Wednesday, August 30, 2023

 

Late-Night Hosts Starting “Strike Force FIve” Podcast To Benefit Striking Writers

The series promises to provide viewers with the hosts' insights, opinions, and of course, their trademark humor as they navigate the intricacies of the Hollywood strikes.

Credit: Getty Images / AP

Several of TV’s most prominent late-night hosts are responding to the ongoing Hollywood strikes in fresh and engaging ways. Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver are joining forces to launch a new podcast, out on Aug 30 with all proceeds going directly to the out-of-work staff of each host's respective show, per Entertainment Weekly.

Spotify announced the collaboration between the 5 hosts for a special limited-series podcast, aptly named “Strike Force Five.” The series promises to provide viewers with the hosts' insights, opinions, and of course, their trademark humor as they navigate the intricacies of the Hollywood strikes.

The simultaneous SAG-AFTRA and WGA Hollywood strikes have persisted throughout the summer, causing significant disruptions in the industry and leaving countless individuals without industry jobs as the labor dispute unfolds. The strike came about after each guild’s respective negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers failed to yield a new deal.

“The companies have used the transition to streaming to cut writer pay and separate writing from production, worsening working conditions for series writers at all levels,” the WGA said in a statement obtained by the Hollywood Reporter. “On TV staffs, more writers are working at minimum regardless of experience, often for fewer weeks, or in mini-rooms, while showrunners are left without a writing staff to complete the season. And while series budgets have soared over the past decade, median writer-producer pay has fallen.”

“Strike Force Five” is set to have a minimum of 12 episodes.

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