Actors Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have offered to pay the writers of Jimmy Kimmel live! during the writers’ strike. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, which began on May 2, has now gone on for more than four months. Later, the WGA was joined by the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA, and now the two unions are fighting together on the barricades, facing increasingly hostile executives from major studios.
During the Strike Force Five podcast (via IndieWire), Kimmel revealed that Damon and Affleck decided to help write the late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live. Both actors reportedly offered salaries to the film crew for two weeks combined. Although Kimmel appreciated the offer, he declined as he did not feel Affleck and Damon were required to pay staff. Kimmel explains the following:
“Ben Affleck and the despicable Matt Damon contacted me and offered to pay our employees for two weeks. Every week they wanted to pay our staff salaries out of their own money.”
Calling Damon “despicable” is a playful reference to the actor’s ongoing comedic feud with Kimmel. Offering to pay off his staff, Damon made a peace gesture to his imaginary enemy. Although Kimmel ultimately refused, Damon and Affleck’s gesture shows that the actors are aware that the writers are struggling to support themselves as the WGA strike continues to rage.
Affleck and Damon aren’t the only famous Hollywood names to support the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Since the start of the WGA strike last May, millions of dollars have been donated to the Entertainment Community Fund, which helps provide emergency financial assistance to behind-the-scenes actors and creatives. Several famous names have made donations to this fund, including Affleck and Damon, as well as other Hollywood stars such as Meryl Streep, Hugh Jackman, Dwayne Johnson, Nicole Kidman and Leonardo DiCaprio.
It is imperative that successful players like Affleck and Damon continue to support all WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. While it’s easy to think only of movie stars when considering famous actors, SAG-AFTRA also includes numerous supporting actors and lesser-known talent who depend on union benefits to survive. Support from big names, whether it’s standing at the barricades or offering Jimmy Kimmel’s live payroll, is critical for the strikes to gain much-needed momentum and reach a fair settlement with AMPTP.
Source: Strike Force Five (via IndieWire)