Dermot Mulroney took a dramatic stand in support of the ongoing writers strike.
During his pre-taped appearance on The View, which aired on Friday, June 23, Mulroney, 59, walked out of the interview. “Are we going to break? I’m going to do this symbolically in solidarity with the writers. I’m going to walk off your show,” the actor said before leaving the stage.
Longtime host Joy Behar, for her part, promoted Mulroney’s upcoming role in Disney+’s Secret Invasion after his departure. Mulroney returned after the segment wrapped to take a photo with the hosts amid the commercial break.
“Since I have such respect for The View, a news program with a heart, it was there that I felt comfortable enough to draw attention to the ongoing WGA strike for fair wages and working hours,” he said in a statement to Variety before the moment aired on screen. “I find it incredibly important to continue to support the union.”
Earlier this week, Mulroney appeared on the Today show where he continued to support the WGA. “National Selfie Day lol – taken live on air on @todayshow (news show – no WGA writers),” he captioned the Instagram selfie on Wednesday, June 21.
Many actors have spoken out since the Writers Guild of America officially authorized a strike in May.
Writers and studios previously attempted to reach a new wage agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers before the WGA contract expired. However, negotiations ultimately broke down as the WGA pushed for higher pay and streaming residuals, limits on artificial intelligence use and mandatory staffing levels in writers rooms. A strike was confirmed after an agreement ultimately couldn’t be reached with AMPTP — the organization that represents major networks such as Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Discovery-Warner, NBC Universal, Paramount and Sony.
Shows such as Abbott Elementary, Yellowjackets, Stranger Things, Euphoria, The Last of Us and Emily in Paris have since hit pause on production. The View, meanwhile, has largely been unaffected by the writers strike since the show is mostly unscripted.
Whoopi Goldberg addressed the ongoing strike when it was originally approved in May. “You know how we’re always talking about how we’re very different than most other shows. Well, as you know, there is a writers strike on and so, we don’t have writers, OK? So, you’re going to hear how it would be when it’s not slicked up,” she said at the time.
In response, Behar, 80, clarified her colleague’s statement, adding, “We don’t have writers today, we usually do have writers. It sounded like we never have writers.”
