President Joe Biden addressed the Writers Guild of America strike on Monday during a screening for the upcoming Disney+ series American Born Chinese.
The White House hosted the screening to commemorate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, during which the president, 80, publicly commented on the matter for the first time.
“Nights like these are a reminder of the power of stories and the importance of treating storytellers with dignity, respect and the value they deserve,” Biden said. “I sincerely hope the writers strike in Hollywood gets resolved and the writers are given a fair deal they deserve as soon as possible.”
“This is an iconic, meaningful American industry,” continued Biden. “And we need the writers and all the workers and everyone involved to tell the stories of our nation and the stories of all of us.”
WGA went on strike at 12:01 a.m. PT on May 2 because the deadline for a new contract passed the day prior without a ratified contract.
The labor union represents more than 1,000 entertainment writers, who work across film, television, news and online media.
The entertainment industry has already started to feel an impact, with late-night chat shows immediately shutting down production. Other shows, like HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher, are going dark as well. Daytime talk shows including The View are forging ahead, though warning that its format will look different without its writers.
However, American Born Chinese is still set to premiere later this month. The Disney+ series follows average high schooler Jin Wang (Ben Wang) who is assigned as a guide to foreign exchange student Wei-Chen (Jim Liu). Ultimately, Jin’s connection to Wei-Chen results in him being entangled in a battle between Gods of Chinese mythology.
Michelle Yeoh (Guanyin), Yeo Yann Yann (Christine Wang), Chin Han (Simon Wang), Daniel Wu (Sun Wukong), Ke Huy Quan (Freddy Wong) and Sydney Taylor (Amelia) star in the show created by Kelvin Yu.
The series also counts Stephanie Hsu as one of its recurring guest stars, ultimately reuniting her with her Everything Everywhere All at Once costars Yeoh, 60, and Quan, 51.