ABC Contemplates Delaying ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Season Premiere Due To WGA Strike

etcanada.com:

The launch of “Dancing with the Stars,” which was scheduled on September 26, is reportedly being postponed by ABC. READ MORE: ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Mirrorball Trophy Renamed To Honour Len Goodman The decision was made in response to pressure from striking WGA members on the celebrity cast of “DWTS,” namely Matt Walsh, Alyson Hannigan, and Mira Sorvino.

As learnt by ET, ABC is putting up backup plans in case some of them start to withdraw. Currently, Walsh is “pausing” his participation in the program; others might follow.

In the upcoming days, a final choice on delaying the debut will be taken. A source close to production tells ET that “there are over 500 people employed for the show and the talent are allowed to work on this show under the SAG Network Code agreement, but due to rising pressure that the talent is receiving, we are preparing to postpone.” “I am taking a pause from “Dancing with the Stars” until an agreement is made with the WGA,” Walsh said in a statement as reported by TheWrap. “I was excited to join the show and did so under the impression that it was not a WGA show and fell under a different agreement.” The SAG-AFTRA National Code of Fair Practise for Network Television Broadcasting, sometimes known as Network Code, governs variety shows like “DWTS.” Positive developments in the WGA-AMPTP discussions over the past 24 hours suggest that the five-month strike may be coming to a conclusion. “DWTS” is back on ABC for season 32.