On January 7, with the rest of the late-night crew. It seems Comedy Central put some pressure on them to do this, as they’ve released the following (hilarious) joint statement:
“We would like to return to work with our writers. If we cannot, we would like to express our ambivalence, but without our writers we are unable to express something as nuanced as ambivalence.”
Maybe they can’t express ambivalence, but they can sure still be damn funny.
The WGA’s all pissed, of course, and released the following retort:
“Comedy Central forcing Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert back on the air will not give the viewers the quality shows they’ve come to expect. The only way to get the writing staffs back on the job is for the AMPTP companies to come back to the table prepared to negotiate a fair deal with the Writers Guild.”
I’m really really interested to see how these shows fare sans writers. Stewart and Colbert are genuinely funny guys, and writers themselves, but can they hold down an entire show without help?
We’re gonna find out, kids.
These two don’t need writers, they’ll just keep doing what they always do: Keep reading verbatim the talking points that Hilary’s campaign office slips em.
*** BOYCOTT THE DAILY SHOW AND COLBERT REPORT ***
While I deeply enjoy the satire and wit of The Daily Show and Colbert Report, I am saddened and disappointed that Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are crossing the picket lines. They are, first and foremost, excellent writers. They have multiple Emmy awards for their comedy writing skills. Instead of returning to the set, they should be returning to the negotitating table and the picket lines.
We, the viewers and consumers, have power to force Sumner Redstone and the rest of the AMPTP back into good faith negotiations. If we withhould our viewership from the commercials that fund the AMPTP, then the advertisers will pressure Viacom to resolve the strike. This strike is about money, and we should use our economic clout to press for the outcome we want.
** BOYCOTT **