Television and film writers say they’ve faced increasing censorship threats under Trump
Attempts to curtail free speech present an existential threat to the Writers Guild of America’s 11,000 members, who are still finding their footing amid an industry-wide contraction
by Laura Weiss, Prism
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is facing a new existential threat as President Donald Trump’s “authoritarian assault” on free speech has made its way to Hollywood. In recent months, the Trump administration has filed a series of lawsuits against major networks that express dissenting opinions and conditioned industry mergers on political allegiance. In September, Trump pressured ABC to indefinitely suspend “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” after the titular late-night show host made comments regarding the killing of far-right activist Charlie Kirk that offended the president and his supporters.
The WGA has responded to these attacks on free speech by releasing statements and letters signed by thousands of members. The labor union has also organized rapid-response efforts, such as publicly condemning Kimmel’s suspension and organizing protests alongside the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and industry leaders at studio lots, an outcry that contributed to getting him reinstated.
The Trump administration’s war on free speech has not only targeted Kimmel’s show, but also threatened to cancel NBC’s “Late Night With Seth Meyers” and to defund and dismantle public media, along with other lawsuits against media and news organizations that express views critical of the administration, such as the BBC.
The attacks come two years after a historic strike aimed at improving working conditions for 11,000 WGA union members. While the industry is showing signs of life after a substantial contraction, getting paid and sustainable work remain a challenge. As future threats appear likely despite the eventual reinstatement of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” a week after its suspension, members say the WGA is doing what it can to advocate for workers in this uncertain time.
WGA members say they remain deeply concerned about the increasing politicization of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) under Trump ally Brendan Carr, and its consequences for free speech. The FCC is responsible for reviewing mergers between networks to ensure they don’t break antitrust laws. But, as the ACLU has underscored, the FCC has “limited authority to police the airwaves.” The WGA has repeatedly spoken out against network mergers for harming industry competition and threatening to curtail free speech.
“What people are or are not saying [on television] feels more monitored than ever,” said Keisha Zollar, a WGA member who used to work on late-night programs.
In July, Paramount, which owns CBS, settled a $16 million lawsuit after Trump sued the network for how it edited an interview with then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris. Soon after, the FCC approved Paramount’s merger with the Skydance network.
Many, including late-night host Stephen Colbert, saw the move as appeasing the administration, or worse: Colbert referred to it on his program as a “big, fat bribe.” Then, CBS announced that Colbert’s long-running, popular show would end after this season, raising alarm bells about retribution.
“We have an administration that has inserted itself into the [mergers] process in order to enact petty revenge against people it does not like,” Manfred Lopez, a WGA captain, told Prism.
In October, Paramount named conservative pundit Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News after acquiring her media company, The Free Press, amid other high-level staff shakeups. When Weiss sent a letter to CBS News staff asking them to detail what they did each week, similar to demands from X CEO Elon Musk earlier this year as part of his efforts as part of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, the WGA instructed members not to respond.
The WGA is now extremely concerned about a potential merger between Paramount and Warner Bros., saying it would be a “disaster” for writers.
“Will there be more censorship? I’m going to say probably,” said Shireen Razack, a WGA member. “The issue isn’t just censorship; it’s also silencing. Censorship is being used as a business tactic. Silencing is happening because people are scared for their jobs, careers, and sometimes even their lives.”
The consequences of speaking out are very real, especially for immigrants, even if they haven’t yet hit WGA members. Lopez cited the example of Salvadoran journalist Mario Guevara, who was arrested while livestreaming a protest in Spanish, held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody for three months, and then deported.
‘Go where the work is’
Threats to writers and talk-show hosts are coming at a time when the industry is still struggling to regain its footing. According to the WGA, there were 37% fewer television writing jobs in the 2023-2024 season than in the 2022-2023 season. The film industry has fared somewhat better. While many industry jobs are moving abroad, California recently increased its tax credit to incentivize more in-state projects.
There appears to be a “slight rebound in the number of shows that are coming up for staffing. I don’t know how they’re being staffed,” said Razack, who is also a co-founder of the Think Tank for Inclusion & Equity (TTIE). TTIE data shows that writers of color are more frequently passed over for promotions from assistant-level roles than their white counterparts.
Before the Paramount-Skydance merger, Paramount promised Carr, the FCC commissioner, that it would eliminate its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Other networks have also cut or reduced such initiatives.
“There is a pushback from certain companies on certain types of storylines,” Razack said. For example, a recent report found that representation of LGBTQIA+ characters will fall by half over the next television season, with trans representation falling by 61%.
“Conservative programming is going way up,” Lopez said. Latinx content in particular remains severely underrepresented, according to the WGA’s 2025 Inclusion and Equity Report. The same can be said for the disproportionately low representation of disabled writers.
However, TTIE research shows there is still an appetite for diverse content. According to the think tank’s most recent report, 65% of audiences want diverse, authentic stories, and nearly half would drop companies that pull back from DEI, and accessibility.
Razack noted that YouTube, as well as streaming services that tend to showcase a more diverse range of content, are performing much better than legacy media. “It feels like the vocal minority is what’s making people run scared,” she said.
But with less work available in general, writers have fewer choices in deciding what kind of work to pursue. “I think there was a point where there was more of an abundance of opportunity, and now it’s about going where the work is,” Zollar said. Some of her colleagues are leaving the industry altogether.
The WGA members Prism interviewed all felt that the guild has been a strong advocate for their rights. “It’s doing exactly what it needs to do, which is keeping us informed, organized, and [having] a fast response when it needs to,” Lopez said.
After the “Kimmel” incident rocked the industry, the WGA quickly condemned the suspension in a Sept. 17 statement: “As a Guild, we stand united in opposition to anyone who uses their power and influence to silence the voices of writers, or anyone who speaks in dissent. If free speech applied only to ideas we like, we needn’t have bothered to write it into the Constitution.”
Lopez and other leaders quickly worked to mobilize protests among WGA members opposing “Kimmel’s” suspension. “There was just a massive amount of pressure from everywhere,” he said, including condemnation from the ACLU as well as lawmakers and celebrities.
Zollar also emphasized the importance of WGA health insurance, which is especially critical as the administration slashes Medicaid, and Affordable Care Act premiums are set to skyrocket.
The WGA has attempted to meet the moment in other ways. In response to anti-immigrant policies under the current administration, the Writers Guild Initiative, a nonprofit arm of WGA-East, has been piloting a program to help asylum-seekers write their asylum applications, Lopez said. They have also held workshops with the American Library Association in response to censorship.
In early November, WGA-East held a panel discussion addressing members’ concerns about free speech in this political climate. “Everybody felt a lot better when we ended the call,” Lopez said. “It was … the very first step of just connecting and seeing that we’re not alone in this.”
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Prism is an independent and nonprofit newsroom led by journalists of color. We report from the ground up and at the intersections of injustice.