ABC Putting Plans in Place to Delay 'DWTS' Season 32 Premiere
The Dancing With the Stars premiere is at risk of being pushed back as celebrities continue to voice concerns over the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, Us Weekly can confirm.
Veep’s Matt Walsh, who is set to compete on season 32 of the dance series, announced on Thursday, September 21, that he is “taking a pause” from DWTS in solidarity with the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike. Walsh, 58, is a member of the WGA and Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) unions, both of which are still fighting against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) over labor disputes and fair wages. The WGA strike began in May, while the SAG-AFTRA picketing commenced in July.
'Dancing With the Stars' Season 32 Cast Revealed: Meet the Duos
Mauricio Umansky, Alyson Hannigan and more are gearing up to compete for the mirrorball trophy on season 32 of Dancing With the Stars. The full cast was announced during the Wednesday, September 13, episode of Good Morning America. The season’s pros led a high-energy choreographed routine before the big reveal. Ariana Madix was the first […]
“I am taking a pause from Dancing with the Stars until an agreement is made with the WGA,” Walsh told Variety in a statement on Thursday. “I was excited to join the show and did so under the impression that it was not a WGA show and fell under a different agreement. This morning when I was informed by my union, the WGA, that it is considered struck work I walked out of my rehearsal.”
He explained: “I have been and will always stand with my union members of the WGA, SAG and DGA. Beyond our union artists, I am sensitive to the many people impacted by the strike and I hope for a speedy and fair resolution, and to one day work again with all the wonderful people I met at DWTS who tolerated my dancing.”
Every Cast Reunion During the SAG-AFTRA Strike
Actors and writers of Us Weekly‘s favorite shows and movies have been reuniting on the picket lines amid the historic WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike. The labor dispute originally made headlines in May 2023 when the Writers Guild of America announced that their contract negotiation with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers had stalled. […]
Per the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike guidelines, union members are forbidden to promote struck work or film new projects until an agreement is finalized. Struck work means it is produced or backed by companies such as the big four TV networks, streaming sites or studios that have not agreed to the union’s terms.
In this case, DWTS is considered a WGA show because it employs one WGA writer. The ABC series employs roughly 500 workers overall, including crew, producers and talent. The network confirmed to Us on Thursday that ABC is putting plans in place to postpone the premiere, set for Thursday, September 28.
TV Shows That Received Permission to Keep Filming Amid WGA, SAG Strike
Hollywood came to a standstill amid the joint WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike — but not every TV show has stopped filming. In July 2023, SAG-AFTRA authorized a strike after the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) did not address any of their concerns regarding fair wages, the use of artificial intelligence and more […]
Ahead of rehearsals for season 32, DWTS’ celebrity contestants, hosts, judges and dancers were cleared by the SAG-AFTRA to participate on the show under the Network Code agreement.
The cast includes Vanderpump Rules’ Ariana Madix, How I Met Your Mother alum Alyson Hannigan, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ Mauricio Umansky and former Brady Bunch star Barry Williams.
