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WGA Writers Strike: Internet wonders why late night comedians 'can't write their own jokes'

'You’re telling me these comedians can’t write their own jokes for a short time? At least three segments are just interviewing guests,' a user said

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Nightly talk shows on major networks fell like dominoes after their writers decided to go on strike this week. 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert', 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' and 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon' revealed they were going dark starting Tuesday, May 2. Other shows including 'Late Night with Seth Meyers' and 'The Daily Show' are officially in re-runs until an agreement is reached between their producers and writers.

Even weekly shows such as 'Saturday Night Live', 'Real Time with Bill Maher', and 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver' are set to be impacted. While the two HBO shows are said to shut down, a final decision on 'SNL' is expected later in the week. The comedy show was to be hosted by Pete Davidson this week but was officially canceled. According to an update shared by Deadline, repeats of the late-night program will air until further notice. However, many are wondering why some of the biggest names in the talk show business -- most of whom are billed as top-tier comedians -- can't write their own jokes.

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Social media was inundated with reactions to the tidal wave of nightly shows going dark. An overwhelming majority sided with the writers saying they should be duly compensated. Meanwhile, many wondered why America's top comedians couldn't write their own jokes until an agreement was reached. "Why do they need writers? Comedians who can’t write their own jokes?" one tweeted. "Shows hosted by comedians who forgot how to write their own jokes years ago," another offered.

"You’re telling me these comedians can’t write their own jokes for a short time? At least three segments are just interviewing guests. One segment is a musical act. This just exposes how they’re just a talking face," someone else added. "If only these so-called comedians could write their own jokes," another chimed in. 

It's worth noting that the writers' strike brought the entire industry to a screeching halt overnight. As reported by Deadline, Colbert was scheduled to have Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Chita Rivera on Tuesday’s show, with Chris Hayes, Zach Cherry, Michael J Fox, and Shonda Rhimes lined up for later in the week. Meanwhile, Fallon was slated to have Ken Jeong and Emma Chamberlain on Tuesday, with the likes of Jennifer Lopez, JJ Watt, Elle Fanning, and Bowen Yang among guests scheduled for later in the week. Kimmel was hoping to welcome Dr Phil, Gina Rodriguez, and The Pixies on Tuesday, with Melissa McCarthy, Will Poulter, Ricky Gervais, Anthony Carrigan, and Smashing Pumpkins set for later in the week. Even 'The Daily Show' was slated to have authors Vashti Harrison and Jason Reynolds and former NFL All-Pro Brandon Marshall on.

One of the issues in this year's negotiation between the Wrtier's Guild of America and the studios is surrounding late-night shows on streaming. Writers who work on “comedy variety programs made for new media" reportedly do not qualify for MBA minimums, something the WGA has been fighting for. Speaking to Deadline, showrunners said they will take a unified approach to the situation. “I have been and will continue to talk to the other shows to see what they’re up to,” one showrunner told the outlet on condition of anonymity. “We’ve got to support the writers — our writers are amazing. That said, the rest of the staff is amazing, and I don’t want to see anybody lose their jobs or lose a paycheck. What’s the happy medium there? Figuring that out, it’s not been easy," they added.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.