Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers to personally pay staff salaries for early weeks of writers strike

Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers are set to personally pay their staff salaries for the third week of the ongoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, both talk show hosts will fork out money from their own pockets to pay their staff during the third week of the writers strike, with NBC set to pay staff salaries for the first two weeks.

Sarah Kobos, a staffer on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, announced in a tweet on Tuesday (May 2) that NBC had originally decided to stop paying staff after the first week of the strike, adding that Fallon wasn’t present at a meeting between staff and the NBC just a day after he voiced his support for his staff at the Met Gala.

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

“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 wrote.

In a separate tweet, Kobos explained: “At a meeting Jimmy wasn’t even at, we are told NBC decided to stop paying us after this week and end our health insurance after this month if the strike is ongoing. They won’t even tell us if we will technically be furloughed. Just active employees who aren’t paid.”

At a meeting Jimmy wasn't even at, we are told NBC decided to stop paying us after this week and end our health insurance after this month if the strike is ongoing. They won't even tell us if we will technically be furloughed. Just active employees who aren't paid.

— Sarah Kobos (@skobos) May 2, 2023

Kobos clarified that she isn’t on strike, given her role as a Senior photo research coordinator on The Tonight Show. “I’m told Seth Meyers was in their zoom production meeting and that he is going to try and take care of his staff and crew after NBC stops paying,” she added in a Twitter thread.

The following day (May 3), Kobos shared that Fallon was present at that day’s follow-up meeting and that he had convinced NBC to pay his staff for an additional week with an extension on health insurance through September, and that he would be “paying us himself for a third week”.

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

The WGA strike took effect on Tuesday (May 2) after weeks of failed negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). Following the confirmation of the strike – Hollywood’s first in 15 years – WGA uploaded a document outlining the differences between proposals made by the writers’ union and offers from the AMPTP that have led to the strike.

As a result of the strike, talk shows such as The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers have gone dark, and are currently airing past episodes.

Pete Davidson’s return to SNL – which was originally scheduled for May 6 – has also been cancelled due to the strike, with NBC confirming that “SNL will air repeat until further notice starting Saturday, May 6.”

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