John Oliver, Amber Ruffin & Ziwe Protest At WGAE Comedy Writers Picket: “These People Are So Bad They Got Comedy Writers To Leave The House”
27.07.2023 - 19:01
/ deadline.com
Felipe Torres Medina, a writer on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, organized a comedy writers picket outside 30 Rock in New York that saw the cream of the late-night crop turn up to fight for a “fair” deal.
Stars such as John Oliver, Amber Ruffin, Ziwe, Jason Sudekis and Phoebe Robinson were among those in attendance, as the writer strike is in its 87th day and the actors strike is in its 14th day.
John Oliver, host of HBO’s Last Week Tonight, said, “I like what Chris Keyser said yesterday, ‘This isn’t a war, this is a basic request for some completely understandable contract points’ so I want to see a fair deal as soon as possible. It is absolutely appalling that they are not negotiating right now. The fact that they are not around a table right now is absolutely disgusting.”
Amber Ruffin, a writer on Late Night with Seth Meyers, who also hosts Peacock’s The Amber Ruffin Show, said that because all of the late-night hosts – Meyers, Colbert, Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel, were around during the 2007/08 strike, they were prepared, which “gave us a really strong start”.
She told Deadline, “Guessing when this strike will end is a fool’s errand but we’re prepared to last as long as it lasts because what we’re striking for is what we should have been, done and had.”
(WATCH) We chatted with Amber Ruffin today in New York City at the WGAE Comedy Writers Picket. Discussing the ongoing labor strikes affecting the entertainment industry right now, Ruffin says, “Guessing when this strike will end is a fool’s errand…” pic.twitter.com/6EJmHkcBcW
Ruffin spoke in front of a group of striking comedy/variety writers and performers and joked that the studios are “so bad that they got the writers to leave the house”.
“It feels great to