Actor Matt Walsh Pauses Involvement in “Dancing with the Stars” as ABC Considers Postponing the Series Premiere

Actor Matt Walsh has hit pause on his participation in Dancing with the Stars, while ABC is considering postponing the show’s September 26th premiere.

What’s Happening:

According to Deadline, two-time Emmy acting nominee Matt Walsh is pausing his participation in this season of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars (DWTS).
His decision comes as the dance competition has come under scrutiny amid the writers strike, with the WGA picketing rehearsals yesterday in at least two locations around Los Angeles.
Walsh, who is a member of both SAG-AFTRA and WGA, is paired by Koko Iwasaki on the show.
He was reportedly unaware that DWTS falls under a WGA agreement.
Picketers surrounded the show’s rehearsal hall on Wednesday, September 20th, targeting Walsh’s involvement, in addition to Oscar-winner Mira Sorvino and How I Met Your Mother‘s Alyson Hannigan.
Variety shows like DWTS are covered under the SAG-AFTRA National Code of Fair Practice for Network Television Broadcasting, which is better known as Network Code. It is separate to the film and TV collective bargaining agreement that SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP have been negotiating and is between the guild and the Big 4 broadcast networks, as well as other producers.
Though DWTS is a WGA signatory, the ABC show typically only employs one writer on its 500-person staff to provide talking points for the host. Otherwise, DWTS is largely unscripted.
During the previous WGA strike of 2007-08, DWTS continued to shoot, and re-hired its writer once the strike was over.
Due to the controversy and the possibility of other participants dropping out, ABC is putting plans in place to postpone the September 26th premiere of the show.
These plans would include figuring out temporary alternate programming for the Tuesday 8-10 p.m. time slot, as well as crafting out a new rollout plan for the show.
A final decision on pushing the premiere will be made in the coming days. Meanwhile, celebrity contestants who want to continue to rehearse will be able to do so.
Dancing with the Stars is currently scheduled to premiere Tuesday, September 26th on both ABC and Disney+. Check out this year’s currently planned line-up of participants.