Writers Guild Spoofs Studios' Top Labor Negotiator at Awards Ceremony: "See You on the Picket Line in 2026"

More than half a year after the end of its 148-day strike, the writers union took shots at the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers president Carol Lombardini at the Hollywood Palladium on Sunday night.

By Katie Kilkenny April 14, 2024 6:32pm


Niecy Nash-Betts at the WGA Awards Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Writers Guild of America Wes

The Writers Guild of America resurfaced its 2023 strike in a comedy bit that unfurled at the union’s Los Angeles awards ceremony Sunday night.

More than half a year after the union ended its 148-day strike, the union spoofed the top negotiator representing studios and streamers during those talks, Carol Lombardini, in a raunchy and at times brutal routine at the Hollywood Palladium. Nearly an hour into the union’s annual awards ceremony and between awards presentations, host Niecy Nash-Betts began interacting with an image of “Lombardini” on a screen behind her. (Only the mouth of the image moved, and the rest was static.)

When Nash-Betts asked why “Lombardini” was there, the image responded by congratulating the co-chairs of the WGA’s negotiating committee during the 2023 strike, David Goodman and Chris Keyser, for winning the Morgan Cox Award for service to the union. “First of all, I want to congratulate all the nominees and winners, especially David Goodman and Chris Keyser for getting the Morgan Cox Award, because when I think of David Goodman and Chris Keyser, the first word that comes to mind is ‘cocks,'” the image responded.

“Lombardini” continued: “I gotta say, kudos to WGA executive director Ellen Stutzman. You were one tough negotiator. You remind me of that show Beef, except meaner and less Korean. And all of you writers remind me of The Crown because you think you’re so high and mighty, but you’re really just a bunch of inbred crybabies.”

FULL story: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/writers-guild-spoofs-carol-lombardini-awards-ceremony-1235873947/#!