Amy Schumer, John Oliver and Trevor Noah are among a set of more than 50 comedians, late night hosts and writers pledging to improve ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’ in a statement released on Tuesday.
An array of stars, including Charlamagne tha God, Amber Ruffin, Samantha Bee, Desus Nice and The Kid Mero, signed the pledge from the Writers Guild of America East and West that strives for increased diversity behind the scenes of television shows.
‘As hosts, showrunners, executive producers, and head writers of late-night and comedy-variety television, we commit to improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in our industry – not only as a matter of social justice, but with the understanding that the continued vitality and relevance of our work is dependent on hiring, empowering, retaining, developing, and promoting diverse talent, and on ensuring that our work onscreen and off reflects the racial diversity of our country and audience,’ the statement read.
It added: ‘Though shows vary in staffing, structure, and schedule, the issues in this industry are systemic and the challenges facing Black, Indigenous, and writers of color must be addressed at every show. As writers with authority and power in this system, we must maintain a common level of commitment to this work and must uphold a certain ethic of behavior. To that end, we recognize and commit that.’
Pictured: John Oliver. A set of more than 50 comedians, late night hosts and writers pledging to improve ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’ in a statement released on Tuesday
Pictured: Trevor Noah. An array of stars featured in the pledge from the Writers Guild of America East and West to strive for increased diversity behind the scenes of television shows
The statement highlighted the fact that late-night writers’ rooms have been ‘historically overwhelmingly White’ and suggested a number of actions to remedy this.
‘We will look for applicants in more diverse spaces than the traditional set of colleges, universities and comedy spaces, and we will expand our existing networks by seeking recommendations from a broader and more diverse group of writers, networks and lists,’ the statement said.
The pledge came about from discussions with guild members to highlight obstacles and bring forward solutions.
Although the document is not a covenant agreement or an official policy that includes tracking plans or accountability measures, the WGAE told The Hollywood Reporter that the pledge, which does not directly involve any production companies or employers, ‘is a tool that the Guild can use to monitor progress in these efforts,’ and that the union ‘aims to enforce these standards to the ability that it can’.
Pictured: Amy Schumer. The pledge came about from discussions with guild members to highlight obstacles and bring forward solutions
In July, The Hollywood Reporter chief TV critic Daniel Fienberg wrote that late night television is currently at a crossroads in terms of representation, with hosts like Desus and Mero and Trevor Noah saying goodbye to beloved shows in recent times.
‘Our members are aware and committed to the ideas and the actions in this important pledge,’ WGAE executive director Lowell Peterson said in a statement.
‘The pledge is proof that people in positions of power, as well as those at the staff writer level, embrace the change needed to insure BIPOC [Black, Indigenous, and people of color] voices are a vital part of the influential world of late night and comedy-variety television.’
The pledge concludes: ‘These commitments are just a start to a long process. We must create an industry in which diversity is not an aspirational goal but is a fundamental trait. Our industry will not be a diverse, equitable, and inclusive industry until it is that by default – until the pipelines into the industry and the hiring processes, room cultures, and supervisory structures at shows together create an environment in which we do not hire diverse writers onto writing staffs, but rather hire writers onto diverse writing staffs.’
Writers Guild of America East and West staff writers wrote in the endorsement: ‘As the writers of these series, we support the commitment signed by supervisory writers and firmly believe that it will benefit not only our workplaces but also the shows that we create together.’
The pledge has four primary declarations.
One of these commitments is to overhaul the writing packet process that has long been the calling card for aspiring writers, including providing sample formatting and allowing supplemental material from writers from non-traditional backgrounds, and implementing ‘mechanisms’ to displace reader bias and unfamiliarity with historically excluded cultural perspectives and references.
The pledge also commits to creating and maintaining places of work that are ‘safe, respectful, and free from retaliation and retribution’.
Josh Gondelman, who was head writer and executive producer of Showtime’s Desus and Mero, which concluded in June, said in a statement: ‘I have a lot of hope that this pledge can be a meaningful step towards creating fairer, more inclusive comedy/variety workplaces where writers from all backgrounds can flourish in supportive environments.
He added: ‘I’m grateful for the hard work of numerous writers to create an actionable blueprint and get so many people in the industry to commit to actually taking those actions.’
‘Diversity, equity and inclusion’ is at top of agendas for numerous large US corporations, as well as the Biden administration. It refers to a set of practices aimed to ensure people from a broad set of socio-demographic backgrounds are represented and can flourish in a workforce; and an organization’s actions and services to the public that consider the needs and desired outcomes for all its stakeholders.
On President Joe Biden’s first day in office, he signed Executive Order 13985 (Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government), which established that affirmatively advancing equity, civil rights, racial justice, and equal opportunity is the responsibility of the whole Government. The order established that it is the policy of his Administration to cultivate a workforce that draws from the full diversity of the nation.
In October US Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen announced the inaugural members of the Treasury Advisory Committee on Racial Equity. The first-of-its-kind committee provides recommendations and advice to Yellen and Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo on efforts to advance racial equity in the economy and address acute disparities for communities of color.
‘We know that we need to do all we can to build a fairer economy, and that’s why we have put racial equity at the forefront of our agenda at Treasury and across the Biden administration,’ Yellen said.
Full list of 50 writers, comics and producers signing up to DEI pledge
The set of 50 hosts, showrunners, executive producers, and head writers of late-night and comedy-variety television (listed below) said in the statement: ‘These commitments are just a start to a long process. We must create an industry in which diversity is not an aspirational goal but is a fundamental trait.’
