WGA Picketers Target American Horror Story at Silvercup Studios Amid Ryan Murphy’s Litigation Threats

2 mins read
WGA Picketers Target American Horror Story at Silvercup Studios Amid Ryan Murphy’s Litigation Threats

The scene outside Silvercup Studios on Thursday was buzzing with energy. Dozens of members from the Writers Guild, SAG-AFTRA, and other supporters gathered around loading bays and doors across the Long Island City property. Despite the efforts of the Writers Guild of America East to slow or halt production, Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story continued to work on its 12th season, making it one of the few shows still running on the East Coast.

“We’ve shut down a sh*t-ton of shows, and that’s why you see us out here today,” said T Cooper, a WGAE strike captain and former executive producer on NBC’s hit series The Blacklist. “We’re here at one of the few remaining shows that are still being produced, and we’re going to be out here as long as it takes to get a fair contract that honors our work.”

The WGA rapid response teams have been successful in shutting down productions across the U.S., but Murphy’s series have proven to be a tough nut to crack. American Horror Story is one of the very few productions still up and running as the writers strike enters its 10th week. When asked why Murphy, a WGA West member, director, and producer, hasn’t budged, Cooper shrugged.

“Who really knows?” he said. “But from our perspective, it’s hard to see people like Kim Kardashian crossing the picket line and Ryan Murphy keeping his production running. These are individuals who could have a tremendous impact.”

While picketers applied pressure from the outside, tensions were also brewing on the inside. News surfaced that Murphy had threatened litigation against Warren Leight, a former WGA East strike captain and co-chair of the Strike Rules Compliance Committee. It all started when Leight requested support on the picket lines to try to shut down AHS, claiming that crew members would be “blackballed in Murphy-land” if they honored the WGA’s picket line. Lawyers for Murphy refuted those claims and demanded an apology from Leight.

Leight eventually deleted the accusation and issued an apology, admitting that he was caught “in the heat of the moment” and that his claims about Murphy were “completely false and inaccurate.” As a result of the initial tweets and their inaccuracies, the WGAE relieved Leight of his strike leadership duties.

Leight played a crucial role in organizing the WGA’s rapid response teams, using Twitter as a platform to rally support and share locations where reinforcements were needed. His tweets garnered hundreds of retweets, and with the help of actors, students, and other allies, they successfully halted productions. For example, a May picket in Jersey City was revived after Leight tweeted an urgent request for reinforcements, ultimately forcing the production to shut down.

In his last call to action on June 21, Leight boosted a tweet seeking help picketing a location near Moonachie, NJ. The production they were targeting remains unclear. The day before, he shared a story about how a group had halted production on Netflix’s The Perfect Couple, emphasizing that the writers were “every f’cking where.”

As a director and producer, Murphy is allowed by the WGA to perform duties on set as long as he isn’t writing. However, some WGA members have expressed frustration that his productions have continued despite the strike, considering the influence powerful creators like him hold.

Cooper, whose wife Allison Glock-Cooper is his writing partner, highlighted the sacrifices writer households have made during the strike. They have given up work and financial security, with no certainty about what lies ahead. He believes that if filming of shows like AHS stops, the content pipeline will dry up, forcing the studios back to the negotiating table.

“We all want to get back to work, believe me,” Cooper said. “We would love to be doing what we’re supposed to be doing.”

(Dominic Patten contributed to this report.)

Lily Winters

Lily, a film studies major at NYU, developed a fascination for avant-garde and experimental cinema during her time living in the vibrant art scene of Brooklyn. Her articles explore the intersection of art and film, celebrating boundary-pushing filmmakers and emerging visual styles.

Previous Story

Disney Reveals 2023 Destination D23 Event Schedule, Panels, and Dates at Walt Disney World

Next Story

Writers Guild Calls Off NYC Protests Amidst East Coast Heatwave

Latest from Blog

withemes on instagram