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‘Love this solidarity’: Jay Leno praised for bringing donuts to WGA strike as Jimmy Fallon gets slammed for Met Gala appearance

Union members serenaded Jay Leno “thank you” and “We love you Jay” while the TV host distributed the donuts

BURBANK, CALIFORNIA: Former ‘The Tonight Show’ host Jay Leno showed his support towards the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike by bringing donuts for writers assembled on the picket line in Burbank, California. Leno was reportedly seen handing out donut boxes from Randy’s Donuts outside the Walt Disney Studios right after the strike began on Tuesday, May 2.

The comedian reportedly pulled up in a blue sedan and stopped by to show his support to the Hollywood writers wearing his signature denim blue shirt and jeans, as per Daily Mail. Videos shared on social media showed union members serenading “thank you” and “We love you Jay” while the TV host distributed the treats. Meanwhile, current ‘The Tonight Show’ host Jimmy Fallon was called out for attending the Met Gala and allegedly missing out on a daily production meeting over pay ahead of the strike.

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‘Class act’

Leno was praised by many Hollywood writers and social media users for his gesture. “Wow, @jayleno just brought us donuts! #WGAStrong” one writer wrote, sharing a clip of Leno distributing donuts. “I love this solidarity,” commented one user. “Class act,” added another “A sweet gesture!” a third user tweeted. One said, “He's a sweetheart” while another mentioned, “That was nice of him!”

Jay Leno previously distributed donuts during 2007 WGA strike

Prior to bringing donuts at the WGA strike on Tuesday, May 2, Leno offered a similar gesture during the 2007 strike by bringing donuts for the striking writers. He reportedly arrived at Universal Studios on a Harley-Davidson on the first day of the strike and distributed donuts from Krispy Kreme.

The 2007-2008 WGA strike continued for 100 days and had a major impact on Leno’s ‘The Tonight Show.’ While NBC ran reruns of the show until January of 2008, Leno wrote his own punchlines and opening monologues after returning on-air to keep non-writers on the show employed.

Jimmy Fallon called out for Met Gala appearance amid WGA strike

While Leno was praised for his solidarity with striking writers, current ‘The Tonight Show’ host, Fallon, was called out for his Met Gala appearance a day before the WGA strike. Sarah Kobos, a senior photo research coordinator for ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,’ slammed the host and claimed that he skipped a daily production meeting over pay amid the strike.

Kobos quoted a Twitter clip of Fallon speaking about the strike at the Met Gala. In the video, Fallon could be seen saying, “I wouldn’t have a show if it wasn’t for my writers, I support them all the way. They got to have a fair contract and they got a lot of stuff to iron out and hopefully, they get it done.” He further added, “Whatever I can do to support the Guild. I am actually in the Writers Guild as well.”

However, Kobos, who is a non-striking non-union member, commented on Fallon’s statement, saying, “He wasn’t even at the meeting this morning to tell us we won’t get paid after this week. @jimmyfallon please support your staff. Had fun bowling with ya last week, but a fun party won’t pay my rent.” She further added, “Staff AND crew***** I should say!”

Social media users were also quick to criticize Fallon. “I probably wouldn't hold my breath on Jimmy Fallon having any courage and standing up to the money,” one user tweeted. “Ugh Jimmy please support!” added another. “Embarrassing Jimmy. Do better,” a third commented. One said, “Maybe Jimmy forgot when he was broke in LA and couldn’t get work, but I remember #writersstrike @WGAWest” while another simply dubbed him, “Coward.”

Why did WGA go on strike?

The WGA labor union went on strike Monday, May 2, after the collapse of its negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The WGA announced that nearly 11,500 screenwriter members in California, New York, and other cities have refrained from working after the union and studios failed to agree on a new three-year contract after their current one came to an end after midnight.

The core of the strike is related to the boom of streaming services and its impact on screenwriters, including issues with payment, working conditions, and job security. The WGA has claimed that writers are making a smaller share of the money despite the growing budget for shows, according to CBS News. The use of smaller writing staffs for shorter seasons by streaming services has made it difficult for writers to have a steady income from a single source in one particular season.

The Guild has said it requires “mandatory staffing” and “duration of employment” terms in writers’ contracts, which would require all shows to be staffed with a minimum number of writers for a minimum amount of time, irrespective of their needs. The WGA has demanded total pay increases for members amounting to about $429 million per year while the AMPTP's counter would run $86 million per year.

The WGA also demands increased minimum compensation in all areas of media, including appropriate TV series-writing compensation from pre-production to post-production, increased residuals, increased contributions to pension and healthcare plans, strengthening of professional standards, and overall protection and security for writers, according to Vulture. The Guild has also demanded studios put strict limits on AI, like ChatGPT, in the scriptwriting process.

The writers have demanded that AI be used only as a tool to help with research or facilitate script ideas instead of being used to replace writers. As of now, the studios have not fulfilled any of the demands. The WGA and AMPTP have yet to schedule a future date to return to the negotiations.

How long will the WGA strike continue?

No particular date about the strike coming to an end has been announced so far. WGA committee co-chair Chris Keyser told Deadline that there is no timetable of the strike coming to a conclusion. “You never…know,” Keyser said. “But I will say that up until this morning, we only struck once in 35 years, and we only do it when we see an existential threat to writing as a profession, as we did when we contemplated the idea that streaming would not pay us adequately, where we had no projections there,” he added. “I think writers understand that they need to hold together, and we'll hold together until we solve this problem,” Keyser stated. The last WGA strike in 2007-08 continued for 100 days.

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