As the 2023 WGA writers strike has officially begun the work stoppage of unionized writers throughout the entertainment industry, late night television has gone dark. Shows like The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon that depend on writers to develop timely jokes on a daily basis are only the beginning of the gaps we might see in the 2023 TV schedule’s output. While this is obviously dismaying for Fallon and other hosts of his kind, a staffer recently called out the NBC late night host for his claimed support of writers, and how official network language debunked that claim.
It should be noted that Sarah Kobos, the senior photo research coordinator at The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon shared the basis for this story on Twitter before a further update came from NBC on the matter. Per reporting by Deadline, the writing staffs for both Fallon's show, as well as Late Night with Seth Meyers, are going to be paid for two more weeks, with health benefits also being "extended through September."
However, the picture looked much dire when Kobos first shared a thread of several messages laying out how this scenario previously looked like it was going to play out. What's more, she also mentioned a disheartening development when it came to Jimmy Fallon's participation, as you'll read below:
At a meeting Jimmy wasn't even at, we are told NBC decided to stop paying us after this week and end our health insurance after this month if the strike is ongoing. They won't even tell us if we will technically be furloughed. Just active employees who aren't paid. And that we shouldn't vent to coworkers[.]. I should note that I am non-union and not a striking worker - this was to the rest of the staff and crew[.] I’m told Seth Meyers was in their zoom production meeting and that he is going to try and take care of his staff and crew after NBC stops paying. Steve Higgins is on the picket line with us.
NBC might be the hardest hit network thus far, thanks to both The Tonight Show and SNL being among the first shows to get shut down. Just as the world was amping up to Pete Davidson’s hosting debut after his departure from the show last year, the live comedy institution operates on the same short turnaround model as late night shows do. Until the strike is concluded, Saturday Night Live will be dark as well.
Coincidentally, three of the series’ notable participants are at the heart of this very story. As mentioned above, Late Night with Seth Meyers’ host seeming to fully throw his support behind his crew, being present on a Zoom meeting with his writers. Also, SNL producer/The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon announcer Steve Higgins has been mentioned as being on the actual picket line.
Which leads to Jimmy Fallon’s apparent statement of support. Though absent for the meeting with his writers, the host did speak on the topic as he appeared at this week’s star studded Met Gala in New York. Through a clip from ET Canada, here’s what Fallon had to say:
Laying out the more personal ramifications of the ongoing writers strike, Sarah Kobos has painted a harrowing picture of what to expect out of a conflict that could go on for some time. For now, it seems as if the writers of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, as well as their compatriots over at Late Night with Seth Meyers, will be paid for the next two weeks; one of which will come from their respective host's pockets.
Sadly, that's merely a short term stop gap if the Writers Guild of America’s 2023 strike turns out to be anything like their last. Taking place in 2007-2008, it took 100 days for the previous work stoppage to be resolved satisfactorily. While the WGA strike record still holds at the 153 day mark set in 1988, either outcome would well exceed the current benchmarks of support.
Meanwhile, television and film production could see delays that mirror the events that saw US networks importing series from foreign networks or their own cable brands. That’s how CBS viewers were able to see the Dexter cast in a heavily edited form, and was also the cause of Quantum of Solace’s production with an unfinished script.
At the moment, late night TV is feeling this pain the most, and until all is said and done, the consequences will continue to expand throughout the landscape of scripted entertainment. The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon will still be airing, in reruns, at 11:35 PM ET on NBC.
