(ABC/Andrew Eccles)
The new season of Dancing with the Stars is supposed to debut on ABC this Tuesday, but it might not happen. That is because the show employs a Writers Guild of America writer, and the striking writers and actors are picketing the rehearsals.
As of today, Matt Walsh, who is a member of both unions, told Deadline he is pausing his involvement with the dancing competition “until an agreement is made with the WGA.
“I was excited to join the show and did so under the impression that it was not a WGA show and fell under a different agreement.
“This morning when I was informed by my union, the WGA, that it is considered struck work I walked out of my rehearsal. I have been and will always stand with my union members of the WGA, SAG and DGA.
“Beyond our union artists, I am sensitive to the many people impacted by the strike and I hope for a speedy and fair resolution, and to one day work again with all the wonderful people I met at DWTS who tolerated my dancing.”
Walsh is the first star to drop out. Will Mira Sorvino, Alyson Hannigan, Barry Williams, Xochitl Gomez, and Jamie Lynn Spears follow his dancing shoes out of the ballroom. The latter told GMA that she plans on donating her paycheck to the striking workers. So she might stay.
That is if the show will go on because Deadline says that ABC is considering postponing the series until the WGA strike is resolved. SAG already cleared the actors to dance.
There are reports that negotiations seemed to go well yesterday between the AMPTP and WGA. So maybe the strike will be over by Tuesday, and the show will go on.
And if it does. The winner will be receiving the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. “The Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy will now be lifted on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ like the Vince Lombardi trophy is lifted at the Super Bowl,” DWTS EP Conrad Green told USA Today. “We wanted to make Len a permanent part of this show, to always remind people the importance he’s had to ‘Dancing With the Stars’ and how much he meant to all of us.”
Goodman passed away in April.
UPDATE: SAG-AFTRA sent out a press release saying that their members are contractually obligated to do Dancing with the Stars. To see what they said, then
Our members appearing on Dancing with the Stars are working under the Network Code agreement, which is a non-struck contract. They are required to go to work, are not in violation of SAG-AFTRA strike rules, and we support them in fulfilling their contractual obligations.
The program is a SAG-AFTRA non-dramatic production under a separate agreement that is not subject to the union’s strike order.
The majority of our members on Dancing with the Stars had contractual obligations to the show prior to the strike. Many are under option agreements that require them to return to the show if the producer exercises their option which the producer has done.
Our members are also subject to a “No Strike Clause” in the Network Code Collective Bargaining Agreement. This means our performers agree not to strike during the term of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and to show up to work during this term (the Network Code runs through June 30, 2024.) By not showing up to work, our performers can be held in breach of contract and the Union is prohibited from advising them not to work.
It is important to recognize that SAG-AFTRA is fighting against the studios and not members who are required to go to work every day under other union contracts or personal service agreements. We stand with our union siblings across the industry as we also recognize our obligations under federal labor law.
