Actors like Fred Armisen are also writers who are members of the WGA, while some SAG-AFTRA members are walking the line to support their colleagues. Since most TV shows and movies have suspended production until the strike is resolved, stars, writers and filmmakers like Christopher Nolan are taking to the streets to show their support for members of the Writers Guild of America.

WGA strike, but there’s still one host who’s proudly still on the air as his TV peers continue to picket: Greg Gutfeld.“I have the No. 1 late night show,” Gutfeld said Monday during Fox’s 2023 upfront presentation. “I also have the only late night show — sorry — right now, so you don’t have a choice in this matter.

Fox unveiled its 2023/24 programming slate this morning and the writers strike was front and center.

Ted Sarandos, who was set to receive the PEN America Visionary Award at the literary group’s gala next week in NYC, won’t be attending amid an ongoing strike and vigorous picketing on both coasts by the WGA.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos will no longer attend a gala meant to honor him next week in New York. The decision comes as labor issues grab headlines across Hollywood. Sarandos was set to accept the Business Visionary Award at the annual PEN American Spring Literary Gala, alongside fellow honoree Lorne Michaels and a host of literati including Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Susan Choi, Jennifer Egan, Min Jin Lee, Jay McInerney and Gay Talese. He’s skipping the event, to be held under the blue whale at the American Museum of Natural History, as many industry celebrations weigh how to address the writers strike. “Given the potential to disrupt this wonderful evening, I thought it was best to pull out so as not to distract from the important work that PEN America does for writers and journalists, as well as the celebration of my friend and personal hero Lorne Michaels. I hope the evening is a great success,” Sarandos told Variety in a statement.

Imagine Dragons, in solidarity with the writers strike, showed up at the Netflix picket line to support writers.

Kristin Dolan, who took over earlier this year as CEO of AMC Networks, said the company is “very well positioned” to manage through the WGA strike.

According to plan, Pete Davidson was supposed to have made his triumphant return to Rockefeller Center’s Studio 8H this weekend for his debut as “Saturday Night Live” host.

As if movie fans needed another reason to be wary of new Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav: Deadline reports that the CEO told the hosts of the CNBC show “Squawk Box” that “a love for working” will be what ultimately ends the current WGA writers’ strike.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav responded to the writers strike following the release of the company’s Q1 earnings report Friday, shooting down claims that some companies are “glad” that the the Writers Guild of America (WGA) is picketing instead of writing. “We’re not glad,” Zaslav said during an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Day 4 of the writers strike. “In order to create great storytelling, we need great writers, and we need the whole industry to work together,” the WBD chief said. “And everybody deserves to be paid fairly. So our number one focus is, let’s try and get this resolved. Let’s do it in a way that that the writers feel that they’re valued, which they are, and they’re compensated fairly. And then off we go. Let’s tell great stories together.”

Foo Fighters were reportedly scheduled to perform on Saturday Night Live (SNL) before the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike forced cancellations.According to Entertainment Weekly, the band were supposed to perform for SNL‘s season final later this month alongside debuting host Jennifer Coolidge of The White Lotus. The now-cancelled episode would have marked the Foo Fighters’ eight performance on the long-running show.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor As the Writers Guild of America goes on strike, late-night television has been put on pause, including NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” which is on an indefinite hiatus. Multiple sources confirm to Variety that, in the unlikely event the strike is resolved in the coming weeks, “Succession” star Kieran Culkin is scheduled to take the stage at Studio 8H on May 13, with musical guest Labrinth, while “The White Lotus” star Jennifer Coolidge is set to close out “SNL’s” 48th season with Foo Fighters. This would have been Culkin’s second time hosting following his season 47 appearance. After being brilliantly imitated by “SNL” cast member Chloe Fineman, Coolidge would have made her long-awaited debut on the show.

Pete Davidson’s anticipated return to “Saturday Night Live” has been cancelled amid the Hollywood writers’ strike.

voted unanimously to call for a strike — Hollywood’s first in 15 years — claiming that writers have faced difficulties securing steady jobs.“The companies’ behavior has created a gig economy inside a union workforce, and their immovable stance in this negotiation has betrayed a commitment to further devaluing the profession of writing,” a statement from the labor union reads.“From their refusal to guarantee any level of weekly employment in episodic television, to the creation of a ‘day rate’ in comedy variety, to their stonewalling on free work for screenwriters and on AI for all writers, they have closed the door on their labor force and opened the door to writing as an entirely freelance profession.”In light of the major transformations within the industry — such as the rise of streaming — WGA argues that workers’ compensation needs to reflect such changes.But the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, who sit opposite the strike, claims it gave writers “generous increases in compensation” and “improvements in streaming residuals.”The alliance, which acts as a bargaining representative, said it was previously willing to improve the offer, “but was unwilling to do so because the magnitude of other proposals still on the table that the guild continues to insist upon.”In addition to fair wages, the union is attempting to negotiate stricter regulations on the use of AI amid fears of the advanced technology decimating jobs.Hollywood writers last went on strike in 2007, an action that lasted 100 days.

Pete Davidson reprise his role as Chad or sit next to Colin Jost on a new «Weekend Update» will just have to wait a while as the forthcoming episode of has been canceled due to the Writers Guild of America strike.Davidson was set to make his hosting debut over the weekend — marking his first return to the show since he left at the end of last season after eight years in the cast.NBC announced on Tuesday that the upcoming episode, featuring Davidson as host and Lil Uzi Vert as musical guest «is canceled due to the writers’ strike» and the show «will air repeats until further notice starting Saturday, May 6.»Davidson is currently promoting the release of his new Peacock series,, which tells a fictionalized version of his own life.ET was on the carpet at the premiere of last month, and spoke with Davidson's friend and co-star, Kenan Thompson, who said he was looking forward to Davidson's return as host.«It's like a week off for us because they know how to do the show,» Thompson told ET of having a former cast member return to host the show. «We don't have to hand walk them through every single part of it.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Writer and comedian Adam Conover blasted David Zaslav, the Warner Bros Discovery CEO, during an interview with CNN on Tuesday, a company Zaslav also oversees. “David Zaslav, the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of the network I’m talking to you on right now, was paid $250 million last year, a quarter of a billion dollars,” Conover said during his interview with CNN correspondent Sara Sidner. “That’s about the same level as what 10,000 writers are asking him to pay all of us collectively, alright. So I would say if you’re being paid $250 million — these companies are making enormous amounts of money. Their profits are going up. It’s ridiculous for them to plead poverty.”