The Writer's Guild of America has been on strike since May 2. The WGA, which represents film and television writers, authorized strike action after their current contract expired. Furthermore, the WGA overwhelmingly voted to strike after studios refused to adequately meet their demands on a new contract. These demands include the regulation of AI, better pay, more access to set, and the restructuring of residuals.
Hollywood and the East Coast TV networks have been devastated by the strike action. Most late-night shows have been suspended, as has the production on multiple Hollywood blockbusters. However, the strike has received overwhelming support from the industry, with a myriad of famous faces joining the daily pickets on both coasts. However, not everyone is a fan. Rapper 50 Cent made his feelings very clear in a recent interview.
50 Cent Thinks WGA Strike Will Hurt Workers
Cent sounded off about the strike in a recent interview with Vulture. "I hope it doesn’t last. What it did to me immediately was it made me focus on the non-scripted side of production. I sold three unscripted projects as soon as people started hearing about the possibility of a strike. The last time, it lasted for about a hundred days, a little over three months. If it extends to that point now, I don’t know. I don’t see it as a positive thing for the writers that I know that have established overall deals. You see so many people reducing staff and expenses that it would be an opportunity to pull out of those deals. Courtney’s in that position. I believe those projects will get dropped."
For the record, Kemp has fully supported the strike, picketing in New York on multiple occasions. Furthermore, Kemp told Deadline, "We are striking to protect writing as a profession, and for a fair share of the profits we create." Furthermore, it's ironic that 50 would decry the strike and then immediately do the exact thing the striking writers are striking about. "Striking will hurt the workers" before immediately turning around and profiting from the strike is not exactly a strong leg to stand on. At the time of writing, the WGA has been on strike for 38 days. Furthermore, SAG-AFTRA and the DGA are both preparing to strike in the coming weeks if a deal is not reached with the writers.
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