DWTS fans fear a beloved cast member could quit before season 32 even premieres due to an unplanned problem.
Matt Walsh, known for his role on HBO’s hit series Veep, is facing a difficult choice between his allegiance to the striking Writer’s Guild of America and his commitment to appear on the show.
Instagram/dancingwiththestarsDancing With the Stars fans fear a beloved cast member may quit the show early[/caption]
AlamyActor Matt Walsh is facing a challenging decision between the striking WGA and DWTS[/caption]
Less than a week after the Dancing With the Stars celebrity cast was announced, fans took to Reddit to share their thoughts with one making note of Matt’s unique predicament.
The commenter shared a tweet that read: “One of the stars, @mrmattwalsh, who is one of my idols, is in a really tough bind. He’s a WGA writer too. So he must cross our picket line as a member to go to work.
“Again he probably doesn’t even know that! Most people think reality shows aren’t WGA, but #DWTSisWGA.”
The Reddit user titled their thread: “Oh wow…do y’all think he could drop out? I’d feel [bad[ for Koko [Iwasaki], even if he probably won’t make it far on the show she seems to be having a lot of fun with him.”
One fan speculated: “100% he’s dropping out.”
A commenter noted that Matt isn’t the only DWTS personality facing this issue, however.
“Same with Julianne [Hough], Alfonso [Ribeiro], Derek [Hough]…This is bad,” they wrote.
Another DWTS fan commented: “With those three in the conversation and Drew [Barrrymore] and Jennifer [Hudson]’s shows repausing due to public pressure, I don’t see how they can make this season happen.”
“Just throw the entire season away. Yes, the entire season,” another commenter wrote.
Someone else agreed, writing: “Let them try again next year! I could get behind that.”
MAKING CHANGES
This isn’t the only aspect of the upcoming season of DWTS that fans are complaining about.
Viewers and union members recently called for the competition series to make a major schedule change.
Amid major pushback from the WGA, DWTS has decided to keep its September 26 premiere date.
This marks the first time the show will air on Tuesdays instead of Mondays.
The WGA is on strike and has been for quite some time, forcing many shows to halt production due to a lack of writers.
Variety reported, however, that DWTS employs more than 500 people and just one writer.
A source told the outlet that DWTS “will be working in compliance with SAG-AFTRA rules, and a key focus is not to put talent in a tough spot, given that many Season 32 cast members are part of the actors’ guild.”
Matt and his celebrity co-star Alyson Hannigan are both SAG-AFTRA members.
Jamie Lynn Spears, Barry Williams, Mira Sorvino, Ariana Madix, and Xochitl Gomez are part of the SAG union.
“Everyone’s focus is to keep 500 people employed,” a source close to production told Variety.
They added that the writer, who works only with the show’s hosts, will be back to work once the strike is over.
DWTS continued to air during the last writer strike in 2007 and 2008.
FOLLOWING THE RULES
Contestants on DWTS are allowed to compete on the show because it is under a different contract, according to SAG-AFTRA rules.
The show runs on the National Code of Fair Practice for Network Television Broadcasting or the Network Code.
That allows SAG actors to appear on the show.
Many other reality shows also follow this practice.
Still, as many fans pointed out, it is frowned upon for actors – specifically those belonging to either the SAG-AFTRA or WGA – to cross a picket line.
Additionally, a source told Variety that none of the competitors’ packages will feature clips from their past TV and film projects in compliance with the SAG strike rules.
Instagram/dancingwiththestarsMatt is partnered with Koko Iwasaki[/caption]
GettyThe Veep star is a member of WGA and it is frowned upon to cross union picket lines[/caption]
ABCThe show has committed to following SAG-AFTRA rules amid the writers union strikes[/caption]
