It appears that the reality dancing show “Dancing with the Stars” may be in jeopardy of missing its return to broadcast television even before it gets started.
The show is scheduled to make a big return on September 26 with a two-and-a-half-hour season 32 debut on ABC and Disney+ with Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough as hosts. But the current strikes by the Writer’s Guild and the actor’s guild SAG-AFTRA are putting pressure on the celebrity contestants to withdraw from the competition.
Actor Matt Walsh who is also a member of the Writers and Directors guilds was told that while a reality series, DWTS did have a single writer among its crew of some 500 people. As a result, Walsh has stepped away from the show saying, “I am taking a pause until an agreement is made.” Walsh added, “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.” Walsh noted that when he was informed appearing on the show was “struck work”, he left rehearsals saying, “I have been and will always stand with my union members of the WGA, SAG and DG.”
Saying that hopes to make a return to DWTS Walsh said, “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.”
It should be noted that the writers have been on strike since May which called a halt to a number of productions; only to see the rest of Hollywood come to a halt in late July when the actors joined the writers on strike. The time for a “speedy resolution” has passed.
This season the celebrity cast of DWTS is half full of actors who are “working” under an agreement called “network code” and are not considered to be crossing the picket line. SAG-AFTRA issed a statement saying, “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.”
SAG-AFTRA noted that many of the artists signed contracts before the strike and are contractually obligated to fulfill said contracts; adding that they can be held in a breech on contract if they don’t follow through and appear on the show.
Actor Jamie Lynn Spears has announced that the money she gets from appearing on DWTS is being donated to the unions in order to aid the striking workers.
DWTS has announced that if Walsh is the only person to withdraw from the show, it will continue; but has stated plans are being put into place to postpone the debut should more contestants drop out in support of the strike.
Reports are that more of the cast is “feeling the pressure” and are “uncomfortable” with staying on the show after the WGA began picketing outside the studio this week.
A number of daytime talk shows were set to premiere new seasons in the coming days as the fall television season is set to begin but has since postponed those premieres after some backlash from the WGA. It should be noted that the popular reality singing show on FOX “The Masked Singer” uses no WGA members and is free to air the show with no reprisals.