According to Variety, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver gave praise to the Writers Guild of America after the conclusion of the writer’s strike. With John Oliver (The Daily Show, Community) having many different news topics to recap with the talk show being back he took some time during the segment to speak about the strike. He praised the vast sacrifices of all the individuals who worked hard to obtain the new deal with the Hollywood studios as well as having some choice words for the studios.
Oliver says, ”I wish so much I could have told you these jokes at the time, but I couldn’t because our writers, the people who wrote those jokes, were forced to strike for a fair contract for the last five months. And it was an immensely difficult time, not just for them but for everyone else working on this show and many others who could no longer do their jobs. And to be clear, this strike happened for good reasons. Our industry has seen its work severely squeezed in recent years. You’ve probably seen stories about writers and actors whose work you may even recognize, routinely not making enough to qualify for health insurance or afford basic needs.”
He continued, “While I’m happy that [the WGA] eventually got a fair deal and immensely proud of what our union accomplished, I’m also furious that it took the studios 148 days to achieve a deal that they could have offered on day f—ing one. Hopefully, this might encourage others, from auto workers to Starbucks baristas to healthcare providers, whether they are in unions or would like to be, to find power in each other. And within our particular industry.”
According to Variety, he ended the segment of the show by stating that he hopes that SAG-AFTRA and IATSE can implement what the writers have accomplished and gain their new contracts with the studios.
He says, “Because the truth is, it takes many people working really hard to make film and TV, all of whom deserve a piece of the pie and for the actors in particular, they cannot come back to work soon enough.”