JAY LENO says he supports the striking writers, but the feeling ain't mutual. The Writers Guild of America said yesterday that The Tonight Show host broke its rules by writing and telling jokes when his late night program returned Wednesday night for its first all-new show since the strike began nearly two months ago. The Guild didn't specify what, if anything, it plans to do in response to Leno's infraction.
The issue appears to be that Leno is a WGA member, which means when he wrote and performed his own jokes Wednesday night, he broke the rule prohibiting members from, quote, "performing any writing services during a strike for any and all struck companies."
Leno didn't address the budding controversy on last night's episode of The Tonight Show, but NBC spoke out on his behalf. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the network defended Leno by saying, quote, "The WGA agreement permits Jay Leno to write his own monologues for The Tonight Show. The WGA is not permitted to implement rules that conflict with the terms of the collective bargaining agreement between the studios and the WGA."
Leno hasn't been shy about expressing his support for striking writers, handing out doughnuts on the picket line and mentioning on Wednesday's show that he's on their side. When asked to comment on the alleged infraction, a publicist for Leno said the comedian was, quote, "busying himself with the show."
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