Carson Daly First Late Night Host to Cross Writers Picket Lines

Carson Daly is the first late night talk show host to break ranks and cross the Writers’ Guild picket lines. Carson announced that he is going back to work to begin taping shows, which will begin airing the first week of December.

Daly is the star of NBC’s “Last Call with Carson Daly,” which airs at 1:35 AM ET, and is not a member of the Writers’ Guild. The only other talk show host to cross the picket lines is Ellen DeGeneres who went back to work one day after the strike began.

NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” NBC’s “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” CBS’ “Late Show with David Letterman,” CBS’ “Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,” ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and “The Colbert Report” with Stephen Colbert, have all ceased production during the strike and have been in reruns since the strike began on November 5th.

The Writers’ Guild of America issued a statement showing its disappointment with Daly’s decision to return to work saying, “The Writers Guild of America, East joins our colleagues of the Writers Guild of America, West in expressing our profound disappointment with Carson Daly’s decision to return to work.”

The Guild also commended the other late night talk show hosts who have supported the strikers saying, "We thank them and hope that Mr. Daly will reconsider his decision, including the soliciting of scab writers to provide material for his program."

Below is a video about Carson describing his Internet channel at CarsonDaly.tv.



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