‘Saturday Night Live’ and late night shows to air repeats due to writers’ strike
By Alli Rosenbloom, CNN
“Saturday Night Live,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” will begin airing repeat episodes on Tuesday due to the film and TV writers’ strike, sources close to the programs told CNN.
The late night shows will air repeat episodes “until further notice,” according to the sources.
Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon, who host NBC’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers” and “The Tonight Show,” respectively, previously said they would honor the strike and not air new episodes. CNN has reached out to NBC for comment.
Sources close to production also tell CNN that “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central will begin airing repeat episodes on Tuesday due to the strike as well.
NBC’s weekly sketch comedy show “Saturday Night Live” will also air repeat episodes due to the writers’ strike, the network announced Tuesday. A previously announced “SNL” episode to be hosted by alum Pete Davidson and musical guest Lil Uzi Vert that was scheduled for Saturday, May 6, has been canceled, according to a spokesperson for the show.
On Monday night, the Writers’ Guild of America officially called for a strike after failing to reach an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers when the WGA’s current contract expired just before midnight.
As thousands of members of the WGA prepare to begin picketing on Tuesday afternoon, the late night shows across network television will present the first visible manifestation that the strike has begun as the previously planned new shows are scrapped for reruns.
A writers’ strike could shut down production on most television shows and cause a domino effect in the wider realm of the entertainment industry, pushing back the return of many programs set for the fall.
The late night shows depend on their writers for bits, monologues and celebrity interview questions.
Stephen Colbert addressed the strike on his “Late Show” Monday night, which was taped before the negotiations halted, by featuring a picture of all of his writers, saying the show wouldn’t happen without them.
The host expressed his support for unions, and said while he hoped that a strike could be averted, “I also think that the writers’ demands are not unreasonable.”
Jimmy Kimmel, who also taped his show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Monday before a strike was called, only referenced the strike tangentially when he listed the guests lined up to appear on his show for the week ahead “unless something terrible happens.”
The-CNN-Wire
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