Mira Sorvino Could Drop Out of 'Dancing With the Stars'—Partner

Mira Sorvino may be the next actor to walk out of Dancing With The Stars amid the ongoing controversy over the show airing during Hollywood strikes.

The latest season of ABC's popular reality TV dancing competition is due to kick off on September 26, despite the long-running actors' and writers' strikes bringing Hollywood to a standstill.

Despite getting the all clear from the actor's union, SAG-AFTRA, to appear on the show, some people have slammed the decision for it to go ahead. Veep actor Matt Walsh already announced he would "pause" his involvement for this season.

Actors joined their writing peers from the Writers Guild of America to go on strike amid tense negotiations with major Hollywood studios over pay, earnings from streamed content and wanting reassurances they will not be replaced with AI in the future.

Sorvino's professional partner on DWTS, Gleb Savchenko, hinted the Oscar-winning actress was under pressure to follow in Walsh's footsteps.

He explained if the show didn't go ahead, "it's just going to be unfair to a lot of people because it's not just Matt who is an actor and represents that world, it's also my partner, Mira Sorvino."

"I just hope that before the premiere, which is literally in four days, we can figure it out because we have a lot of actors on the cast for this season," Savchenko told The Hollywood Reporter.

"She's very supportive, but at the same time, she is supportive of all the other people who are on strike. She's in a very difficult situation whether to continue on, which legally she's allowed to. She's not breaking any rules. But I really hope, and we're all praying that they're going to figure it out, and we're going to continue on Tuesday."

Newsweek contacted Sorvino's representatives and ABC by email for comment.

The SAG-AFTR members appearing on this season of DWTS also include the two hosts, the three judges, all the professional dancers and celebrity competitors; Alyson Hannigan, Jamie Lynn Spears, Barry Williams, Ariana Madix and Xochitl Gomez.

They are on the show under a Network Code agreement, which is a non-struck contract and are not in violation of SAG-AFTRA strike rules, according to a union statement.

"The program is a SAG-AFTRA non-dramatic production under a separate agreement that is not subject to the union's strike order," the statement, which was given to Variety, continues.

"The majority of our members on 'Dancing With the Stars' had contractual obligations to the show prior to the strike. Many are under option agreements that require them to return to the show if the producer exercises their option which the producer has done.

"By not showing up to work, our performers can be held in breach of contract and the Union is prohibited from advising them not to work."

DWTS is included the WGA strike because it employs one WGA writer among its 500 staff.

Walsh is a WGA member and therefore not in breach of contract under the SAG-AFTR Network Code. But the other SAG-AFTR members who might concerned about still appearing on DWTS, but want to show solidarity with striking writers, will be supported in their right to work by show producers, according to Variety.

Spears was one of the participants who expressed confusion about the right thing to do and promised to donate her income from the show.

"if I'm able to use this unique opportunity to bring more awareness and to donate the salary I get for dancing each week back to the community who has given me so much, then it's the least I can do," she wrote on Instagram on September 12.

"I'm not gonna lie, I'm scared, but I'm just gonna have fun and hopefully be able to give back in a meaningful way until we can ALL GET BACK TO OUR DAY JOBS."

Other shows such as The Drew Barrymore Show, The Jennifer Hudson Show and The Talk have delayed their fall return after pressure from the WGA.