Last week, SAG-AFTRA, the actor’s union led by Fran Drescher, joined the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) in their strike, which is entering its 12th week. They’re asking for fairer contracts and an equitable way to deal with new unprecedented technology, like streaming and AI.
So many Jewish actors and writers have taken to the picket lines. It’s not a surprise. Labor organizing in this country and beyond is inherently Jewish and these fiery Jewish entertainers are carrying on that rich tradition.
Here are just a few who have been showing up and staying #UnionStrong.
Fran Drescher
As the leader of this strike, Fran Drescher has been channeling Jewish labor leaders of decades and centuries past, peppering her Queens-accented speech with excellent Yiddishisms and reading greedy execs to filth (seriously, every word out of her mouth is cuttingly sharp!). This conversation she had with Bernie Sanders is extra special:
Bernie Sanders held a public conversation with @sagaftra president Fran Drescher.
It went exactly like you would imagine. pic.twitter.com/gUZVRaxpmq
— More Perfect Union (@MorePerfectUS) July 19, 2023
Mandy Patinkin
Mandy Patinkin may win best sign at the strike with his take on his character Inigo Montoya’s iconic line from “The Princess Bride:” “You killed residuals, prepare to pay!” Patinkin is a perennial activist, and we love him for it.
Mandy Patinkin, union man! ❤️ ✊🏼@PatinkinMandy @sagaftra pic.twitter.com/ungruHjaub
— Jonathan D. Lovitz (@jdlovitz) July 16, 2023
“Don’t be stupid, make sure you take care of people, you guys make millions and millions of dollars!” you can hear him cry in one video from the strike. “For God’s sake, without the writers we are nothing, they create the stories that make our hearts beat! Help them now!” he added.
Kind of an intense guy… https://t.co/WtFoto7CCG
— Mandy Patinkin (@PatinkinMandy) May 10, 2023
He also briefly got together with another actor who played a character named Saul (and a fellow dad of Jewish kids), Bob Odenkirk.
Saul’s unite! #wgastrong
Support our writers! pic.twitter.com/VdyElwh7C5
— Mandy Patinkin (@PatinkinMandy) May 10, 2023
David Duchovny
David Duchovny, the son of a Jewish writer, is coming in close second with best protest sign. His has a drawn UFO, a reference to “The X-Files,” and a take on the show’s tagline: “The residuals are out there.”
Speaking of “The X-Files,” Duchovny actually sued Fox when they tried to cheat him and the rest of the cast out of money in a rerun deal. An icon.
https://twitter.com/scottperry/status/1681004500671401984
Jamie Lee Curtis
Jewish mom and political activist Jamie Lee Curtis was energized and excited to join her fellow union members on strike. “LINING UP TO PICKET PROUD WITH MY @sagaftra UNION FAMILY,” she wrote in all caps (I am imagining her yelling it, and it is so delightful).
One can’t help but kvell about Curtis’ excellent sign, which reads ,”For protection in sex — use a condom, in work — use a contract! Union strong!”
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Gina Gershon, Nick Kroll, Seth Herzog
Actress Gina Gershon, actor and comedian (and Jewish dad!) Nick Kroll and comedian Seth Herzog all took to the streets together.
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At the WGA protests earlier this month, Gerson, who has starred in “Red Oaks,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “Riverdale,” had a pretty excellent sign — “I told ChatGPT to write a sign and it sucked.” Queen.
Rachel Bloom
Actress, writer and comedian Rachel Bloom, of “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” and “” fame, has been a pretty active participant of the strike. But I love that she shared the strike noshes, a table of baked goods that, of course, included a very colorful loaf of challah.
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Ben Schwartz and Gil Ozeri
The two Jewish comedians and writer, who worked together on “Big Mouth,” took to the picket lines.
Two dual SAG/WGA members picketing it out and fighting for what’s fair. @gilozeri @sagaftra @WGAWest pic.twitter.com/xiWAAxqu3H
— Ben Schwartz (@rejectedjokes) July 14, 2023
Brett Gelman
OG jaddy and recently engaged TV star Brett Gelman also took to the picket lines. “LET’S GO!!! Fighting for working actors and writers to be able to support themselves and their families with better wages [and] residuals and keep the robots from replacing us,” he wrote on Instagram.
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Joey King
“This strike is so necessary! I’m so proud to be part of a union that’s fighting for a fair contract for all members,” actress Joey King wrote in her Instagram. King recently came back from shooting the upcoming Hulu Holocaust show “We Were the Lucky Ones” and from a fabulous visit to Israel.
Joey King is seen at the SAG strike on in Los Angeles, California. pic.twitter.com/sZlEMhlqJU
— 21 (@21metgala) July 14, 2023
Logan Lerman
King was joined at the picket lines by Jewish actor Logan Lerman, who most recently starred in Amazon’s “Hunters.”
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Josh Gad
In a candid and thoughtful post on Instagram, actor Josh Gad wrote his feelings about the strike. He reminded us how rare SAG-AFTRA strikes have been and that it “just doesn’t happen, unless it is glaringly necessary.” He wrote that his heart was breaking for everyone who will be affected and hurt by the strike but added that “This isn’t about greed. This is about right versus wrong when it comes to being paid fairly for the seismic shifts that have taken place in the streaming era.” You can read his entire statement here.
Hannah Einbinder
“Hacks” star Hannah Einbinder also joined the WGA and SAG’s protest. She decried the conditions offered by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) and their reported attempt to try and “bleed out” the guild during the strike in an interview with IndieWire.
“It’s inhumane frankly, and they don’t understand how horrible of a position the average writer and actor has been put in thus far,” she said.
“I understand, viewers and fans’ alike inclination to question and be like, ‘aren’t you guys like these spoiled rich people?’ And in some cases, yes, there are wealthy actors, for sure,” she added. “But the overwhelming majority of folks who work in this industry, they just can’t get by.”
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Ilana Glazer
WGA-East member Ilana Glazer took to the streets back in May to talk about why the strike was necessary. “Working conditions for writers have been decreased and made worse over the past few year to a point where writers can’t live. They have these full time jobs but they don’t have the money to build a life. Writers need to live to work. Our job is to reflect the human spirit, the human experience… we need to be dignified as worthy.”
Ilana Glazer getting to the core 🎯 of what we're on the picket lines fighting for. @ilazer #WGAstrong #WGAstrike #RallyattheRock pic.twitter.com/BHTO7NgseT
— Writers Guild of America East (@WGAEast) May 26, 2023
Marcel the Shell
Is Marcel the Shell Jewish? We’re not sure, but his creator, Jenny Slate, sure is, and this is probably the cutest image to have come out of the strike so far. How can you not be pro-labor after beholding his adorable punim??
Spotted: Marcel the Shell with Shoes on picketing today at 30 Rock @WGAEast @sagaftra pic.twitter.com/Eru5T1K1cc
— The A.V. Club (@TheAVClub) July 20, 2023
