Apparently, not having watched Drew Barrymore's trainwreck, Bill Maher has decided he, too, has had enough of the WGA strike and his bringing his show back. While Maher says his show will be worse without his writers, he also claims most of the content is improvised, so it just won't matter.
Talk shows like Maher's aren't struck like scripted programming, and while this does bring many people back to work, it also demonstrates eroding support after a five-month strike, support the writers deserve. Perhaps hosts like Maher and Barrymore are trapped in contracts forcing them to make this decision, but they should tell us that rather than toss the WGA under a bus.
Maher has also referred to the WGA's demands as "kooky."
It's a controversial move given that his show is written by a team of late-night writers, who are currently in the fourth month of their strike. Other talk show hosts such as Drew Barrymore have faced ire from writers, while The Talk was picketed today at CBS Radford as they were doing a run-through.
The comedian already caused controversy last week when he voiced his opinions on the strike on his Club Random podcast. He called a lot of the writers' demands "kooky".
"What I find objectionable about the philosophy of the strike [is] it seems to be, they have really morphed a long way from 2007's strike, where they kind of believe that you're owed a living as a writer, and you're not. This is show business. This is the make-or-miss league," said Maher.
Given that there will be no writers on the show, Maher's monologue, desk piece and New Rules segment will be cut, as they were during the 2007/08 strike. The format will be a panel discussion with Maher and guests.
