Citing the necessity “to bring people back to work,” comic Bill Maher introduced Wednesday that his HBO political discuss present “Real Time” will return to the air, but without writers amid the ongoing strike, now in its fifth month.  

“The writers have important issues that I sympathize with, and hope they are addressed to their satisfaction, but they are not the only people with issues, problems, and concerns,” Maher said in a press release posted to social media, indicating that the financial wellbeing of his workers performed a task in his determination.  

“Despite some assistance from me, much of the staff is struggling mightily,” Maher wrote.

The 67-year-old additionally famous that though the present would resume, it will be without a number of writer-driven segments, together with his monologue and his end-of-show editorial piece, admitting that the brand new episodes “will not be as good as our normal show, full stop.”

“I love my writers, I am one of them, but I’m not prepared to lose an entire year and see so many below-the-line people suffer so much,” Maher mentioned of his present, which is filmed at Television City studio lot in Los Angeles. 

The WGA in a press release posted to social media Wednesday evening referred to as Maher’s determination “disappointing.”

“If he goes forward with his plan, he needs to honor more than ‘the spirit of the strike,'” the union mentioned, additionally vowing that its members can be “picketing the show.” 

“As a WGA member,” the union wrote, Maher “is obligated to follow the strike rules and not perform any writing services.”

Maher’s announcement comes simply two days after Drew Barrymore additionally mentioned that her daytime discuss present can be returning with new episodes starting Sept. 18.

“I own this choice,” she mentioned in a press release Monday. “We are in compliance with not discussing or promoting film and television that is struck of any kind.” 

Her determination sparked vital backlash within the leisure group, nonetheless, and in addition prompted the WGA to say it will picket her present, which data on the CBS Broadcast Center in Manhattan.

“‘The Drew Barrymore Show’ will not be performing any writing work covered by the WGA strike,” A spokesperson for CBS Media Ventures, which distributes the present, mentioned in a press release.

In early May, simply days after the WGA strike started, Barrymore had pulled out of hosting duties for the MTV Movie & TV Awards in solidarity with WGA.  

“I made a choice to walk away from the MTV, film and television awards because I was the host and it had a direct conflict with what the strike was dealing with which was studios, streamers, film, and television,” Barrymore mentioned in her assertion this week. “It was also in the first week of the strike and so I did what I thought was the appropriate thing at the time to stand in solidarity with the writers.”

MTV and CBS Media Ventures are each a part of Paramount Global, which additionally owns CBS News.

Hollywood writers have been on strike since early May, they usually had been joined on the picket traces by Hollywood actors in mid-July after the 2 teams every failed to attain a take care of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the group which represents all main Hollywood studios. It marks the primary time since 1960 that each the WGA and the Screen Actors Guild have been on strike concurrently, successfully shutting down practically all scripted manufacturing in Hollywood. 

Paramount Pictures, one of many studios concerned within the negotiations, can also be a part of Paramount Global. Some CBS News workers are SAG-AFTRA or Writers Guild members, but their contracts will not be affected by the strikes.

— S. Dev and Gina Martinez contributed to this report.