Writers’ strike: What happened, how it ended and its impact on Hollywood
After a nearly five-month walkout, a tentative deal has been reached by the Writers Guild of America and the major Hollywood studios that would end a strike.
The deal does not include SAG-AFTRA, the performers union which is also on strike after its contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers expired over the summer.
The WGA and AMPTP had been negotiating over pay, streaming residuals and other issues for a new contract to replace a three-year deal that expired May 1.
A majority of the WGA’s membership voted in April to authorize a strike if an agreement wasn’t reached.
In early May, the boards of directors of the WGA’s East and West Coast divisions voted to call a strike.
Southern California’s production economy was upended during the previous writers’ strike, which lasted 100 days and happened in 2007-08.
Here’s everything leading up to and what happened during the 2023 writers’ strike.
As the studios walk away from negotiations yet again — this time with the actors — they are going back to a losing playbook. And Hollywood stands to suffer.
Under the terms of the WGA’s new contract, AI is here to stay — with limits.
WGA members voted overwhelmingly in favor of a new contract that ended a 148-day strike that roiled the film and TV industry and caused thousands of job losses.
A team of Los Angeles Times journalists analyzed the Writers Guild of America’s contract with studios, marking it up line by line. See the most significant changes, the pivotal arguments and the key subtexts within this historic document.
‘The Drew Barrymore Show’ has announced a new start date for Season 4 after the Hollywood writers’ strike ended last week.
With the writers’ strike lifted, The Times went behind the scenes with Seth Meyers and his team preparing for their first ‘Late Night’ in five months.
From John Oliver to Seth Meyers, late-night TV hosts have returned to the air after the Hollywood writers’ strike ended last week.
Concerns about AI were a sticking point in the now-ended writers’ strike. But equivalent issues could prove stickier for actors, who remain on strike.
The 2023 WGA strike lasted 148 days, making it one of the longest work stoppages in Hollywood history. Why did it last so long?
Key takeaways from the tentative contract that would end the writers’ strike, and how it addresses writers room staffing, streaming residuals and artificial intelligence.
The first shows to walk at the start of the Writers Guild of America will be the first to return, with staffs cranking out gags as soon as next week.
There’s a lot of work to do before Hollywood can get fully back to work (SAG-AFTRA, anyone?). Now the industry is left to pick up the pieces of a long and disruptive work stoppage.
Even contracts that win over the most skeptical writers and actors won’t be able to fix some of the biggest fractures facing the industry today.
After months on strike, Black writers and actors will soon find out whether members of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA truly care about diversity and inclusion.
The Writers Guild of America and major studios reached a tentative agreement on Sunday night. But significant challenges remain before the entertainment industry can fully return to the business of making and promoting movies and TV shows.
At a moment when the prospect of executives and managers using software automation to undermine work in professions everywhere loomed large, the WGA strike took on major symbolic weight.
Writers celebrate the tentative deal with the studios with drinks, group hugs and selfies. They now turn their attention to support for actors on strike.
Writers from ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,’ ‘Primo’ and ‘Abbott Elementary’ react to the tentative deal to end their bitter strike.
Key questions about next steps are answered after the Writers Guild of America strikes a deal with the studios.
Negotiators representing the Writers Guild of America and major studios reached a tentative agreement for a new labor contract, ending a writers’ strike that began in early May.
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The letter was posted as an announcement to the WGAContract 2023 website used by the Guild to communicate with its members.
The Writers Guild of America and major studios represented by the AMPTP were nearing a deal on Saturday, according to people familiar with the matter.
After three days of long sessions, the AMPTP and Writers Guild of America inched closer to a deal that would end the strike that has lasted more than 140 days.
Crew members are expressing frustration at the length of the writers’ and actors’ strikes as Hollywood workers struggle to pay for rent, food and healthcare.
Like most WGA members, many Black writers widely support the strike but fear there will be a contraction of projects and opportunities once Hollywood gets back to work.
Some of the same factors that led TV writers to go on strike also have made work more tenuous for support staff still aspiring to be part of the Writers Guild.
WGA and AMPTP representatives met for the second time this week as the two sides worked on an agreement that would end the writers’ strike.
Residuals have emerged as a key sticking point in the current pair of Hollywood strikes. But what are they, and how do they work?
Here’s how the Hollywood strikes have affected some of the most highly anticipated films and TV series. This comprehensive list will be continuously updated.
Meredith Stiehm has led the writers guild’s West Coast branch through a strike that is well into its fifth month and has hobbled Hollywood’s business.
With successful pressure campaigns against Drew Barrymore, Bill Maher and others, the WGA displayed its might on the eve of a new round of negotiations.
Why viewership data figures so prominently in the writers’ and actors’ strikes. Plus: Will Disney sell ABC, and who would buy the network?
Bill Maher does a 180: He won’t restart ‘Real Time’ production without striking writers, ‘now that both sides have agreed to go back to the negotiating table.’
As the writers’ strike grinds on, a free weekly Zoom workshop featuring some of Hollywood’s most successful screenwriters has raised tens of thousands of dollars to support union members.
The Walt Disney Co.’s broadcast network will have a Monday NFL game weekly through the end of the season.
The Writers Guild of America said it will meet with AMPTP starting on Wednesday. Film and TV writers have been on strike since early May.
CBS reverses course, postponing season premiere of ‘The Talk’ amid WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. This follows Drew Barrymore’s similar announcement after criticism from Hollywood peers.
The quirky daytime host has shown the power of a carefully crafted celebrity narrative — and the ease with which even the most convincing comeback story can fall apart.
Drew Barrymore posts weepy video ‘deeply apologizing’ to writers, then doubles down on show’s return
Drew Barrymore issues a tear-filled video ‘deeply apologizing’ to writers and unions, then doubles down on her talk show’s return to production during strikes.
AMPTP said it plans to meet with the WGA next week, after the guild requested a meeting “to move negotiations forward.” It’s been weeks since the parties last met formally.
Viewership data from streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+ has become a major sticking point in the writers’ and actors’ strikes.
As the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes continue, a grief counselor offers a support group to actors and writers grappling with a loss of work and identity.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been wary about appearing as if he’s siding with labor unions or film studios as the Hollywood strikes continue.
$4,000 for John Lithgow to paint a portrait of your dog? That and more: We reveal what we’d shell out for in the strike benefit burning up the internet.
Bill Maher’s HBO show ‘Real Time With Bill Maher’ is returning without ‘writers or writing.’
The National Book Foundation has rescinded Drew Barrymore’s invitation to host the National Book Awards while her show tapes amid the Hollywood strikes.
There are actually things to talk about in Hollywood other than the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes — such as the Disney-Charter deal to end the blackout.
The Writers Guild of America, East, picketed “The Drew Barrymore Show” after the host said that production would resume during the Hollywood strikes.
The WGA is planning to picket outside of ‘The Drew Barrymore Show’ after Barrymore confirmed that her talk show would resume amid the writers’ strike.
Negotiations between AMPTP and WGA restarted last month, but there has not been much movement since then.
A reader suggests a way to end the writers’ strike; contemplating “Schindler’s List” and Sidney Poitier in the context of the white savior trope; and an ode to ‘Bliss,’ Harry Bliss.
Some industry insiders see Warner Bros. move as an effort to soften the WGA’s solidarity to spur movement in the talks.
Leaders from the actors’ and screenwriters’ unions, both of which are currently on strike, protested outside Amazon’s Culver City offices in support of state Senate Bill 799.
Warner Bros. Discovery had hoped the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes would be resolved by early September. Company now says financial impact of the strikes will extend through this year.
“Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” helped Hollywood hit a key box office milestone. The business still has serious obstacles to overcome before it reaches full health.
In an email sent out Sunday, Jodi Long — president of the SAG-AFTRA’s Los Angeles local — stressed solidarity with other unions pushing for improved pay and working conditions.
Frustration, fears about the future and a high degree of mistrust continue to shape the script of Hollywood’s strikes by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA.
As a disastrous summer for the industry’s top brass bleeds into fall, it’s become clear the AMPTP cannot win the strike. So they should end it now to cut their losses.
California Treasurer Fiona Ma sent letters this week to major media companies, including NBCUniversal owner Comcast Corp., to end the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
Jimmy Kimmel revealed that his longtime friends Ben Affleck and Matt Damon generously offered to pay his late-night staff’s salaries for two weeks during the ongoing Hollywood strikes.
‘Dune: Part Two’ moves to 2024, in another blow to movie theaters. Plus: Streaming’s ‘Suits’ and ‘Ugly Betty’ moments examined.
With WGA and SAG-AFTRA on strike, this year’s Oscar race will unspool very differently. And it could mean a ‘dream scenario’ for ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer.’
Late-night hosts Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, John Oliver, Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyers combine forces on a podcast to benefit their strike-affected staffers.
Amid a dearth of fresh content during the Hollywood strikes, consumers are rediscovering older series and movies to keep themselves entertained.
A handful of comics put on a stand-up show in front of Fox Studios in Century City on Monday to show their solidarity with striking actors and writers.
If you have federal student loans and are in an industry sidelined by strikes, here’s how you can have your payments based on your current, lowered earnings.
Signaling increasing frustration with the Writers Guild of America, Hollywood studios took the unusual step of publicizing their latest offer to the guild.
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The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers revealed details of its Aug. 11 proposal to the WGA with the sides yet to come to an agreement.
Hollywood is dysfunctional. Does it behave like a monopoly? The WGA’s public policy expert discusses Disney, Netflix and Amazon’s grip on the entertainment industry and how vertical integration hurts artists and consumers.
The National Day of Solidarity rally in Burbank featured speeches from Kerry Washington, Martin Sheen and Ron Perlman, drawing thousands of members from a multitude of labor groups showing solidarity for the WGA and SAG-AFTRA.
Recovered from a battle with throat cancer, Olmos joined a large turnout of Latina and Latino talent
Latino actors and writers’ picket at Warner Bros. coincided with the studio’s release of DC’s first Latino-led superhero movie, ‘Blue Beetle.’
WGA West released a report raising concerns about the streaming services and studios consolidating power and undercutting writers as its members remain on strike.
Despite some studio executives balking at WGA’s original demands, insiders say studios are now making concessions in a bid to end the strike. Will they be enough?
At the SAG-AFTRA and WGA picket lines across town, writers and actors are fighting the same fight. But the way they do it differs depending on where they are.
SAG-AFTRA is no longer going to approve interim agreements on productions that have a contract with the Writers Guild of America.
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After more than 100 days of striking, the Writers Guild of America resumed negotiations with studio representative the AMPTP on Friday afternoon.
The Fox telecast of the ceremony at the Peacock Theater was scheduled for Sept. 18 but has been pushed to Jan. 15 in the wake of strikes by actors and writers.
Writers and actors on strike are forcing Hollywood to address deep-seated issues. The latest from the protests and what’s at stake on The Envelope podcast.
Studio executives thought the world was their oyster. Unfortunately for the studios, that oyster has a few demands of its own.
WGA said its representatives will meet with the Hollywood studio alliance on Friday. Film and TV writers have been on strike for more than 100 days.
Major talent agency Creative Artists Agency plans significant layoffs, as the industry continues to reel from dual Hollywood strikes that have shut down many productions.
The USA Network show starring Meghan Markle blew up on streaming platforms. The paltry benefits for many involved underscore what’s at issue in the writers’ strike.
Screenwriters have been walking picket lines since May 2, and there’s currently no end in sight. Actors also stopped work in mid-July, part of Los Angeles’ summer of labor strife.
Also, “Elemental” may not be a disaster for Pixar after all. The animated film has grossed more than $400 million at the global box office.
What’s happening now feels different. There’s a level of cross-union support across radically different workplaces, along with a knowledge of one another’s respective struggles, that I’ve never seen, or frankly ever thought possible.
WGA and the studios met on Friday for the first time in three months, but there are diminished expectations on either side of a breakthrough that would resolve the months long strike.
There is a strong partisan divide in how Americans view the strikes, according to a new poll for the Los Angeles Times.
Amid a pair of Hollywood strikes that have found screenwriters and actors questioning the rise of artificial intelligence, studios and streaming companies are bulking up on AI staff.
The Writers Guild of America said it will meet with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on Friday to discuss resuming negotiations.
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From ‘Simpsons’ and ‘Family Guy’ picket signs to crystal consultations, here are the standout items from the WGA Garage Sale online auction.
TV series such as “Succession,” “Better Call Saul” and “The Bear” have thrilled, moved and transported us. Guess who’s responsible for that? Writers. But you knew that.
The impulse to write is strong, as thousands of TV and film writers in the WGA are discovering while on strike. Might as well tell a hen to not lay eggs.
The telecast for the Emmys is set to be delayed for the first time since 2001, when they were pushed to November due to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
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From ‘Simpsons’ and ‘Family Guy’ picket signs to crystal consultations, here are the standout items from the WGA Garage Sale online auction.
Millions of people just proved that they still want to go to the movies. But if the studios don’t end the strike, the next ‘Barbenheimer’ will be DOA.
Workers in film and TV, most of whom are pro-union, have been trying to make ends meet amid a dual strike of Hollywood actors and writers.
With writers and actors sidelined by strikes, Comic-Con 2023 still attracted throngs of fans. But observers say the disruptions of recent years have taken a toll.
Social media influencers — who make their livings as entertainers but aren’t typically part of entertainment unions — now face the complicated labor politics of a Hollywood strike wave.
The White House has credited Julie Su with cutting deals on key labor disputes, but the former California labor chief is sitting out strikes in her home state.
George R.R. Martin explains why HBO is still filming Season 2 of ‘House of the Dragon’ amid writers’ and actors’ strikes. He gave a book-progress update too.
Inspired by the success of Netflix, Hollywood studios pursued Silicon Valley-style hypergrowth with tactics borrowed from the likes of Uber and Lyft.
With writers and actors on strike, the studios have a full-blown labor revolt on their hands — and they have no one but themselves to blame.
NBCUniversal said eliminating shade to striking writers and actors was not intentional. It’s not the only disruption picketers at the studio have faced.
Here’s a breakdown of who is and isn’t walking the picket line.
The slowdown in film and TV production in L.A. County accelerated in the second quarter due to the writers’ strike. The quarter ended before the SAG-AFTRA strike began.
A day after extending his contract as Walt Disney Co.’s CEO, Iger said he is open to spinning off ABC Television and taking on a partner for ESPN.
“Andor” executive producer Diego Luna discusses the show’s Emmy nomination for best drama series, working amid the writers’ strike and what to expect from Season 2.
Streaming’s disruptive business model is a key factor in this year’s writers’ strike. It also makes them particularly vulnerable to a boycott.
With no end in sight for the writers’ strike, local scripted television production has ground to a halt, a blow to the region’s local economy.
The Hollywood writers strike affects a culinary ecosystem dependent on catering, private events and business lunches. Some restaurants face big losses, but many are still rallying behind the strike and sending food to picket lines.
Members of SAG-AFTRA voted by a wide margin to give their leaders authority to call a strike even before negotiations have begun with the major studios.
If actors go on strike they would join Hollywood’s writers, who are entering their sixth week of a walkout.
The Directors Guild of America said it has reached a ‘historic deal’ with the major studios on a new three-year film and TV contract.
The university president apologized to Warner Bros Discovery CEO Zaslav after he was jeered by student supporters of the Hollywood writers’ strike
A Times survey tallies the paydays for the heads of Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix and more. The issue has become a hot topic on picket lines during the writers’ strike.
The focus on shutting down individual productions such as ‘The Chi’ reflects the more aggressive tactics being used by Writers Guild members compared to the previous strike in 2007-2008.
The work stoppage by the WGA will put scripted shows on hold but the networks still have to sell ad time for the fall. How much will it hurt?
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In an effort to increase the pressure on studios to come to an agreement with the Writers Guild of America, some showrunners have chosen to stop publicity work for their series.
In a guest column, the first-time showrunner and creator of Amazon Freevee’s ‘Primo’ says writers are asking for reasonable accommodations that help make writing a viable career path.
Here are all of the awards shows and entertainment events that have been affected by the writers’ strike.
The WGA announced Monday that it would not picket the Broadway awards show, scheduled for June 11, allowing it to proceed in altered form.
Picket lines in front of New York venues for upfront advertiser events kept big stars away from the stage as the TV selling season kicked off.
How is the WGA strike affecting lives? Hear from the mother of triplets, someone who moonlights for LAUSD to make ends meet and three others on the picket line.
The Tony Awards Management Committee and television partner CBS will meet Monday to determine next steps for the awards show.
Teamsters Hollywood Local 399 boss Lindsay Dougherty has caught the attention of the labor movement with her forceful rhetoric. Her sometimes profane style has drawn out some critics.
There are a number of issues combining to limit the hiring and advancement of Latinx writers in Hollywood.
Artists, journalists and screenwriters are leading the fight against employers who would seek to replace them with the products of ChatGPT and other generative AI software.
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Another big challenge faces Hollywood studios: avoiding a strike with directors and actors, who begin negotiations over new pay deals as early as this week.
Why many members of the Writers Guild of America have targeted streaming giant Netflix in their fight for higher streaming residuals.
The current fight between writers and their studio bosses is nothing new. The quest for respect goes back to the earliest days of Hollywood.
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The writers’ strike, if it stretches on, could deliver a massive blow to the economy in Southern California. One expert predicted $3 billion or more in losses.
The WGA strike, the first in Hollywood for 15 years, could hurt some media companies and help others.
Only in this galaxy would Baby Yoda march next to Darth Vader for the Hollywood writers’ strike as guild members celebrate Star Wars Day.
At Hollywood bar Three Clubs, WGA members will receive half off their tab for the duration of the strike, among other deals popping up in support.
The current writers’ strike is just the latest in Hollywood. Since the 1950s, writers gone on strike eight times.
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Hollywood studios are pushing back on claims by striking writers that their latest offers were paltry.
As productions shut down due to the writers’ strike, local prop houses, florists and caterers worry about their future and loss of work, as their business costs continue to rise.
Hollywood’s writers went on strike, but what were the issues that led to the fallout with the studios and streamers. Here are six issues where talks fell apart.
Thousands of film and TV writers on strike joined picket lines in L.A. and across the nation. Many voiced their grievances through memorable signs.
NBC intends to pay two weeks of salary to staff members, while Fallon and Meyers have pledged to fund a third week, sources say.
Television’s most recent ‘Golden Age’ set off a gold rush that transformed Hollywood. The writers’ strike means the boom has finally gone bust.
Actor Samira Wiley, married to a screenwriter, joins a writers-strike picket line and credits her Emmy win to scribe who wrote that ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ episode.
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If I were starting now, I wouldn’t have been able to stick it out and make a career for myself as a TV writer in Hollywood.
The writers union is demanding higher wages and an overhaul of the residual payment process to reflect the modern age of streaming content.
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Hollywood writers formed picket lines in L.A. and New York after the Writers Guild of America called a strike for better pay and working conditions.
Hollywood writers on Tuesday formed picket lines in L.A. and New York after the Writers Guild of America called a strike to demand better pay from streaming and improved working conditions.
Writers are headed to picket lines Tuesday afternoon after the studios and the Writers Guild of America failed to reach a deal for a new three-year contract that addresses key economic issues of the streaming era.
It’s still unclear how many more productions will stop work; however, shows like ‘Ghosts’ and ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ will finish out their seasons.
TV hosts Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert, whose shows are among the first to be affected by the writers’ strike, voice support for the Writers Guild of America.
Hollywood’s writers have gone on strike for the first time in 15 years amid a sea change in the way content is being distributed and creators are being compensated.
In the days before the Writers Guild of America called on members to strike, the creators of hit shows, including ‘Shrinking,’ ‘The Last of Us’ and more, gathered to discuss the state of the industry.
What can you work on, or not, during the writers’ strike? Here’s what Hollywood writers need to know.
There are several funds available that can provide temporary assistance for those in dire financial situations due to the strike.
For most people who write for film and TV, the gigs are anything but steady. So while the strike is a more definitive interruption, this is a workforce that’s accustomed to finding other ways to make ends meet.
Hollywood’s writers prepare to picket studios after they failed to reach a deal with studios to replace a contract that expired Monday night.
The WGA and the major Hollywood studios still aren’t close to agreement on a new contract, increasing the odds of a strike as early as next week.
The Writers Guild of America is adding pressure on Hollywood studios, highlighting how their shows and streaming platforms will be affected by a strike if it happens on May 2.
Restructuring, layoffs and show cancellations at Hollywood studios, as well as the risk of a pending writers strike, slowed film and TV production.
The vote in favor of authorizing a strike adds pressure to ongoing talks between the WGA and Hollywood studios over pay and conditions.
The last strike cost $4.5 billion in today’s dollars. That’s why the studios need to stop preparing for the next one and start trying to prevent it.
Hollywood is girding for the first big labor showdown since 2007-08 as members of the Writers Guild of America vote to authorize a possible strike. What got us here?
Streaming has transformed television and led to a surge in content, but it also has squeezed Hollywood writers. Five Writers Guild of America members share their stories.
Layoffs, hints of a recession and an uncertain future for streaming add up to contentious negotiations as the WGA looks for a new deal with Hollywood studios.
Unscripted programming is once again poised to serve as a stopgap for networks and streaming services, but since the last strike, it has matured into a formidable genre.
The 2007-08 writers’ strike, and lingering mistrust between big media companies and their Hollywood workers, has cast a long shadow over current WGA contract talks.
The call for a possible strike comes amid growing concern that writers will stage a walkout in a dispute over streaming compensation.
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As AI is becoming more ubiquitous, the Writers Guild is proposing some guidelines for how to regulate it and avoid writers being cut out of the creation of TV and film.
The talks between writers and studios are being closely watched as many in Hollywood fear that this year’s contract renegotiation could lead to a strike.
On the eve of contract negotiations, leaders of the WGA are pressing their case as to why writers deserve better pay in the streaming era.
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A WGA analysis of pay paints a bleak picture for Hollywood writers as the union readies for negotiations with studios.
Although stunned by the medical leave of the union’s chief negotiator, many guild members have voiced confidence in his replacement, Ellen Stutzman.
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The union is asking for studios to improve compensation in streaming and in residual payments in negotiations that some anticipate will result in a strike.
The chief negotiator of the Writers Guild of America has gone on medical leave and been replaced just weeks before critical talks with studios commence.
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The Writers Guild of America has asked its members to vote on a list of key proposals that will guide negotiations with the major studios in the spring.
Studios and producers are preparing for a possible writers’ strike, a month before negotiations are set to begin with the Writers Guild of America.
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Writers meet today to discuss the issues they expect will be at the center of difficult contract negotiations with the studios this spring.
