Late-Night Super Group! Find Out Why Colbert, Meyers, Oliver and Both Jimmys Are Teaming Up

The Mount Rushmore of late-night hosts has banded together for an exciting new project.

Spotify announced on Tuesday that Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and John Oliver are collaborating on a limited-series podcast called Strike Force Five that will follow the comedians as they “navigate the Hollywood strikes and beyond.”

According to a press release, the idea for the project was first conceived over Zoom at the start of the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) strike in May. The group initially aimed to virtually meet every week to discuss the serious effects of the industry work stoppage, but instead wound up having “a series of hilarious and compelling conversations.”

Everything to Know About the Hollywood Writers Guild Strike, Including the TV Shows and Movies Affected

Spotify Strike Force Five.

Spotify

The podcast, presented by Mint Mobile and Diageo, is expected to run for at least 12 episodes. All five talk show hosts will participate in each episode, with the conversation leader rotating.

Proceeds will go to the out-of-work staff from The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Late Night With Seth Meyers and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

Pete Davidson, Cynthia Nixon and More Stand in Solidarity with the Writers’ Strike

John Oliver and Jimmy Fallon.

Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty

Production on late-night shows immediately shut down when the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) failed to reach an agreed-upon contract with the WGA before its expiration date.

The WGA has been on strike since May 2. Writers are seeking higher overall pay and residuals from streaming, limits on the usage of artificial intelligence (AI), and staffing minimums in the age of “mini-rooms,” to name a few key issues.

Everything to Know About the SAG Strike and How It Will Affect TV and Movies

Actors joined the WGA on the picket lines July 14 after the AMPTP also failed to reach an agreement with SAG-AFTRA. They are seeking higher pay, protection against AI, and less usage of self-tape auditions — which are often costly — amongst other asks.

Shortly before the WGA strike went into effect, Fallon expressed his support for the writers during Late Night.

“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. No one is entitled to a job in show business,” he said at the time. “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.”

Jimmy Fallon at E!’s People’s Choice Awards.
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

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Strike Force Five will be available to listen to on Spotify and all other major podcast platforms starting Wednesday.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education