The New Yorker Radio Hour

Episode Summary: Michael Schulman on the Writers’ Strike, and Samantha Irby with Doreen St. Félix (May 12, 2023)

Episode Overview

In this episode, host David Remnick explores two major themes: the 2023 Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike and the intersection of personal storytelling and contemporary media through the lens of essayist and TV writer Samantha Irby. The first half features Michael Schulman’s reporting from the picket lines of Hollywood, with in-depth conversation with veteran TV writer and strike captain Laura Jackman. The second half is a candid, humorous, and insightful interview by Doreen St. Félix with Samantha Irby, reflecting on her writing career, TV work, identity, body image, and navigating cultural critique.

Segment 1: Inside the 2023 Writers' Strike

(00:13 – 11:15)

Background and Stakes

• The immediate impact of the WGA strike: Late night talk shows stopped production; scripted shows faced delays and uncertainty.
• Central issue: The compensation model for writers in the era of streaming. Studios resist WGA demands for better conditions.
• Reference to past strikes: The 2007-2008 strike cost Los Angeles hundreds of millions; the current strike could last longer.

On the Picket Line – Michael Schulman with Laura Jackman

• Scene on the ground:

  • Laura Jackman describes the picket line at Amazon Culver Studios: “The mood is electric. You know, we're walking in circles, but we're also getting cars honking at us as we pass. We're doing our chants. The solidarity has been incredible.” (01:37)

• The existential fight for writing:

  • Jackman frames the strike as survival:
    • “If we do not dig in now, there will be nothing to fight for in three years.” (02:01)
    • The core demands include fair revenue sharing from successful content and making writing a sustainable career.

• Shrinking compensation and working conditions:

  • The evolution: Length of contracts has shrunk from 20+ weeks to as little as 6 weeks, with the same workload for less money.
    • “They're asking us to write more of it in a shorter time period for significantly less money. And that, I think, is the thing that really represents the threat to our business overall.” (02:50)

• Loss of residuals, mini-rooms phenomenon:

  • Writers’ compensation now only covers a fraction of their contributions; streaming denies reliable residuals that once formed the backbone of writers’ incomes.
  • “We're going to whittle down these rooms into something called mini rooms.” (04:12)
  • In mini-rooms, writers do sprint-style work for a few weeks and miss out on critical experience through production phases.

• Barriers to career sustainability:

  • Jackman recounts moving to LA 10 years ago, when long-term employment and training as a future showrunner was possible.
  • Presently, new writers struggle to stay in the business, undermining career development and stability.
    • “What once was a path to a middle class career has really become a sort of moonshot.” (08:15)

• Industry solidarity and outcomes:

  • The union’s strength is shown by multiple Hollywood guilds and unions joining in solidarity, turning away Teamster trucks and shutting down productions.
    • “We are not alone this time. Every single Hollywood guild and union has come out in solidarity.” (10:29)
    • “Ovation after ovation because we recognize the sacrifice in the solidarity that everyone else is pledging to us.” (10:51)

Segment 2: Samantha Irby on Writing, TV, and Being "Quietly Hostile"

(12:02 – 32:23)

Samantha Irby’s Voice in Culture

• Introduction: Samantha Irby’s rise from blogging to bestselling essay collections, and now TV writing for series like "Shrill" and "And Just Like That."
• Irby describes her niche:
  • “My passion is to truly make, like, dirt bag, slacker, black lady stuff because there is not enough, like, you know, this black lady doesn't have ambition, art in the world.” (12:02)

Writers’ Strike and Structural Industry Changes

• On the impact of streaming:

  • “You don't even know the ways you're being screwed, right? You just know that, like, your checks are smaller.” (12:55)
  • Irby received a $40 residual check for a major network show, highlighting the diminishing returns even for high-profile projects.

• The challenge for emerging writers:

  • “There are like, young, super young people in this industry trying to, like, cobble together, like, enough Writing jobs to, like, have writing be their only job, and they can't do that.” (13:49)
  • Stark contrast to the past, when residuals could provide long-term income.
  • “When I was making $15 an hour, like, bagging donuts, my boss wasn't making $200 million that she refused to share with me.” (14:43)

Navigating Writers' Rooms and Creative Process

• Irby’s development as a TV writer:

  • Embraces collaboration, finds TV writing both hard and "maybe the easiest because you have other people to bounce things off of.” (16:36)
  • Appreciates group process as a safeguard: “My biggest fear is, like, [looking] an idiot. So ... if I throw out an insane pitch, to have someone be like, well, that wouldn't work because this...” (17:20)

• Acceptance of losing control:

  • “What I turn in then goes through so many hands that ... it kind of, I mean, it resembles what I wrote, but maybe not. Jokes get punched up and scenes get taken out, like, for time.” (18:28)
  • Admonishes writers to avoid getting “married to literally anything you put in a script.” (19:37)

Identity, Self-Acceptance, and Cultural Critique

• On working without a college degree and critical insecurity:

  • “I have always felt...with not having a college degree. ... They exclude and then you add to it that I write a lot of filth, and it makes people take me less seriously.” (20:05)

• On defending taste in the face of criticism:

  • “There are so many things to feel bad about. ... Taking back the. My taste, defending my taste is a thing that is worth it to me. I'm gonna start standing up for the things that make me happy.” (21:54)
  • On enjoying what she enjoys: “Yes, I love billions. Billions. I mean, I watch succession, too, but they're both. Billions is good, right?” (23:48)

• Race, critique, and audience expectations:

  • Irby recounts feeling scrutinized as a Black writer in a high-profile role: “That is the kind, like, okay, I am not black enough to this person who has no idea who I am ... I have betrayed the entire race by not taking over this show and casting all black people.” (25:18)

Body Image, Fat Acceptance, and Cultural Representation

• On body positivity and its limits:

  • “You can't love your body all the time. ... there has to be space for all of that.” (28:47)
  • Irby critiques the superficiality of “body positivity” without addressing deeper societal hurdles: size-inclusivity, access, medical care, and rampant fatphobia.

• The ever-present fatphobia in culture:

  • “There are fat jokes everywhere in everything that you watch all the time. ... It's in the culture.” (31:00)
  • “My only beef with the, like, love yourself of it all is that you're trying to in a society that hates your guts.” (31:32)

Closing Reflections

• Warm mutual appreciation:
  • “Sam, it was so great to talk with you.” – Doreen St. Félix (32:23)
  • “This really made my day. You are the best.” – Samantha Irby (32:27)
• Plug for Irby’s essay collection, Quietly Hostile, and the return of HBO's "And Just Like That" (32:47).

Notable Quotes

• Laura Jackman on the existential threat:

  “If we do not dig in now, there will be nothing to fight for in three years.” (02:01)

• Samantha Irby on the new economics for writers:

  “You don't even know the ways you're being screwed, right? You just know that, like, your checks are smaller.” (12:55)

• Irby on authenticity and defending joy:

  “Taking back the. My taste, defending my taste is a thing that is worth it to me. I'm gonna start standing up for the things that make me happy.” (21:54)

• Irby on cultural expectations and representation:

  “I am not black enough to this person who has no idea who I am ... I have betrayed the entire race by not taking over this show and casting all black people.” (25:18)

• Irby on the limits of body positivity:

  “You can't love your body all the time. ... there has to be space for all of that.” (28:47)

Key Timestamps

• 00:13 — David Remnick opens with the context of the WGA strike
• 01:37 — Laura Jackman describes the picket line
• 02:01 — Explanation of “existential fight” in writing
• 04:12 — Jackman on mini-rooms and loss of residuals
• 08:15 — The mood among writers becomes one of “desperation”
• 10:29 — Los Angeles labor solidarity in this strike
• 12:02 — Introduction to Samantha Irby’s ethos and career
• 12:55 — Irby on shrinking writer pay and streaming economics
• 16:36 — Irby discusses collaboration in TV writing
• 20:05 — Irby on insecurity around not having a college degree
• 21:54 — Irby on defending her taste
• 25:18 — Irby’s experience of public critique as a Black writer
• 28:47 — The tension between body positivity and lived experience
• 32:23 — Wrap-up and mutual praise between Irby and St. Félix

Tone and Style

The episode is candid, energetic, and at times rawly personal, alternating between the urgency and solidarity of labor action and the sharp wit and vulnerability of Irby’s observations. Both segments deal with struggle, but there is also a refusal to be demoralized—whether fighting for the future of creative work or owning one’s identity in the public eye.

Recommended for listeners seeking context on the ongoing writers' strike, as well as fans of Samantha Irby’s humor and introspection.