Both the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes contributed to the biggest interruption to the American film and television industries since the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 just three years prior.

[5] In addition to standing in solidarity with the writers, the strike was led by changes in the industry caused by streaming and its effect on residuals, as well as other new technologies like AI and digital recreation.

[10][11][12][13] The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) is a labor union that represents approximately 160,000 media professionals and entertainers.

[25] SAG-AFTRA cited several issues in negotiations, including "economic fairness, residuals, regulating the use of artificial intelligence and alleviating the burdens of the industry-wide shift to self-taping", and told its members that the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers would cut actors' salaries to "pad corporate profits".

[28] High-profile members—including Quinta Brunson, Jennifer Lawrence, and Rami Malek[29]—signaled their willingness to strike ahead of the deadline to achieve a "transformative deal",[30] despite "extremely productive" negotiations.

[35] A number of high-profile actors, including Lawrence and Malek, then affirmed their support again by signing a letter urging the union to take aggressive measures and stating their willingness to strike.

[44] Joined by chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland,[45] Drescher asserted that the strike was a reluctant last resort[46] and described the proposed contract as "moving around furniture on the Titanic.

[55] Internationally, SAG-AFTRA members are authorized to continue work in the United Kingdom under pre-established Equity collective bargaining agreements, as UK law criminalizes solidarity strikes.

[63] Also on July 17, SAG-AFTRA released a twelve-page statement outlining the breakdown in negotiations, and terms they found unacceptable, including but not limited to a five-percent salary increase for actors, while the union had asked for eleven percent.

[64] The AMPTP released a counter-statement, highlighting that its actions were being "deliberately distort[ed]" and that SAG-AFTRA had chosen to pass over "the most lucrative deal we have ever negotiated... valued at $318 million over the three-year term of the contract.

[40][67] In response, SAG-AFTRA and WGA issued a joint grievance to the National Labor Relations Board against NBCUniversal, accusing the company of interfering with their freedom to picket and endangering their members.

[68] Writers Guild of America West additionally filed a petition to the AMPTP in response to NBCUniversal's failure to install barriers to protect WGA and SAG-AFTRA protestors from the risk of being forced into traffic.

"[67] On July 19, 2023, SAG-AFTRA approved more films to be shot during the strike, including Ishana Night Shyamalan's The Watchers, Sam Raimi's Don't Move, and David Lowery's Mother Mary.

In attendance were: Lauren Ambrose, Matt Bomer, Christine Baranski, Steve Buscemi, Bobby Cannavale, Tituss Burgess, Liza Colón-Zayas, Bryan Cranston, Jessica Chastain, Gregory Diaz, Jennifer Ehle, Brendan Fraser, Nancy Giles, Danai Gurira, Jill Hennessy, Marin Hinkle, Stephen Lang, Arian Moayed, Christopher Meloni, Chloë Grace Moretz, Wendell Pierce, Michael Shannon, Christian Slater, Corey Stoll, Merritt Wever and Rachel Zegler.

Discovery), Ted Sarandos (Netflix), Bob Iger (Disney), as well as SAG-AFTRA's Fran Drescher, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, and Ray Rodriguez.

[92] On October 19, Deadline Hollywood reported that a Zoom call between Hollywood stars (George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, Kerry Washington, Tyler Perry, Bradley Cooper, Meryl Streep, Jennifer Aniston, Robert De Niro, Ben Affleck, Laura Dern, Emma Stone, Reese Witherspoon, Ryan Reynolds, and Ariana DeBose)[93] and SAG-AFTRA leaders introduced a proposal that "amounts to the town's biggest earners defraying the costs to AMPTP signatories by eliminating the cap on membership dues, to be used to bolster health benefits and other areas that SAG-AFTRA is trying to shore up.

[96] On October 20, actress and former SAG president Melissa Gilbert dismissed a message from SAG-AFTRA stating that actors should not wear Halloween costumes of characters from "struck companies,"[97] and said: "THIS is what you guys come up with?

"[103] An individual also speculated to The Wrap that "studios believe that if they can't reach a deal in the next week with the Screen Actors Guild, which has been on strike since July 14, then no new production will be able to start before 2024.

[3] Also on October 26, a public letter signed by thousands of high-profile actors was sent to the SAG-AFTRA negotiating committee encouraging them to keep fighting for their values rather than cave in to the studios' demands, saying, "As hard as this is, we would rather stay on strike than take a bad deal.

"[118] On November 5, SAG-AFTRA sent a statement to its members saying that the negotiating team had "analyzed and thoroughly discussed the AMPTP's counter proposal all day and well into the night and will continue our deliberations on Monday.

"[119][120] On November 6, SAG-AFTRA sent a letter to members that said: "This morning our negotiators formally responded to the AMPTP's 'Last, Best & Final' offer ... there are several essential items on which we still do not have an agreement, including AI.

[122] In addition, Deadline Hollywood reported that it "heard from several sources that guild president Fran Drescher was pinged by A-list stars asking about whether a deal was nigh.

"[123] On November 8, 2023, SAG-AFTRA released a statement to its members that announced the end of the strike: "We are thrilled and proud to tell you that today your TV/Theatrical Negotiating Committee voted unanimously to approve a tentative agreement with the AMPTP.

Allison Janney, Kaitlyn Dever, Logan Lerman, and Joey King joined protests at Warner Bros., and actresses Constance Zimmer and Ginnifer Goodwin took part in picket lines at Paramount's Los Angeles studios.

Disney's offices saw picket lines whose notable members included Mandy Moore, Michelle Monaghan, Raini and Rico Rodriguez, Danielle Fishel, and Ben Schwartz.

Jason Sudeikis joined the NBCUniversal picket lines, stating that actors would strike for "as long as it takes", as did Joe Pantoliano, the Naked Cowboy, Alex Edelman, and Sarah Sherman.

"[142] U.S. President Joe Biden, Vermont U.S. senator Bernie Sanders,[143] and Mayor of Los Angeles Karen Bass voiced their support for the actors' union.

[145][146] Some politicians joined the picket lines themselves, including Burbank mayor Konstantine Anthony (himself a SAG-AFTRA member) and California U.S. Representative Adam Schiff.

She criticized the wealth of studio executives while the average screenwriter or actor struggles to get access to healthcare, and she emphasized the power of direct action in achieving economic victories.

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which was itself in a contractual dispute with UPS at the time[152] and was scheduled to go on strike at the end of July unless an agreement was reached, expressed support through a statement released by their president, Sean O'Brien.