Talk Shows backpedal on violating the WGA Strike

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[@Starbush69]

While I’m glad Drew Barrymore and others have delayed their shows, I just wanna say thank you for holding Bill Maher’s feet under the fire for the smug POS he truly is. It was absolutely euphoric to hear you call him out like that. 😂❤❤❤

[@aviendha1154]

No under because he’s getting burned not just threatened.

[@procrastinator99]

Heat rises

[@HalloweenYearRound]

It definitely wasn't an "unmasking" for Bill Maher, because he's pretty open about being a pompous something something. Also, hope his writers that he has such contempt for find jobs on better shows with better hosts.

[@IsaacMayerCreativeWorks]

Probably he didn’t wear a mask anyway, antivaxxer bastard he is

[@HonoredMule]

From what I've seen (albeit not anything recent), I'd wager he has the quality of writer he deserves. Heck, that's probably a sliver of insight into why positive uplifting people get better and pessimistic people get worse in general. Feedback loops abound.

[@lcflngn]

Something something. Well said.

[@shrinkingviolet1953]

Bill Maher lives in his own little bubble where he’s the center of the universe. Absolutely relishing the shade thrown his way.

[@chevand8]

Years ago, I used to watch _Real Time with Bill Maher_ on a weekly basis. For a while I gave him the benefit of the doubt and pegged him as a liberal with some centrist tendencies, and I was willing to put up with his smugness because I honestly felt that he made some decent points in his arguments. Then, gradually, through the Trump years, I started to see his true colors: It started when Stan Lee passed away, and he belittled comics and graphic novels broadly as an artform and storytelling medium. He said it was juvenile, and told people who read comics to grow up. As a professional artist myself, I took umbrage to that, and at the time, I remember thinking that I really wanted someone to mail him a copy of _Understanding Comics_ by Scott McCloud, or Art Spiegelman's _Maus._ Then he began going off on his frequent fat-shaming tirades, and blaming COVID on overweight people. It was clear that having to go on lockdown and film from home really irritated him, and he seemed to want a scapegoat that wouldn't be able to fight back. And of course, there were the comments looking down on Millennials and Gen Z. He rails against ageism when it's directed at older people like him, but sees no problem being ageist in the other direction toward younger people with different sensibilities. The problem with Bill is, he makes no distinction between punching up at people with power who deserve to be called out, and punching down at people who are already disadvantaged. It's all the same to him, because he parses it all through a lens of what affects (or bugs) _him personally._ He trashes conservative politicians one week, then the next week he takes a stand against average people for something he perceives as an annoying defect-- and the worst part is, while he's doing that, he frequently platforms people who share the perspective of the political figures he was criticizing the week before. It's not political centrism, it's egocentrism. So no, it doesn't surprise me that he views writers with contempt and feels no solidarity with them; that callousness is on-brand for him. The surprising thing to me is that he actually still _has_ any writers left willing to work on his show, aside from himself. They deserve _much_ better.

[@Alex-ph5ir]

This is a very good analysis of Bill Maher. His emotional range (at least publically) basically goes from "smug contempt --> gleeful arrogance" lol

[@emilyrln]

Spot on!

[@adamdavis1648]

About seven months later, he's now made fun of two people for burning themselves at protests. In other words, making fun of suicide victims. I've now gone from just finding him insufferable to considering him a bad person.

[@AveryTalksAboutStuff]

To me its a very good sign that they so quickly reversed course. It shows how much the power seems to be with the people and not the studios. Thanks Vera!

[@michaelkaduck1915]

Really appreciate you continuing to cover this. I am in a script-writing class, and this Writer's strike has really made me conflicted about whether or not i is truly a valuable career. It is good to know that despite what these greedy people in power think, we are all valuable.

[@maurinet2291]

It's an overcrowded profession, like acting, like being a musician, like so many other things. Everyone who goes into it has to decide whether the effort it takes to clear the hurdles is worth it.

[@Stephen-Fox]

It's absolutely a valuable career. All forms of artistry are. ...A well-compensated one, on the other hand? Hopefully that is going to improve soon.

[@annaglover2470]

If it speaks to your heart, it is absolutely a valuable vocation. Go where your heart is...and this is advice coming from a 50+ year-old technical writer-editor. I may not love it, but I have found things I love about the profession (no, it's not a vocation for me, but then again, I never did find my vocation). But in my time, I have found that the colleagues who have a passion for the field are the ones who are happy to keep at it the longest and are the best mentors down the road. If this is what speaks to you, go for it.

[@jadenbryant9283]

I mean you could be a fanfic writer

[@hinasakukimi]

@@jadenbryant9283 yeah its just hard to summon up energy to write as a hobby sometimes when you're exhausted with your everyday job lol but i might just be lazier than most

[@godofbiscuitssf]

I honestly don't think Drew Barrymore has some super-inflated sense of entitlement because of her family legacy in the industry, but I DO think she overestimates her ability to "make a difference" when she "really puts her mind to it". If you read the text of the (now deleted) video, you can (COULD) interpret it that way.

[@apathybronson]

Personally I think it's both. I think she overestimates her ability to change the world around her exactly because of that high sense of entitlement. She feels entitled to her talk show girly career so much she thinks that should be enough for the writers and producers to come to a decision that minute.

[@mckenzie.latham91]

What made them actually pull back was the fact they realized that they would be unable to get anyone of value to go on their shows because no one with actual integrity or common sense would dare to go on and cross the picket line and be tabled a scab

[@rostkowianka]

if the person was making a mistake and then *tries to fix it*, even if the reason is completely self-serving, you gotta give them a *little* grace - to show that backtracking is a viable route. if ppl expect to be dragged *regardless*, they are more likely to double down.

[@theEumenides]

Yeah, I've seen some people say, "Too little, too late." Why? Nothing aired in the end, and this is exactly what we, who support the strike, wanted. It's absolutely fine that people are still disappointed with the original decision, but they should also acknowledge that their complaints were heeded in the end.

[@alguemalguem]

The "what companies would do if they could get away with it" seems like an example of the enshittification process in action.

[@calebmarmon1310]

I hope this has become an inadvertent wake-up call for the studios. I can imagine they were waiting for a moment like this, where the first cracks may lead to a flood of scabbing. So seeing it happen and then reverse course, may be enough for them to give up on those hopes.

[@krose6451]

Hopefully so

[@Key_kiwi]

Yep

[@erichamion]

The Bill Maher tweet you shared had two more extremely telling words: "for now." It sounds like he's already planning to re-reverse the moment negotiations start to go poorly again.

[@youtubeuserremainsanonymou9022]

watch him struggle to get a panel. It is a way to get ridicule and hard to get anyone slightly left

[@Bonanzababe]

That's what I was thinking when he originally said he was starting up. How many people are going to participate in a panel for a whow that shouldn't be happening yet? @@youtubeuserremainsanonymou9022

[@FirstFallSnow]

Sympathy and forgiveness is for people, not corporations! Excellent video

[@PeanutsAssorted]

There is nothing I want more than a camera in the room on the first day when the writers room of Real Time comes back because I want to see what those writers say to Bill when he walks into the room like nothing happened. I expect it would be absolutely amazing

[@chrisblake4198]

For me, accountability in this case is factored on a couple things- 'should have known better' is a big one. She's seen several strikes in her long career and should know all about them. I'm not going to give her babe in the woods credit for her decisionmaking. Also, she didn't just announce then backtrack when she learned her mistake, she deliberately doubled down for a bit in the middle there. All that doesn't mean I'm holding a grudge, I just refuse to embrace her back without time and her working to rebuild the trust she dispelled. Great she's announced a reversal. Now I watch her actions for the rest of the strike, and the aftermath. I don't need to see her feigning solidarity on the picket lines, but her support and commentary should be sincere or silent. I also don't want to hear a damn thing about her workers getting laid off during the strike. She, better than most should be able to find the means to support them even if they're not working.

[@gingergoddess8953]

Scabbing runs in her family, apparently.

[@gooderambles]

Even if it was completely self serving, I'm glad that Drew backtracked. She was one of my childhood heroes. I didn’t want to see one of my heroes fall from grace in real time.

[@hinasakukimi]

i get it, i have a soft spot for her myself, but i think it's best to maintain as much emotional distance from celebs as possible :c

[@repketchem]

Absolutely LOVING your content on this, Vera! *Especially* the stuff about corporations.

[@skywise001]

They have a fantastic "show". Ive never felt their talking down to folks. Also she is very cute :)

[@Brunoxsa]

Thank you for the video, Vera! If a person, even a public figure/celebrity, makes certain mistake (something which does not harm other people, at least, not immediately), and changes their mind and apologizes for it, they deserve the benefit of doubt at least once. That seems to be the case with Drew Barrymore here. However, if a person keeps repeating the same mistake or similar ones, they show no sincere remorse during their apology(ies) (if they do it so), and that is their common behavior pattern, the same benefit of doubt no longer applies to them. That is the exact case with Bill Maher. There are two main reasons for Drew Barrymore receiving more backlash over the strike breaking, despite changing her mind and apologizing. The first reason is she being the first one to do it, making herself the face of the strike breaking. The (very unfortunate) second reason is misogyny. "A woman f*cked up and commited a mistake, so she should receive even more scrutiny than a man in her place would suffer." Despite women, people-of-color, and minority groups still having to fight for equal rights in society and being able to conquer some of them, they are also held to higher standards, and any mistakes are used as arguments against them keeping these said rights. That is why I support the rights of women, people-of-color, and minority groups,... and I also support their (non-harmful) wrongs.

[@stitchedwithcolor]

I think the distinction for me between individuals and corporations making mistakes is also that individual people have consciences and complex motivations, while a corporation does not. An individual can have that moment of "oh, gee, i didn't realize i was hurting people, i will try to do better." That's normal, People can be ignorant, or blinded by their own trauma, or they can not really empathize with the folks they're hurting until they meet some of them. People are very emotionally driven, and they have changes of heart all the time. A corporation has one motivation, to increase profits for its shareholders, and even individuals routinely put their own personal ethics on hold when acting on behalf of that corporation. Corporations do not have feelings or consciences. So the only reason a corporation will ever really abandon a plan is if they decide it's no longer profitable--and even then, it's not going to stop looking for a way to *make* that plan profitable again.

[@bekkers29]

Some More News just released an episode about planned obsolescence, and touched on things like subscription services and how our current Capitalist model. I would love to see you really dig into any part of that mess.

[@TheDivagirlfriend]

Isn’t Bill The one who bad mouthed adults for reading comic books when Stan Lee died….and also the people who were mourning his lost?…he’s a pin head ……

[@krose6451]

I dont know but it sounds like something he would do

[@queendsheena1]

I am disappointed in Drew. But yes, Bill is way worse. My God. Take care, thanks for the info. Love you.

[@mindymmk]

I'm just happy to see strikes actually working (pun intended)

[@wheresmyjetpack]

I'd also say there's a certain utilitarian logic to punishing scabs, but incentivising changing course by rewarding those who comply with union guidelines. Though I share your feelings on Maher regardless. The point in Religulous when he made fun of gay Muslims for existing is the point when I gave up on him and never looked back.

[@Phantomick]

I really hope Bill’s writers all walk out on him for his contempt towards them.

[@Jessethegoodwitch]

I was going to cry if she didn’t mention The View. It may not be a full breakdown, but I am grateful to know why it is not popping up in her content.

[@Immudelki]

I asked myself for a second if you were going to take Unity as an example. Three seconds later, you did it XD Excellent analysis of the industry, as usual, next to DW, that's why I love your channel so much

[@AnonUnlimited]

I don't really see it as a mask off moment either, but I do feel like it spoiled my opinion of her. Things about her that used to seem charming now irritate me. The video of her getting super emotional isn't very different from how she always acts. It just felt tacky and overly self involved this time. It really destroyed any positive feelings I had for her. I probably won't hold it against her too much either since she changed her mind (a rarity in today's culture), but that leaves me with neutral or even cynical feelings. Completely unlike whatever I thought about her before.

[@otakubullfrog1665]

In regards to the OnlyFans example, I think that anyone who makes any sort of content that's at all taboo, edgy or controversial should assume that any corporate platform is probably looking to throw them overboard at the first opportunity to chase content that's friendlier to advertisers and investors. The biggest red flag is always take of an IPO or an acquisition since it doesn't really matter if the founders ever did (or even still do) sincerely support the people who made their business big because they're not really in charge anymore once they sell it.

[@Concreteowl]

In the short term the strikes have been bad for people such as myself who work as supporting artists and crew, actors, studio owners etc outside the US because we have had hardly any work. This not long after Covid where work was very limited if possible. But we support the strike. Not just in solidarity with our North American counterparts and colleagues but because what they are fighting for hits us too. For example when people I know filmed Andor they were 360° scanned. Their bodies were used to fill crowds in scenes they weren't paid for. If our studios close because overseas talent and productions aren't available rebuilding that after the strikes may be impossible. It's a big sacrifice but what can we do? Stuff we made is still going out without the US stars promoting it. Some stuff is finished but being sat on. This war of attrition between the studios and the writers and actors is hurting a lot of people.

[@Naa45702]

And? That’s on the studios they could just pay

[@Polycomical]

The "Bill Maher as a child" voice was quality. Sad to say it but in my experience as a freelancer, this attitude of "you're lucky to have my work" is the worst kind of client (should stress most are lovely and understanding but these minority sadly tend to be the most vocal and annoying.)

[@krose6451]

Yeah Im usually against doing voices but for someone like him behaving like this that goes out the window.

[@ricucci-hillmusic]

PLEASE delve into the corporations topic. I would be all in on that. Also, I had always thought of Bill Maher as a smart guy but god damn, he just seems like an average Redditer. I agree about his "documentary." I was actually a fan of it back when I was a young asshole, but years later his utter contempt for others is so apparent to me. He reminds me of those suburbanites who say they support progressive causes but then once there's a measure to bring more affordable housing in they turn into a "not-in-my-backyard" person.

[@CouncilofGeeks]

I can tell you the exact moment in the "documentary" when I realized the exact kind of person Bill Maher was. He'd talked to what was effectively a Jesus cosplayer and asked him "How does it work with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all being different but also the same thing?" The guy gave an analogy to water, which can be a solid if frozen, a liquid if thawed, and a gas if heated: three different things but also the same thing. And then in the car after Bill said "You know that was kind of a neat explanation... but then I thought about it for another second and realized it's total nonsense," without ever explaining HOW it's total nonsense and just stating it as a self evident fact with a condescending laugh and moving on. He got a more thoughtful answer than he'd expected to and then laughed it off.

[@ricucci-hillmusic]

​@@CouncilofGeeks I know the exact moment you're talking about. Back when I was a younger person, starting to lose my faith and exploring atheism, I think that kind of material was like a rude awakening. A shock to my system to be like "Here's the insanity you've been surrounded by since you were a kid." However, now as the years have gone on, it's harder to rewatch that and not see just somebody who uses crass, insensitive jeering to belittle those who he thinks are beneath him.

[@krose6451]

I heard the news and my first thought was to be excited wondering whether we'd get a short or long form video from you to update. Happy to see its a long one and looking forward to watching.

[@blouburkette]

10/10. When I was a edgy lil pre-teen atheist I thought Bill Maher was the shit. I remember revisiting the film when I was in college and being appalled with how he was treating people. I'm still an Athiest but I've made a lot of friends from all over the place with lots of different ideas and beliefs. It's so sad to see someone 40 years older than me, who I know has met more people from even more places than myself, has not grown anymore than an edgy pre-teen butthole. Your rant was spot on. I'm inclined to give DB the BOD too. Like you said, she comes from enormous privilege and is probably just super ignorant about certain perspectives. I also agree with your attitude re: believing people v corpos. You explain your thought process very well. You're fairly level headed while also letting your passions and opinion shine through. It's a joy to listen to your analysis.

[@SarahJo]

I kinda feel like I'm not ready to forgive Drew Barrymore yet...but we'll see with time. If it really shows to be just one mistake, okay hopefully she learned and will move on, but I'm not ready to give her the benefit of the doubt just yet. Just at a "will watch and see" thing. But I am very glad she back tracked!

[@stephanieparido5945]

I really appreciate your coverage of this topic. As someone who doesn't have any personal involvement with the industry I have found them very informative. I appreciate your nuanced take without on this and other situations with your unwavering solidarity

[@HonoredMule]

(Human) motives are always inscrutable to some degree and therefore simply non-viable as a basis for judgement. Beyond that, just ask yourself this: if a person alters a bad choice and does not gain forgiveness in return, why would they bother changing? Companies also (especially) need to be shown that walking back a bad decision will relieve the pressure on them, though that's often rather difficult. Once they've tipped their hand they've probably shown how they want to exploit you personally and the only sensible reaction is to ensure they _can't_ by eliminating any dependence on them.

[@MrVivisexy]

I love tour analyses on these issues, youre always very level headed and reasonable and transparent with your thought processes when formulating your opinions. Informative and transparent are sucy rarities now and its appreciated ❤

[@that_g3_obsessive]

I would love to see a video about how corporations make their products worse to make money! I've seen this phenomenon called "enshittification", which is both hilarious and accurate. If you're not aware, it's currently happening to Tumblr--they recently completely reworked the UI of the main dashboard to be a carbon copy of Twitter in order to pander to incoming users (who may or may not actually exist) It's incredibly unpopular and the userbase has been VERY vocal about how much they hate it, but they're still going through with it. Sorry for tangent, but if you're looking for an example for that sort of video, that's a prime one that's going on right now haha!

[@tigerxmilk]

Eh, I get where you're coming from with Drew Barrymore being a single person and not an entity but I don't actually fully agree with that statement, especially because A) she's from a family that's basically an institution and despite how awful she had it growing up it's still hard for me to believe, especially in light of all this, that she doesn't have some deeply privileged and problematic ideologies that she was exercising in all this. B) She's also a showrunner now which makes her show like a company with people she's responsible for BUT ALSO people around her that can explain to her what all of this is and what it means so she either knew or didn't seek this information out and made this decision against her workers. But she made that choice because she had the power to make that choice, it was in her hands. She threw her staff under the bus, waited for the pr to get bad, doubled down, and then changed her mind because the consequences were too much? Who knows. She has the money to pay her staff if she wanted to. John Oliver is still paying his staff, doing standup to do it, it's doable, especially for someone with her net worth but instead this is how she exercised her "empathy" for her workers? By betraying them? Girl, bye. And what reason do I have to believe that she learned anything and would do anything differently if she hadn't experienced negative consequences? It's too soon to for that. Right now she feels like another "nice person" who is just shit behind closed doors and I've had enough of that shit. Is this another Ellen situation? Who knows but I do know that it does feel worse when you fall for the act that these are nice, harmless people and maybe she is a very nice person, she's just a very nice person who doesn't feel like it's incumbent upon her to show solidarity with the plight of the workers she interacted with on a daily basis for her show. Fine. Bill Maher is an irredeemable piece of shit at this point, totally different situation, but Drew doesn't just get to rain frolic her way out of this one. I'm just not interested in giving Drew Barrymore a baby's way out, this woman's almost 50! She's gonna have to do some work to get me back on board because she decided to take on the responsibility of a show with an entire staff and she betrayed them, she betrayed ALL workers. Not OK. I'm glad they all reversed course but I have no reason to believe any of them did so because they had this profound change in opinion about the situation because they actually went out of their way to learn about it and empathize with the workers affected. Hell, we don't know how much they knew about it to begin with. We KNOW Bill Maher knew, he said as much, he's just a piece of shit. Nah, let Drew Barrymore do some work to earn back our good graces, we already gave her a ton of passes on her acting because we liked her.

[@yeoldegunporn]

Maher breaking the strike was my first realization he was still on tv.

[@johnadams3802]

Barrymore isn't very bright. I can imagine her being convinced by studio execs that resuming production would not be a problem. Once they realized that people weren't buying it, they probably had her issue an apology statement to mollify the damage. Maher is just an asshat. That's nothing new.

[@FrumiousMing8]

Not mention, the strike has gone on so long because of the executives, not the strikers!! The strikers would love to go back to work, but the executives have flat out stated that THEY will drag things out for as long as necessary. THEY are the reason it's lasting so long and if Bill Maher really wanted the strike to end quickly, he could use his power within the industry to aid the strikers. But I think it shows that he just doesn't care about any of this and is just out to serve himself.

[@ybell1294]

Hope your plane trip is going/went well 🛫 And lovely coverage as always

[@visionary202]

Thank you!

[@TroyTheCatFish]

Thank You 💖💖💖💖

[@PhilOsborne]

Totally agree with you about Bill Maher. My wife and I used to watch real time. But his treatment of his guests and just his arrogance, was not worth just getting a few laughs. Was nothing entertaining at all.

[@IsaacMayerCreativeWorks]

to further your company vs. people divide, I think people are, in a sense, much more complicated than companies. People can be motivated by love, fear, desire to do good, selfishness, or any one of a nearly infinite number of motivations or emotions. Companies want one thing: to make money. Especially in the case of big companies, they have a fiduciary responsibility to their shareholders to do nothing but make as much money as possible at all times. If one thing is morally right and the other will make them 0.1¢ more on the dollar, corporations will do the latter every time. So if a corporation is willing once to do something, you can bet they’ll try to do it every time.

[@nosevende666]

Folks in the US might not be aware of this but Canadian union actors are past day 500 of a commercial lockout right now where ad agencies are starving them of work and refusing to negotiate a fair agreement... and who should come to Canada in the middle of this to shoot a commercial for one of those agencies but Drew Barrymore. I'm not inclined to cancel or hold a grudge either, but trying to go forward with her show without WGA writers was not a single incident, and I really don't want to see it become a pattern.

[@ScottRawlings1138]

I really appreciate your well researched news and opinions on the strike.

[@brainfood8971]

"These entitled writers! Why can't they just go and buy their own baseball team?"

[@DrMike18]

Dang! I was hoping for Bill Maher to continue with his show just so we could finally bully him out of media. That evil old jerk needs to go.

[@rachaelbao]

This was nice content to find when I couldn’t sleep.

[@hellogoditsmesara3569]

(I'm not going to address Bill because I hate him and there's less to say, he's scum, that's it) I don't think Drew is a bad person or was doing anything out of malicious intent but I still think it's worth keeping this prominently on her track record sheet especially because *her own fucking writers were picketing her show*, what did she think would happen? she was scabbing, she was told she was scabbing on basically every level, again her own writers were picketing her, and yet she still proceeded and then cried when things didn't go her way, and I don't hold sympathy for her for that personally I think she should be kicked out of her own union tho she didn't continue for so egregiously long that I wouldn't hold it against SAG for not kicking her out (doesn't mean I have to be happy about it) I don't think she should get praise for canceling her show but I also think that she can be given a polite thanks for doing so and if she treats this as a growing moment then I think she can easily come back from this, I don't want to hold it over her head if she's able to better herself because she does seem like a decent person

[@catherinecrawford3058]

I refuse to take Bill Maher seriously and will always bring forward his role in Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death. He's just not qualified to be a pundit.

[@waffles3629]

It feels weird to say this on this video in particular, but thanks for that outro support. I've had a difficult day and it helped.

[@RamenKitsune]

Where I'm still miffed at Drew for doing it in the first place, I'm glad she had a change of heart and I'll forgive her in time.

[@waffles3629]

You can do a really good whiny child voice 😂 10/10

[@bobmathis-friedman6742]

There have been many people that I've known who have terrible opinions of Marr; your assessment of his most recent actions have locked them in for me, thus, I've officially joined their ranks.

[@sojabursche]

I don’t understand why companies think fucking over their entire user base would bring them growth instead of getting dropped like a hot stone..

[@krose6451]

Because they are run by folks focused on how they can do things that allow them to present the numbers that get them the bonuses they want in the short term before they move on. They arent focused on building a base that will last.

[@kinocrone7275]

Drew Barrimore wanting to go back hits different than , say, Bill Maher

[@TheBrayReport]

Was waiting for this after they said they weren't going back. It's so crazy.

[@petercunnington6808]

He probably realized he would get no guest on his show cause no one would want to cross the picket line

[@MrFearDubh]

Yes, this exactly. No one who felt solidarity with the striking union members (whether members themselves or not) would go on his show. His show would end up as even more of a right-wing sausage fest and he'd lose more of his audience.

[@Elwaves2925]

Said the same thing when Barrymore announced her return. All she'd have is musicians, non-HW public figures and that's about it. It's not like she could even ask her friends to come on.

[@Tuvok10]

Well said.

[@philippschmidt80]

I think it is really weird that Drew Barrymore got attacked so hard for this when The View (which was also struck by the WGA) returned a week or two before the Barrymore controversy started and none of that show's hosts got any public flag. And of course during the last strike the late night shows were all airing without writers. Yes, the strike rules were different back then but make no mistake, what they did was against the spirit of the strike, they exploited a loophole to stay on the air and all this talk about doing it to show how important writers are or whatever was just PR talk, those shows were on the air to make money, that was the only reason and the WGA was clearly not okay with it or the loophole wouldn't have been closed for this strike. And it strikes me as weird when people still say things like "Conan spun his wedding ring!" as if that's a good thing when spinning his wedding reading made the studio money. The hosts back then were crossing picket lines too, let's not forget that, all of their shows were struck.

[@cammiehalliday757]

Great video and I'm loving your hair

[@davehall7041]

Totally agree with you vera but at least they are doing the right thing thank you for another great video

[@DJDocsVideos]

Unity started to sweat as soon as legal from 2 big players sent letters and someone in the EU got interested.

[@Syntiumed]

Yes, please, I would love a video about "enshittification" from you.

[@ZipplyZane]

I was hoping you'd cover the arguments put forth by Barrymore and Maher. They were arguing that they needed to go back on to help the other workers. (This is, BTW, the same argument the Late Nite hosts uses in 2008.) That it was unfair to them that they couldn't work for a living. I've countered this argument myself, but I was hoping to hear your take on it. There was also the claim that, if Barrymore didn't go back on the air, her show would just end. The argument was that she is syndicated, so is not guaranteed to be brought back. You'd think union rules would prevent that, the same way they make sure the writers still have their jobs after the strike. I heard it said also that this could be a good thing, because it means the other workers could now file for unemployment, since they would be officially out of a job, rather than just be on hiatus.

[@halfpintrr]

Wow, okay. The line holds, thank goodness.

[@TalLikesThat]

tl;dr - this video is based AF (which is very much in line with the rest of Vera's content) I love this video so much and I am so happy we as a society are having more nuanced conversations. People are flawed and make mistakes. People who listen to their fans and correct course should be praised. I am inclined to give people the benefits of the doubt. People should be allowed to make mistakes, and deserve second chances, especially when they try in good faith to listen and learn and evolve. I agree that Bill Mahr does not deserve a 73,000th chance and there is no doubt to take any benefit from. I also agree that corporations do not deserve the same compassion we give individuals, if we give them any compassion at all. Thank you so much.

[@crossroadswanderer]

I'm glad they backed off! It's better to fuck up and take accountability than to fuck up and dig your heels in. I was probably a bit too cynical about Drew Barrymore's reasoning when she decided to scab. I do think her reasoning was probably still limited in its understanding of the needs of other people - and I'm unsure what to expect of her in the future - but she probably wasn't callously throwing others under the bus. I still think Bill Maher is an asshole, but at least it's not for being a scab. I also completely agree on your take on corporations. Corporations don't have empathy or morality. When they back off of something, it's not going to be because they thought better of it and grew as a person. It's because they can't get away with it...yet.

[@tideoftime]

Drew has a track record of being generally compassionate and supportive, so I think she should indeed be given the benefit of the doubt as she was likely acting with good intentions. Bill, OTOH, definitely was acting with distant disregard.

[@tideoftime]

@@falconeshield Just because she made mistakes as a *child* (emphasis on CHILD/teenager), while under the influence of adults who exposed her to night clubs, drugs and sex at too young an age, doesn't mean that in any way should be held against her throughout her adult life -- especially as she has been a much better person for decades now. This albeit-regrettable error in judgement stemmed from her trying to do what she thought was right for her show and the non-striking crew. She was wrong, of course, but has now reversed her error. To think otherwise about her based on this singular misstep vs her better track record and reputation as an adult is itself a grave error in judgement.

[@Frahamen]

I generally agree on your point but it's not like I still had any respect left for Bill Maher anyway

[@linus1703]

I think no harm no foul applies here, my personal theory is that Drew backed down due to peer pressure and probably knew a lot of writers who were able to explain it. Also wanted to add with the point about Only Fans that really wasn't them just not wanting to profit off sex work it was more to do with banks and legislation.

[@Gxbbzee]

I like your thumbnails

[@CouncilofGeeks]

Shout out to Joel, my Thumbnail Guy.

[@WINDxDANCERxDRAGON]

I do have some sympathy for wanting to come back even if I think it’s a bet negative. I’m worried bout the people working on the show who aren’t striking. They have a safety net while they’re out of work? Genuine question. Drew has money. The writers have the union backing. What about the crew and such?

[@christineherrmann205]

I was happy to see it it, in the case of Drew B. I could care less what Maher does, except it's better for the strikers.

[@Cheesycat948]

Celebrities obviously don't have enough regular people in their lives. They need people to call them on their bullshit when making choices.

[@smmar194]

RE holding grudges against companies vs people. There's also the difference in consequences and risk. If I give an artist the benefit of the doubt after they make a mistake, best case scenario it demonstrates that changing your mind and doing the right thing does matter and I've made a decent person's life suck less. Worst case I put a few dollars in the wrong person' pocket and I feel embarrassed. Unless I'm confident there's no point, I might as well. If I give a company the benefit of the doubt (especially one my income or quality of life depends on), best case scenario nothing changes, worst case scenario people's livelihoods are quietly destroyed and I've made no preparations that would shelter me from the fallout. Why risk it?

[@cisalzlman]

It better in Bill's case as it means more time that people will not have to be around him

[@meander112]

The people united will never be defeated! ✊

[@legok6037]

My lib parents have watched Bill Maher for years and I don't really get why. I hope they're not anti-union.

[@apathybronson]

I doubt nobody told Drew Barrymore what the results would be for scabbing writers both in the WGA and pre WGA. She didn't care about the writers she cared about herself and how bored she was in the house. She only backpedaled when she realised she won't be returning to the applause she's craving.

[@Jayk129]

I have to take exception with something you said about Bill Maher. 20:20 - “Fellow Actors”? Does starring in 1989’s Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death really make someone an actor?

[@CouncilofGeeks]

It might as far as the union is concerned, I dunno. People who play themselves usually need to be in the union too and I know he's done that.

[@kathleenlamb597]

Going to watch later, but had to say that you look so cute today Vera!

[@TimothyCollins]

Here's the thing - if Barrymore was choked up or not she did still try to do something wrong. So yeah, I'll hold a bit of a grudge against her. When it comes to Maher - truth be told I already hated him so I will definitely hold a grudge against him.

[@angelal8829]

Good

[@bjam89]

I am shocked Bill backed off. I am pro union, but not pro Bill

[@dearyvettetn4489]

I’m not inclined to give Drew Barrymore the benefit of the doubt because as an actor, skilled at emotional persuasion I can’t shake the likelihood that her apology is sincere, especially since she deleted it. Also I learned that there is a history of strike breaking shenanigans in her family history with one of her relatives. An actress named Ethel Barrymore, who was also not in solidarity with strikers back in her day. If Drew was new to acting and Hollywood, I could give her the oopsy, but this is the family business, Her family business. If she didn’t understand the significance of the strike and the potential consequences of scabbing, surely she could have asked somebody.

[@edj8008]

Bill Maher is so odd and he is so full of himself.

[@JerrBear81]

23:04 should be made into a ring tone

[@Elwaves2925]

I don't know Bill Maher but has he ever been seen at the picket lines? If not, will he now make a token appearance to try and make himself look better? Seems like the type of thing he might try based on this.

[@jonathanstern99]

I dunno if it's an individual/company thing so much as "how vulnerable would I be by trusting this person/company again" thing. Like as a patron I worry less about patreon than I would as a creator, and by the same token if I was a WGA writer I could easily imagine being reluctant to work on the Drew Barrymore show because I would feel like she is less trustworthy about workplace issues.

[@cyrussoxlegion]

Call me crazy, but if I had the vast amounts of wealth that all the studios had, I would more than happily sacrifice a relatively inconsequential fraction of my wealth to settle the strike. Not just to keep writers employed and solvent, but also to keep the world from thinking I'm the biggest asshole ever.

[@jjlonsdale5971]

Gee, if only Bill Maher had had a professional writer around to fix his announcement, maybe he wouldn't have looked like such an asshole 🤷‍♀

[@DaddyMoogie]

Yeah, people with patterns... Right BILL

[@darknagaadventures7884]

We must assume that people can be redeemed when they make a mistake. Not every individual, but people in general. If we assume no one can be redeemed, we might as well end the human experiment since we are all doomed as we will all make mistakes. Individuals might be beyond redemption, Danny Masterson comes to mind at the moment, but I hold that people, generally, can be redeemed with appropriate corrective actions (atonement for some).

[@Tuaron]

I am...not happy, even pleased seems happier than I am, but...I am positive about this change. I'm not surprised about Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Hudson, or The Talk, though I am a bit more surprised about Bill Maher reversing course, given his comments about the strikes and generally his positions over the last few years. Maybe he realized how difficult/bad/unpopular his show would be without writers, I don't know. I can understand keeping a bit of wariness/resentment for Barrymore but I'll give her a chance to prove she wants to do better - I'll scrutinize "screwups" in the near future a bit more, but won't boycott, etc.