Will other late-night show hosts follow Bill Maher's return amid WGA strike?

The late-night television landscape has recently been buzzing with controversy, thanks to Bill Maher's decision to bring Real Time back to HBO amidst the ongoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike. This move has ignited discussions on social media and among industry insiders, raising questions about where other late-night hosts stand in relation to the strike and their commitment to the WGA's cause.

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The return of Maher's show has been met with criticism and the WGA has announced picketing his show. And it seems that other late-night hosts are taking a different approach. The notable late-night personalities including Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver have chosen to stand in solidarity with the striking writers.

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They joined forces to launch the Strike Force Five podcast on Spotify, aimed at financially supporting their staff during the strike. While the podcast has not explicitly addressed their return or non-return to work, it is clear that these hosts are firmly aligned with the WGA and its fight against the studios.

Seth Meyers, a WGA member who has been visible on the picket lines, stated earlier this summer that he would not seek loopholes to continue producing his show, emphasising his identity as a writer. This sentiment echoes the broader commitment among these late-night hosts to uphold the WGA's objectives. “As a writer who identifies as a writer, there would be no trying to get around [it]. I wouldn’t be looking for loopholes to figure out how to write [the show],” he said.

The possibility of other late-night hosts returning to work during the strike remains theoretically feasible under the same rules that allow Maher to resume hosting Real Time. However, there are substantial differences in their positions. The group of Colbert, Fallon, Kimmel, Meyers, and Oliver appears to be more aligned with the WGA's demands compared to Maher, who has criticised some of the union's demands as "kooky."

Adding to the complexity is the fact that late-night ratings in 2023 are generally lower than they were 15 years ago. Networks, instead of investing in new productions, often fill these slots with reruns. An interesting twist comes from CBS, which announced the replacement of The Late Late Show with James Corden reruns with a syndicated comedy talk show, Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen, beginning on September 18.

During the previous strike, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Craig Ferguson, Jimmy Kimmel, and Conan O'Brien all returned to the air on January 2, 2008, after nearly two months off the air. Stewart and Colbert followed suit on January 7.

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