Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon step up to support NBC staffers with partial wage payments during writers' strike
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon have reportedly offered to partially compensate their crews while their shows are dark due to the ongoing Hollywood writer's strike. The late-night hosts want to do their bit in helping out those working on their shows, 'Late Night with Seth Meyers' and 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'.
NBC is apparently paying staffers on the shows through the end of next week, after which Meyers and Fallon will pay their employees for the third week, sources told Page Six. Those working on the shows will also have healthcare extended through September, reports suggest. It's worth noting that both Meyers and Fallon previously helped pay their staff when they were off during the Covid-19 pandemic. Both hosts are themselves members of the striking Writers Guild of America.
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According to Variety, the moves could mean both the networks and the hosts would like to resume operations sooner than later. When writers went on strike in 2007 and 2008, major late-night programs went dark for as long as two months until David Letterman’s Worldwide Pants production company secured its own deal with the Writers Guild of America. This was possible because Letterman owned his program and its companion, 'Late Late Show', but nonetheless, other hosts and programs followed suit. Some shows returned to the air without writers, with hosts like Jay Leno having to put together their own monologues.
It's important to highlight the indispensable role of writers in TV’s late-night schedule. They are responsible for doling out relentless jokes, one-liners, and sketches each day that are based on current affairs and pop culture trends. The contract between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) – which represents about 350 television and film production companies – ended on May 1. This time, however, late-night programs across the board face tougher challenges than they did 15 years ago.
Legacy shows are dealing with falling viewership due to the audiences shifting from linear programming to streaming. In addition, ad sales and ratings are in gradual decline. That dynamic will only be exacerbated if shows go dark for several months. On the other hand, keeping staff compensated during the early weeks of the strike may help programs resume operations more easily should the WGA and AMPTP come to an agreement. At the same time, the momentum behind getting back on air could weaken as the summer months loom.
Kimmel was going to take the summer off as he has for the past two years. Meanwhile, the networks may feel less pressure to pay for the production of new originals since their audience levels are lower in June, July, and August. Both Meyers and Fallon have thrown their support behind their writing staff in recent days. 'Tonight' announcer Steve Higgins, who is also a senior producer at 'Saturday Night Live', was reportedly spotted walking on a WGA picket line in New York City on Tuesday, May 2.
Variety reported how several other primetime shows have gone dark, including CBS' 'Late Show With Stephen Colbert', ABC's 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' and Comedy Central’s 'The Daily Show'. Meanwhile, HBO's 'Real Time With Bill Maher' and 'Last Week Tonight' have also stopped producing original programs. MEAWW previously reported how 'SNL' notably canceled what would have been an original program hosted by Pete Davidson slated for this weekend, and will only be airing repeats for the foreseeable future.