WGA member Walsh announced he had “walked out of rehearsal” on the ABC dance competition on Thursday after learning the union was considering the show a “strike”.
Matt Walsh returns to the ballroom the day before Dancing with the stars premiere of season 32.
After the Writers Guild of America (WGA) reached a tentative agreement to end the writers’ strike, Veep star, 58, has confirmed he will return to the ABC dancing competition after taking a “break” last week amid a labor dispute.
“With a hopeful resolution and vote with the WGA, Dancing with the stars it would no longer be a prime time show so all the actors could return. That includes WGA member Matt Walsh,” Walsh’s rep told PEOPLE on Monday.
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Actor Matt Walsh. Getty Images Matt Walsh announces ‘break’ from ‘Dancing with the Stars’ in solidarity with Hollywood strikes
ABC also confirmed Dancing with the stars “will premiere as originally scheduled” on Tuesday.
On Thursday, Walsh, who is also a member of the WGA, announced he would take a break from competition amid strikes by the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA.
“I am taking a break from ‘Dancing with the Stars’ until an agreement is reached with the WGA,” Walsh said in a statement shared with PEOPLE. “I was excited to join the show and I did so under the impression that it was not a WGA show and was under a different contract. When my union, the WGA, informed me this morning that this was considered non-stop work, I walked out of rehearsal.”
“I have been and always will be with my fellow union members WGA, SAG and DGA,” he continued. “In addition to our union artists, I feel for the many people affected by the strike and hope for a quick and just resolution, and to one day work again with all the wonderful people I met on ‘DWTS’ who tolerated my dancing.”
The WGA has reached a tentative agreement with Hollywood Studios to end the strike
Walsh — who is partnered with professional dancer Koko Iwasaki — is scheduled to compete against Jamie Lynn Spears, Mauricio Umansky, Jason Mraz, Alyson Hannigan, Mira Sorvino, Adrian Peterson, Barry Williams, Tyson Beckford, Xochitl Gomez, Harry Jowsey, Lela Pons, Ariana Madix and Charity Lawson for the mirrorball trophy.
The actor’s decision to take a “break” came amid calls for the show to delay production before the WGA reaches a deal on Sunday. However, hours after its announcement, SAG-AFTRA issued a statement supporting the actors who chose to participate in the show’s upcoming season.
“Our members who appear on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ work under a network code agreement, which is a non-contractual agreement. They are required to go to work, not violate SAG-AFTRA strike rules, and we support them in fulfilling their contractual obligations. commitment,” a SAG-AFTRA spokesman said in a statement, per Diversity.
“The program is a non-dramatic SAG-AFTRA production under a separate contract that is not subject to the union’s strike order,” the statement continued. “Most of our members on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ had contractual obligations to the show before the strike. Many are under option contracts that require them to return to the show if the producer exercises his option, which the producer did.”
The organization pointed out that “by not coming to work, our contractors can be considered in violation of the contract, and the Union is prohibited from advising them not to work.”
“It’s important to recognize that SAG-AFTRA is fighting the studios, not the members who are required to go to work every day under other union contracts or personal service agreements,” the spokesperson concluded. “We stand with our union brothers and sisters across the industry as we also recognize our obligations under federal labor law.”
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The WGA protest outside the entrance of Paramount Studio in Los Angeles, California on May 4, 2023 (.
Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times
‘Dancing with the Stars’: Mauricio Umansky, Jason Mraz and Alyson Hannigan among the actors for the 32nd season
While the SAG-AFTRA strike is ongoing, the WGA announced Sunday that it has reached a tentative agreement with Hollywood studios to end the writers’ strike.
“We have reached a tentative agreement on the new MBA for 2023, which is to say an agreement in principle on all points of the agreement, subject to the development of final contract language,” the guild told its members Sunday in a statement sent to PEOPLE.
“We can say, with great pride, that this contract is exceptional – with significant gains and protections for writers in every membership sector,” the guild added.
Specific details of the WGA framework agreement were not disclosed, but the guild said in a statement that a summary would be provided before the vote on membership ratification.
The strike, which first began on May 2, has lasted more than 140 days as the union representing entertainment writers who work in film, television, news and online media protested across the country to demand better wages and other key conditions. points, including staff obligations and duration of employment.
The new deal was signed with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) — which represents Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, NBC Universal, Paramount and Sony — after the two groups met face-to-face Wednesday, then again virtually Sunday.
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Season 32 of Dancing with the stars premieres Tuesday, September 26 on ABC, and will air on Disney+ and Hulu.
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