We're more than 100 days into the historic double strike of both screenwriters and Hollywood actors, and, while negotiations are reportedly soon to resume, entertainment workers' labor rights are still up in the air.
But one thing is certain: being mean to scabs is working.
On Sunday—after more than a week of online bashing—Drew Barrymore, who had come under fire for violating the terms of the strike, agreed to delay her show's season premiere in solidarity with members of SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America. And she wasn't the only one. It seems like several TV hosts, including Bill Maher and Jennifer Hudson, saw the digital mollywhopping that Barrymore received and decided to follow suit. As I wrote earlier today:
After Barrymore’s initial announcement, the online backlash was swift and continuous, with many calling the actress a hypocrite for backpedaling on her decision to support striking workers. Barrymore tried to remedy the situation by uploading an emotional non-apology on Instagram. The now-deleted video was not well-received. And now Barrymore has been browbeaten further to not resume her show at all.
Barrymore isn’t the only television host to halt production after initially signaling they’d go on air amid a strike. Bill Maher, who previously was vocal about not understanding some demands of the writers’ strike, announced on Monday that his show, Real Time, will be re-halting production.
“My decision to return to work was made when it seemed nothing was happening and there was no end in sight to this strike,” Maher tweeted. “Now that both sides have agreed to go back to the negotiating table I’m going to delay the return of Real Time, for now, and hope they can finally get this done.”
Shortly after Barrymore’s post, singer Jennifer Hudson announced that her show would no longer be premiering this month in light of the ongoing strike—a decision that could be due to the Barrymore backlash, according to reporting from Variety. CBS has also paused production on their daytime show, The Talk, reportedly stating that they will “continue to evaluate plans for a launch date.”
There are some programs that still have refused to shut down: Dancing with the Stars, and The View, to name a few.
I'm not usually one to support an internet dog-pile, but for the sake of labor rights, I'm willing to make an exception. As online personality Michael Beyer tweeted: "Keep bullying scabs...This is why a culture that supports Unions is almost as important as the strikes themselves."
—Arianna Coghill
