The writers’ strike is underway in Hollywood, following the failure to reach a compromise between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on a new minimum bargaining agreement. With the rippling effect that will be felt across television, streaming, and film, every player in the industry is being asked to comment on the strike. Jimmy Fallon‘s statement, however, is being contested by a member of staff who claims the Tonight Show host has not been true to his word.
To Variety, on Monday, during the Met Gala, Fallon said he supports his writers “all the way,” adding that he wouldn’t have a show without them. “They gotta have a fair contract,” he continued, saying he hopes they achieve their goals.
Sarah Kobos, a senior photo research coordinator for Fallon’s show took to Twitter to call out the host for not joining a production meeting, where NBC announced pay would be halted after the week of May 2, and health insurance coverage would cease after the month was through if the strike didn’t end. Kobos also urged Fallon to show up for his staff and crew, giving Seth Meyers as an example of a fellow late night host under NBC who had pledged to try and help the people working on his show.
It seems like Fallon was quick to respond, joining the rest of the Tonight Show team in a production meeting on the morning of May 3. According to Kobos, the host “got NBC to give us a second week of pay, and [Fallon] will be paying us himself for a third week.” The photo research coordinator also added that the studio extended the staff’s health care through the month of September.
Although The Tonight Show is not canceled as of now, Jimmy Fallon did confirm production for the late night talk show will stop entirely if the strike doesn’t subside. The same is expected to happen with other programs like The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and Late Night with Seth Meyers.
IndieWire reported that all three hosts, as well as Jimmy Kimmel, have vowed to pay non-writing staffers through the strike, as happened during the 2007 writers’ strike, and the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. The outlet places the tally at “several hundred thousand dollars per month or more.”
Late night talk shows and other daily programs are especially affected by the strike as their content is not planned as far in advance as scripted television series or films. The effects of the strike, if it continues through the month of May or longer (and it looks like it might), will only be felt in those two formats further down the road, namely in the Fall.