Jay Leno Shows Solidarity for Striking Writers, Passes Out Donuts (Again)

History repeated itself Tuesday when Jay Leno visited the striking writers’ picket line to show his support and brought along some donuts.

The former Tonight Show host pulled up to the picket outside Walt Disney Studios in Burbank and began distributing donuts from Randy’s. Several videos posted to social media captured Leno’s acts of generosity and solidarity, and he was warmly met by union members with cries of “thank you” and “we love you, Jay.”

More from The Hollywood Reporter

• Why One Writers Guild Member Returned to the Picket Line 15 Years Later

• Comedian John Mulaney Cancels 'Baby J' FYC Screening and Panel Amid Strike (Exclusive)

• 'The Talk' Goes Dark, Other Daytime Talk Shows Stay On as Writers Strike

Leno famously made a public show of support for the writers the last time the guild called a strike in 2007. On day one of that strike, the comedian rode to the picket outside Universal Studios on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, donuts in hand (Krispy Kremes on that occasion).

The 2007-08 strike lasted 100 days and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno was one of the shows most impacted by it, with NBC airing reruns. The late-night mainstay returned without scribes in early January 2008, in order to save the jobs of non-writing staff. Without his writers, Leno memorably tried to improvise his way through shows, writing his own jokes and monologues.

The Writers Guild of America called a strike Monday night after negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents studios and streamers, collapsed. The two parties have not yet scheduled a future date to return to the bargaining table.

Best of The Hollywood Reporter

• The Self-Proclaimed Genius of Lil Dicky

• 21 of the Most Shocking Character Deaths in Television History

• The Making of Star-Studded Climate Drama 'Extrapolations': "I Hope People Are Moved, Entertained and Perhaps a Little Bit Scared"

Click here to read the full article.