Matt Walsh Puts DWTS Stint on Hold Amid Writers Strike
Two-time Emmy nominee Matt Walsh has decided to temporarily suspend his stint on the season of ABC's Dancing With the Stars (DWTS). The news follows a writers strike that caught the attention of the dance competition, prompting the Writer's Guild of America (WGA) to picket rehearsals around Los Angeles. This morning the Alphabet Network also disclosed plans of potentially delaying the DWTS premiere, originally scheduled for September 26, with a final declaration on the matter expected soon.
In addition to his acting career, Walsh is a member of the Screen Actors Guild ‐ American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and WGA. The picketing campaign, which took place in two locations in LA, specifically targeted Walsh, along with Oscar winner Mira Sorvino and How I Met Your Mother's Alyson Hannigan. The picket signs featured messages like "Can't Dance Your Way Out Of This," referring to celebrities involved in the issue.
Despite the dance competition not being liable to the film and TV SAG-AFTRA collective bargaining agreement that expired at the end of June, negotiations are ongoing. DWTS operates under a different contract named the SAG-AFTRA National Code of Fair Practice for Network Television Broadcasting, or the Network Code. WGA, AMPTP, and four media CEOs are scheduled for further negotiations today. DWTS is still operating predominantly without a script as in the 2007-08 writers strike.
The director of the Improv Theatre Group Upright Citizens Brigade and co-star of the 2022 film Unplugging, Walsh is also known as the press secretary Mike McLintock from the hit HBO show Veep. He earned two Primetime Emmy nominations in the Comedy Series Supporting Actor category for this role, and he also recently appeared in Searchlight/Hulu's Eva Longoria-directed movie Flamin’ Hot.
Now, let's move past the facts to some professional gossip - or what we in the biz call "the scoop."
The situation seems almost ironic considering Walsh co-founded the Improv Theatre Group Upright Citizens Brigade. You'd think a man who sparked a comedy theatre filled with unscripted silliness would be able to waltz (or cha-cha) his way around a writers strike. Perhaps it's a testament to the saying "you can't improv your way out of everything."
Nonetheless, it’s honorable to see Walsh stand by his union, especially in a landscape where often actors shy away from involvement in these sorts of conflicts - no one likes a tango with contentious issues. It's a difficult jigsaw puzzle that Hollywood is still trying to solve: while the show must go on, we cannot overlook the rights of those turning the gears behind the curtain.
But these clouds don't come without silver linings. If anything, the situation serves as a testament to the importance of writers in the industry. Even a dance show isn't immune to a writers strike. So, here's to hoping for a 'step-ball-change' in the situation soon, and Matt can return to his cha-cha slide without a worry.
Until then, Hollywood will keep on with its twists and twirls: just, ideally, without stepping on any union toes.
