'The Tonight Show' Strikers Causing Fallon to Reach Into His Own Pocket and Foot the Bill: Report
After unionized writers went on strike Tuesday, causing many late-night shows to “go dark,” Jimmy Fallon will now apparently pay “The Tonight Show” staff out of his own pocket.
NBC had allegedly agreed to pay “The Tonight Show” team until the end of the week.
But according to a tweet from Sarah Kobos, senior photo research coordinator for “The Tonight Show,” Jimmy Fallon helped secure a second week of pay from NBC and will also pay the staffers out of his own pocket for a third week.
The strikers will also get health care through September, according to Kobos.
“I have a very good update! We ended up having our production meeting this morn too and @jimmyfallon was there. He got NBC to give us a second week of pay, and he will be paying us himself for a third week. We also are going to have healthcare extended through Sept. Solidarity!” Kobos tweeted.
I have a very good update! We ended up having our production meeting this morn too and @jimmyfallon was there. He got NBC to give us a second week of pay, and he will be paying us himself for a third week. We also are going to have healthcare extended through Sept. ✊ Solidarity! https://t.co/yNPMsuFLgl
— Sarah Kobos (@skobos) May 3, 2023
We are thrilled to see that after public pressure from Sarah, and thousands of you, Jimmy Fallon is living up to his statements of support for the writers’ strike and reaching into his own pocket to make sure they get paid.
This is what solidarity looks like. https://t.co/8fUrBp1FBb
— More Perfect Union (@MorePerfectUS) May 3, 2023
Just one day before her post, Kobos had called out Fallon on Twitter.
Apparently, he was not at the meeting where staffers learned they would not be getting paid after the first week.
“He wasn’t even at the meeting this morning to tell us we won’t get paid after this week. @jimmyfallon please support your staff. Had fun bowling with ya last week, but a fun party won’t pay my rent,” Kobos tweeted.
He wasn’t even at the meeting this morning to tell us we won’t get paid after this week. @jimmyfallon please support your staff. Had fun bowling with ya last week, but a fun party won’t pay my rent https://t.co/hbOqiXxdFb
— Sarah Kobos (@skobos) May 2, 2023
Fallon, who said he is a member of the Writers Guild of America, had said in a previous interview that he supported the strike.
He is not the only late-night comic paying his staffers out of pocket.
Seth Meyers will also be paying the “Late Night with Seth Meyers” staff for a third week, according to TheWrap.
The WGA went on strike Tuesday, after six weeks of failed negotiations with a number of streaming companies and television studios. Those companies included Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Discovery-Warner, NBC Universal, Paramount and Sony.
According to a WGA statement, the chief reasons for striking were that the companies had “slashed” compensation and residuals and “undermined” the writers’ working conditions.
Ever since the strike, late-night shows such as “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and “The Daily Show,” (as well as Fallon’s and Meyers’ shows) have “gone dark.” That is, they have not broadcast new late-night episodes since Tuesday and are only airing re-runs.
According to The Wrap, the late-night shows are going dark out of respect for the strike.
But not all late-night shows are affected by the union’s actions.
Fox News’ “Gutfeld!” has not gone dark and is running new episodes as usual.
Writers of the show are not members of the WGA, so the show is not subject to the strike.
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