‘Dancing With The Stars’ Rehearsals Face Further WGA Pickets Today As Writers Mobilize Across Hollywood

Rosy Cordero and Peter White
·2 min read
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There was more trouble for Dancing with the Stars after it faced its second picket line of the day.

The ABC series was targeted this morning by a group of around 30 writers at a location on N Highland in Hollywood.

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But the WGA members took to a second location – the 3rd Street Dance Studio near the Beverly Center – after it emerged that stars including Veep’s Matt Walsh, a member of the WGA, were spotted there.

Walsh was spotted leaving the facility with a member of the show. There’s now talk of a third picket line of the day as the writers mobilize to other locations.

The picket movement comes as writers are hoping to pressure the BBC Studios-produced show ahead of its premiere on Tuesday into either reversing course or forcing the stars, which also include Alyson Hannigan, Doctor Strange’s Xochitl Gomez, The Brady Bunch’s Barry Williams, Mira Sorvino and Zoey 101’s Jamie Lynn Spears into pulling out.

It comes after Drew Barrymore, Bill Maher and Jennifer Hudson as well as the hosts of The Talk all reversed course from hosting their shows during the strike.

Dancing with the Stars is a WGA show as it traditionally employs one WGA writer on its 500-person crew.

David Slack, an exec producer on series such as MacGyver, has been following the movement.

“We’re in a historic moment in labor history both in Hollywood and throughout our country and it’s disappointing when members of any union, who are in a position not to cross a picket line, choose to cross that picket line, particularly when they’re members of this union. This is something that we take really seriously and I hope that people who are scheduled to appear on this show come together and decide not to cross our picket line and work with scab writers,” he said.

The show is set to film its season opener at the former CBS Television City lot on Tuesday.

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