Hollywood stars who are set to grace the ballroom in the upcoming season have been targeted by WGA strikers ahead of the ABC show's season 32 premiere on Tuesday, September 26.
- Sep 21, 2023
AceShowbiz - Ahead of season 32 premiere of "Dancing with the Stars", tension is getting higher in front of the hit ABC show's studio. Hollywood stars who are set to grace the ballroom in the upcoming season were targeted by WGA strikers who were at the picket line early Wednesday morning, September 20.
In pictures and videos circulating online, the striking writers were holding signs targeting Oscar winner Mira Sorvino, "How I Met Your Mother" actress Alyson Hannigan as well as "Veep" star Matt Walsh. One sign read, "Mira Sorvino Don't Cross the Picket Line."
Alyson, who arrived at the studios for rehearsal on that day, was also greeted with picketers targeting her. A sign played on her signature line from "American Pie" which read, "This One Time.... At Band Camp…." It continued, "Alyson Hannigan Screwed the Entire WGA. WGA is Picketing Dancing with the Stars and BBC Studios Los Angeles."
Another sign, meanwhile, attacked Matt as it read, "Matt Walsh don't dance as a scab! WGA is picketing Dancing with the Stars and BBC Studios Los Angeles." One other warned the stars, "Can't Dance Your Way Out of This."
A writer, who was among the picketers in front of the studio, told Deadline, "WGA respects all writing whether it's a single writer on a feature film with 500 people or it's a single writer on a TV show with 500 people, it's all the same to us and we're going to protect writing across the board." The striking writer further added, " 'Dancing with the Stars' is a WGA signatory show. It shouldn't be shooting right now."
"ABC has no fall programming, narratively speaking, because they chose to impose this strike upon us," the writer continued. "So we want to disrupt all of their programming as much as we can so they'll come back to the table with a reasonable offer."
Meanwhile, "MacGyver" executive producer David Slack shared, "The reason that it's so important that 'Dancing with the Stars' not move forward with scab writing is that it encourages the studio to make the strike last longer and to hold out to see if other shows will be able to move forward with scab writing."
He added, "While it may put the crew for 'Dancing with the Stars' back to work, that's keeping every other crew in Hollywood out of work. This economy in L.A. is losing $30M a day because of what the companies have chosen not to do, the path of not negotiating, that they've chosen."
"Dancing with the Stars" is slated to return for a new season on Tuesday, September 26.
