Ben Shapiro slammed for gleeful reaction to Hollywood writers strike

Controversial conservative commentator celebrated late night talk shows’ temporary cancellation amid strike

Ben Shapiro has been called out for his hypocritical response to the WGA Hollywood writers’ strike that has temporarily shut down all US late-night talk shows.

On Tuesday (2 May), the Writers Guild of America – the union that represents 11,500 writers of film, television and other entertainment forms – announced they will take action from Tuesday (2 May), after months of negotiations with Hollywood studios over pay failed to come to a deal.

This means talk show hosts, including Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and Stephen Colbert, will not be recording episodes of their shows, which will go dark until an agreement is reached.

Responding to the news on Twitter, the 39-year-old conservative pundit wrote: “This is the first time I can remember supporting a strike. In fact, I hope the strike continues forever.”

His post has since been derided for suggesting that he’s never supported a strike. A majority of Republicans typically have negative views of unions, according to 2021 figures from the PEW Research Centre.

“Consider this the next time a conservative tells you they're ‘pro-worker’,” one Twitter user said.

A second joked: “Even as a conservative, are you meant to admit that you don’t think any strike has ever been justified?”

“Imagine being such a corporate stooge that you’ve never supported a strike,” a third commented.

“First time supporting a strike? Ben Shapiro is just straight up telling us he does not care about workers,” argued another.

“Why is @benshapiro so angry at a Hollywood writer's strike? Oh yeah,” one added, remembering Shapiro’s failed screenwriter career.

The Independent has contacted Shapiro for comment.

His history with Hollywood has recently resurfaced following his divisive takes on popular film and television.

According to Shapiro, he was blacklisted by Hollywood over his political views.