Before the writers strike — since joined by actors in Hollywood’s first double strike in 62 years — officially began, late night television hosts made a point to let their viewers know that their shows would be going dark if need be, in support of the writers. And, for the writers themselves, that support has been invaluable.
The late night crews were the very first to be affected by the strike, with every single show going into re-runs immediately as soon as it began. In what ended up being the final episode of “Late Night With Seth Meyers,” prior to the WGA strike beginning, Meyers carved out a moment to address the circumstances, saying that he feels “very strongly that what the writers are asking for is not unreasonable.”
He added that “If you don’t see me here next week, know that it is something that is not done lightly, and that I will be heartbroken to miss you as well.”
For Sal Gentile, who writes the “A Closer Looks” segments on the show, the support has been “incredible.”
“I didn’t know what he was gonna say. And when he was saying it, I felt really proud,” Gentile told TheWrap in a roundtable discussion with fellow late night writers. “And I definitely think that that support has helped sustain us because, you know, if we were in a world where we didn’t know, necessarily, if our shows were okay with this, it would definitely be more nerve-wracking, but knowing that they’re fully behind us — that they have been to the picket lines as well, that Seth’s been on the picket line — is just an incredible morale boost.”
He added, “I just felt myself getting very emotional because it’s — the camaraderie is very special that writers have in general, I felt like it was emblematic of the same feeling we have on the picket line, when we all see each other.”
Jesse Joyce, a writer for “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” echoed similar sentiments, saying that the support has extended even beyond just the late night hosts.
“The other day on the picket line, some teacher came up to us and was like, ‘I’ve been on strike a bunch of times over my career.’ A retired teacher. And, you know, she was like, ‘I totally support what you guys are doing.’ And like pipefitters and, you know, just union people that you wouldn’t necessarily think would have a lot of camaraderie with with a bunch of, you know, liberal Hollywood snowflakes or whatever.”
He continued, “Teamsters are driving by and honking at us. And so like, from the top down, everybody it seems like is on our side.”
You can watch TheWrap’s full discussion with late night writers in the video above.