Ryan Murphy Disputes Accusations ‘AHS’ Strikers Will Be ‘Blackballed in Murphy-Land': ‘Absolute Nonsense’
Ryan Murphy shot back Wednesday at accusations from WGA East strike captain Warren Leight that “American Horror Story” crew members were told if they respect writers’ strike lines while filming in New York City, “they’ll be black-balled in Murphy-land.”
“Absolute nonsense. Completely untrue,” a spokesperson for Murphy told TheWrap. WGA East and “AHS” network FX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to Leight, who tweeted the accusation early Wednesday, crew members for “AHS” allegedly told striking members of the WGA that if they respect the picket on the New York production, “they’ll be blackballed in Murphy-land.” Leight, the former showrunner for “Law and Order: Criminal Intent” and “In Treatment” and the current WGA East strike captain, wrote that the Emmy-winning horror series’ twelfth season was filming in Midtown, Manhattan on 52nd Street between 6th and 7th Avenues. The WGA scheduled a picket of this location from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday.
Leight deleted the tweet hours after posting, but not before calling on others to “please boost” the message and to “come join us.” View a screenshot of screenwriter and journalist Elisabeth Donnelly retweeting Leight below.
Shortly after the Hollywood writers’ strike began, Murphy contributed to the Entertainment Community Fund. Formerly known as The Actors Fund, the nonprofit provides emergency financial assistance to workers in film and television who meet the needs-based requirements. It does not take into account their profession within the industry or union affiliation. In May, the organization announced that more than $1.7 million had been pledged by writers to the organization.
The Writers Guild of America strike is quickly closing in on its second month. The strike started on May 2 when negotiations between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) fell through. The largest labor shortage the guild has seen since the 2007-2008 strike, the WGA is primarily fighting to be protected from the threat of AI, for more reasonable working conditions and for residuals on their work.
First released in 2011, “American Horror Story” has become a tentpole series for FX. Titled “Delicate,” “AHS” Season 12 was originally set to premiere this year; however, in May production on the series was halted due to the WGA strike.
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