RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) \u2013 The 32nd season of \u201cDancing with the Stars\u201d is set to air in just one week, but ABC has announced the network is putting plans in place to postpone the premiere after actor Matt Walsh\u2002announced he would be \u201ctaking a pause\u201d from the show \u201cuntil an agreement is made\u201d with the Writers Guild of America (WGA), which is currently on strike.
\u201cI was excited to join the show and did so under the impression that it was not a WGA show and fell under a different agreement,\u201d the \u201cVeep\u201d actor said in a statement shared with ABC News. \u201cThis morning when I was informed by my union, the WGA, that it is considered struck work I walked out of my rehearsal. I have been and will always stand with my union members of the WGA, SAG and DGA.\u201d
Walsh, a founding member of the Upright Citizen\u2019s Brigade comedy group, had just been announced as a part of the upcoming season\u2019s cast last week. He was paired with \u201cDancing With the Stars\u201d pro Koko Iwasaki.
According to ABC News, Walsh said he hopes to return to \u201cDWTS\u201d sometime in the future.
\u201cBeyond our union artists, I am sensitive to the many people impacted by the strike and I hope for a speedy and fair resolution, and to one day work again with all the wonderful people I met at DWTS who tolerated my dancing,\u201d Walsh said in the statement.
The Writers Guild of America screenwriters have been on strike for nearly five months, which, alongside the SAG-AFTRA actors\u2019 union\u2019s three-month-long strike, have all but shut down Hollywood as writers and actors demand better pay, working conditions, AI protections and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n