Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers help pay NBC staffers during writers strike
Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers are putting their money where their mouths are.
The comedians and NBC late-night hosts will help pay their crews while their shows — “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and “Late Night with Seth Meyers” — are dark due to the current Hollywood writers strike.
NBC is paying staffers on the shows through the end of next week, while Fallon and Meyers will then pay employees for the third week, sources told us.
The shows’ workers will also have healthcare extended through September, reports said.
Both hosts previously helped pay their staffs when they were off during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The hosts are also both members of the striking Writers Guild of America.
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Meyers said on his show this week: “I love writing. I love writing for TV. I love writing this show. I love that we get to come in with an idea for what we want to do every day and we get to work on it all afternoon and then I have the pleasure of coming out here.
He added, “No one is entitled to a job in show business. But for those people who have a job, they are entitled to fair compensation. They are entitled to make a living. I think it’s a very reasonable demand that’s being set out by the guild. And I support those demands.”
Variety reported that NBC staffers were told Wednesday morning during production calls that Fallon and Meyers would personally help foot the tabs to keep them paid.
Deadline was the first to report the news.
The WGA’s 11,500 screenwriter members are refusing to work after the Hollywood studios failed to agree on a new three-year contract. The writers want pay increases and other benefits.
