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A crowd of people holding signs reading Writers Guild Strike.

Hollywood actors’ and writers’ strike: News and updates

Contributors: Vox Staff

Hollywood is on strike.

The Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) voted on July 13 to approve a strike, joining the Writers Guild of America (WGA), which has been on strike since May 2. Both negotiate their contracts with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).

What both SAG-AFTRA and the WGA want is similar, largely driven by technology and changes in distribution. With less work on each job — due to shorter TV season length — and larger gaps between jobs, it’s harder for actors and writers to make a steady living. Compensation hasn’t kept pace with the shift or with corporate revenue and executive compensation, and the guilds are asking for a raise.

There’s also a looming concern over the role of AI in Hollywood. That’s not just some buzzy tech idea. It’s a threat to working actors’ and writers’ livelihoods, and one that could in the end be a much bigger problem than everyone may anticipate.

The lengthy strikes have had profound economic consequences. As of August, the strikes have cost California’s economy an estimated $3 billion. This also has significant ramifications for the thousands of workers and businesses who depend on the entertainment industry.

The AMPTP and the WGA announced that they were planning to resume talks on Wednesday, September 20. Should the writers and the studios reach an agreement, the strikes could potentially end.

Follow Vox for the latest news and updates as this story develops.

9 Total Updates Since
May 2, 2023, 9:31am EDT
  • September 19

    Drew Barrymore tried to live, laugh, scab her way across the picket line. It didn’t work.

    By Alex Abad-Santos

    After much hand-wringing, America’s talk show sweetheart is sorry she tried to violate the writers’ strike.

  • September 18

    What’s the state of the Hollywood strikes?

    By Alissa Wilkinson

    On the AMPTP’s identity crisis, Drew Barrymore, the fall TV calendar, and whether this will ever end.

  • August 23

    Nobody wins in the Hollywood strikes, including billion-dollar studios

    By Emily Stewart

    CEOs like Bob Iger and David Zaslav seem willing to lose money during the writers and actors strikes. Why?

  • August 22

    It’s not just famous actors and big-name writers the Hollywood strikes are hurting

    By Emily Stewart

    A look at how workers in and outside of Hollywood are being hit by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.

  • July 13

    Hollywood’s writers are on strike. Here’s why that matters.

    By Alissa Wilkinson

    It’s been 15 years since the last WGA strike, and the stakes are far greater.

  • July 13

    Hollywood’s historic double strike, explained

    By Alissa Wilkinson

    SAG-AFTRA now joins the WGA on the picket line. What does that mean for viewers?

  • June 30

    Hollywood is staring down the barrel of a double strike

    By Alissa Wilkinson

    What happens if everybody walks off the job?

  • June 7

    How streaming caused the TV writers strike

    By Laura Bult

    The way scripted television gets made today has transformed the careers of writers.

  • May 2

    AI should scare Hollywood writers — and everyone else

    By Alissa Wilkinson

    Artificial intelligence could be the most important part of a writers strike, for reasons bigger than show business.

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