WGA not happy about Carson Daly going back to work

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WGA STRIKE CENTRAL: DAY 25


Early-morning talk show host Carson Daly is going back to work on his NBC program, "Last Call," crossing the WGA picket line-breaking the ranks from idled talkers like Leno and Letterman. Daly, whose show airs at 1:30 AM on weekday mornings, started taping his show yesterday, with the first new episode slated to air on Monday.

In a statement, the WGA said it was disappointed with Daly’s decision: "[Other hosts] have taken a forthright and principled position in solidarity with their writing staffs, which we applaud. We thank them and hope that Mr. Daly will reconsider his decision, including the soliciting of scab writers to provide material for his program…Mr. Daly is not a writer and not a member of the WGA, unlike other late-night hosts Jay Leno, David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Craig Ferguson, Jimmy Kimmel, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, who have all resisted network pressure and honored our writers’ picket lines. We’re especially appalled at Mr. Daly’s call for non-Guild writers to provide him with jokes. We hope he’ll change his mind and follow the lead of the other late-night hosts."

TVBR/RBR observation: Daly most likely had to go back to work and see what he could do for two reasons. One, to be the "first one to go back" (many reports say hosts don’t want to be the first one back because of finger pointing); and two, because he is not a member of the WGA. NBC probably nudged him a bit, since he’s under no WGA obligations.