SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher is coming under fire after Kim Kardashian posted a photo to Instagram Stories on Sunday featuring Drescher at the Dolce & Gabbana runway show in Puglia, Italy which took place on Saturday. The photo drew criticism from many on social media as the actor’s union is currently in negotiations with the AMPTP, the deadline to come to an agreement and avoid a strike rapidly coming up on July 12th. Many criticizing Drescher’s trip are calling out the optics of her attending the high-profile event while others are noting that she’s with Kardashian, who has also faced controversy for having reportedly crossed WGA picket lines to film her role in American Horror Story. The WGA has been on strike since May 1st.
However, according to The Ankler, a SAG-AFTRA spokesperson said that Dresher’s trip to Italy was related to her work as a brand ambassador for Dolce and Gabbana and that the negotiating committee knew about it in advance with Drescher participating remotely.
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“President Drescher is working as a brand ambassador for Dolce and Gabbana on location in Italy. This was a commitment fully known to the negotiating committee,” the spokesperson said. “She has been in negotiations every day either in person or via videoconference. President Drescher is managing a physically demanding schedule across three time zones, overseeing negotiations, and working on location daily as well as managing her parents’ needs in FL. She is returning to the states and will be on the ground in LA tomorrow and will continue to chair our negotiations.”
Will the Actors Go on Strike?
Last month, an open letter from more than 1,000 high-profile actors and SAG members was released, indicating that they are prepared to strike if the situation requires it. The actors on the letter include Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Amy Schumer, and even Drescher.
“We want you to know that we would rather go on strike than compromise on these fundamental points, and we believe that, if we settle for a less than transformative deal, the future of our union and our craft will be undermined, and SAG-AFTRA will enter the next negotiation with drastically reduced leverage,” the letter reads in part.
SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP announced at the end of June that they had extended the current contract to July 12th, delaying a possible strike — the contract was initially set to expire Friday, June 30th at midnight PT — in part to account for the Fourth of July holiday.
A report from Variety on Monday suggested that Hollywood is bracing for a strike as the July 12th deadline looms with one producer telling the outlet that it would be a “miracle’ if a deal could be worked out at this point.
“It would be a miracle at this point,” the source told the outlet.
If SAG-AFTRA goes on strike, they would be joining the WGA which has now been striking for 70 days. The strike has already shut down a number of productions across film and television. Thus far, the only labor organization to come to an agreement with AMPTP during recent negotiations has been the Director’s Guild (DGA) which ratified their new agreement late last month.
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JULY 14: Actors in the SAG-AFTRA union join the already striking WGA union, film and tv writers on the picket line, on the first day of a SAG-AFTRA strike, in Los Angeles, CA, on July 14, 2023. (Photo by Katie McTiernan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) -
Michael Dell, chairman and chief executive officer of Dell Inc., left, and Bob Iger, chief executive officer of Walt Disney Co., center, walk to lunch during the Allen & Co. Media and Technology Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, US, on Thursday, July 13, 2023. The summit is typically a hotbed for etching out mergers over handshakes, but could take on a much different tone this year against the backdrop of lackluster deal volume, inflation and higher interest rates. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
