It’s almost time for glitz, glam and a sliding scale of celebrities to return to the small screen, as Season 32 of Dancing With the Stars kicks off September 26 on ABC.
At least, that’s the plan.
But even though the hosts, hoofers and stars are ready for the ballroom bash to commence, one of the entertainment industry’s striking unions has a warning: In order to get to the dance floor, they’ll all have to cross the picket line.
Shortly after pressure from the Writer’s Guild of America successfully convinced Drew Barrymore and other talk show hosts to delay their television returns amid the labor union’s ongoing strike, members of the WGA shifted their spotlight to reality TV’s mirror ball-filled competition.
On Sunday, writer and WGA West board member David Slack first sounded off about the series on X, formerly Twitter, writing, “Dancing with the Stars is a WGA-covered show. Its writers are on strike and they can’t make the show without scab writing.”
Slack then listed the @-mentions of hosts Afonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough, judge Derek Hough and three of the upcoming season’s stars, Mira Sorvino, Alyson Hannigan and Jason Mraz, stating that he hopes they “do the right thing and refuse to cross our picket line.”
In another post he further called out judge Carrie Ann Inaba, and contestants Tyson Beckford and Matt Walsh, the latter of whom is also a member of the Writers Guild of America West.
While reality competitions like DWTS are often referred to as “unscripted programming,” that doesn’t mean there’s no writing to be done when it comes to the skits, show openers and host chatter in between the off-the-cuff bits. According to the WGA West’s member directory, David Boone has worked as a writer and executive producer on DWTS since its inception in the mid-aughts, which means this isn’t his first strike, nor is it the show’s first attempt to carry on without him.
In fact, during the 2007 writers’ strike, as Boone and his fellow guild members stood down from their duties, Season 5 of the series carried on without a hitch—and without any picketing.
But now, following claims that the return of Dancing With the Stars would require the work of scabs, the picket plans are in place.
“Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” writer Bill Wolkoff responded to Slack on X, noting, “I am glad this news is finally coming to light. The DWTS live taping is at CBS TV City. We’re going to have a BIG week on our lot picketing struck WGA shows that have decided to return. This prolongs the strike! Spread the word that #DWTSisWGA”
The possibility of prolonging the strike explains the urgency in targeting Dancing With the Stars. Networks are largely relying on reality TV shows to fill the fall schedule and make up for the revenue they’ll lose sans scripted programming, and Dancing With the Stars is a reality mainstay. And given that the WGA is resuming negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers this week, any action that could delay the ballroom comp is a boon for writers.
And at least one ballroom great is on their side.
Two-time DWTS champion pro Cheryl Berke, who announced her exit from the series last season, spoke to Variety and stressed the need for solidarity in the industry.
“At the end of the day, we have to stick together because that’s the only way to ever make any significant change,” she explained. “Even the cast of Friends, when they asked for more money, they all stuck together. The problem is that if we don’t, then we’re setting a precedent and I don’t think it’s gonna be good for the show, to be quite honest, in the long run. I understand what they’re thinking and I get it. It’s a business, but there is no business without the rest of the business.”
Of course, the WGA isn’t the only union on strike. The Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists are also picketing across Tinseltown, but they aren’t protesting DWTS, as the actors that make up part of the Season 32 cast aren’t violating SAG-AFTRA’s terms by working on reality TV.
All the same, actress Jamie Lynn Spears announced that she intends to pass on her DWTS paychecks to both SAG-AFTRA and WGA, should the season go on as planned.
Next week’s scheduled season premiere will reveal if she and her fellow contestants are willing to across the picket line to get those paychecks.
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