Credit: USA TodayAs of May 2, writers across America are officially on strike – and that includes those for Walt Disney Studios.
This marks the first time since 2008 that the Writers Guild of America has gone on strike. Just like the last strike – which ran for 100 days – that means the entertainment industry is set to grind to a halt as the scribes behind everything from talk shows to Marvel movies abandon their keyboards to petition for a better pay structure.
The entertainment industry has changed dramatically since 2008. Today, streaming has turned the usual production process upside down, with writers essentially paid less for more work. Talks between the Writer Guild and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers – which bargains on behalf of Hollywood’s nine largest studios – failed to find a solution to the issue, leading to a unanimous vote to stop writing until they do.
That’s led to picket lines outside every major studio, including Walt Disney Pictures. On May 2, members of the Writers Guild of America formed a line at the Disney lot in Burbank, California, where they were joined by a familiar face: Jay Leno.
The former Tonight Show host drove to the picket line outside Walt Disney Studios, where he began handing out donuts to Guild members.
In a video shared by reporter Scott Gustin, Leno’s act of kindness was met with cries of “thank you” and “We love you, Jay!”
Jay Leno brings donuts to the writers picketing in front of the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank. pic.twitter.com/wSLcsv8mb4
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) May 3, 2023
This marks the second time Leno has shown support to union members via donuts. In 2007, Leno pulled up outside Universal Studios on a Harley-Davidson, hand-delivering Krispy Kreme donuts to those on the picket line.
Approximately 11,500 writers are currently on strike. The gap between the Guild’s demands and what studios are willing to offer is thought to be pretty significant, which means there’s no saying how long the entertainment industry – including massive properties like Phase Five and Phase Six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and newly-announced Star Wars films – will be affected.