Due to the continuing writer’s strike, actor Matt Walsh has chosen to postpone competing in the most recent season of “Dancing with the Stars.”
The “Veep” actor announced on Thursday that he would withdraw from the dancing competition unless the Writers Guild of America and Hollywood studios could come to an agreement. The SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents Hollywood actors, and the WGA have both been on strike for the past four and a half months, which together have halted most TV and film production.
In a statement received by CBS News, Walsh declared, “I am pausing ‘Dancing with the Stars’ until an agreement is achieved with the WGA. “I was eager to join the program and did so believing it to be outside the scope of the WGA and to be covered by a different contract. I left my rehearsal this morning after learning from my union, the WGA, that it was classified “strike work.”
Walsh stated his support for the striking writers and actors and emphasized his hope to be able to return to “Dancing with the Stars.”
“I have been and always will stand with my union members of the WGA, SAG, and DGA,” he added. Beyond the union artists, I am considerate of the other people affected by the strike and hope for a prompt and equitable resolution. I also hope to work with all the nice people I met at DWTS who put up with my dancing again in the future.
SAG-AFTRA stated in a statement on Thursday that “Dancing with the Stars” is “not subject to the union’s strike order,” indicating that Walsh would be allowed to return to the program if a deal were made with the WGA but not SAG-AFTRA.
“Members appearing on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ are working under the Network Code agreement, which is a non-struck contract,” the union claimed. They must report for duty, are not infringing on SAG-AFTRA strike laws, and we encourage them to carry out their contractual commitments.
Walsh’s departure occurs as talks between Hollywood studios and screenwriters pick back up on Wednesday and Thursday.
The WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers released a statement announcing that they had met for negotiations today and would do so again tomorrow.
Pay, the size of the writing crew, and the usage of artificial intelligence in scriptwriting are among the topics dividing the two sides.
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