Thousands of television and film professionals have been marching in picket lines since early May, protesting a litany of issues ranging from fair compensation and streaming rights to health care and job security in the new age of AI technology.
Picketing the studios are screenwriters from the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) and actors from SAG/AFTRA, unionized members that are the backbone of almost every television show and movie fans watch.
Stuck in the middle are Hollywood big shots like Tyler Perry, who acts as a screenwriter, producer, director, actor, and playwright at any point in his career.
The multi-hyphenate is also a card-carrying SAG/AFTRA member and owner of a 330-acre production studio in Atlanta. He is not, however, a member of the WGA despite having a documented adversarial history with that union. This has left many asking where the Madea creator stands on the strike.
A few fans took to Twitter to ask questions about the media mogul’s position and if he would join others on the front lines.
“Stupid question…..but is Tyler Perry on Strike too? You know what I mean?” wrote one person.
“This I going to be a VERY ignorant question, but I feel COMPELLED to ask:Is Tyler Perry Studios still filming during the SAG-AFTRA strike?” another echoed.
Others made jokes related to Perry’s declaration that he writes all of his own work.
“Know Tyler Perry not on a writers strike. He the only writer,” tweeted a third individual.
In 2020, Perry gave an interview where he talked about why he does not hire writers from the union. This comes five years after his stage play “Madea On The Run” was placed on Equity’s “Do Not Work” list after producers failed to sign its contract, which prevents union members from working on any projects on the list.
Perry also previously refused to sign a contract that would allow his writer to have health care, pensions, and residuals. The WGA filed an unfair labor practice charge against him, alleging that four writers from “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” were fired for contract negotiations. However, his lawyer claimed they were fired for “their quality of work.”
Perry opened his 200,000-square-foot production complex, Tyler Perry Studios, in 2019, but there is one union he could not get around.
Because the actors hired on his shows are members of the actors’ union, SAG-AFTRA, production on his show, “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne,” had to come to a halt, according to NBC News.
The Atlanta-based producers informed below-the-line workers (makeup artists, hairdressers, camera operators, wardrobe, etc.) that the show was going dark because of the show.
Atlanta-based makeup artist Ebony Star Parson was working on the show before it was shut down. She says, though she is not in the union, she stands in solidarity.
“We stand in solidarity with our talent, because they are the reason we are able to work. But we are also impacted here, so it’s bittersweet,” she told the outlet. “We understand why it’s happening, but we are hurting. We are taking a hit.”
From late-night talk shows to television sitcoms and upcoming films, Hollywood and the entertainment industry is slowly shutting down.
Also, in solidarity with WGA and her fellow SAG-AFTRA colleagues, seemingly placing herself on the opposite side (yet again) of Tyler Perry, is Academy Award winner Mo’Nique.
She dropped a bomb about another legal battle she has started, saying, “YES I SUPPORT THE WGA & SAG/AFTRA THATS WHY @countessdvaughn & I FILED A LAWSUIT TO GET OUR MONEY FROM THE PARKERS!!! @countessdvaughn WE ARE THE PARKERS!!! I LOVE US 4REAL!!!”
While stating her position on the strike, Mo’Nique went onto remind folks of the years she was on the front line fighting for some of the same issues that the protestors are fighting for today.
