WGA STRIKE UPDATE: Comedy Central Writers Head to Washington

Striking Writers from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report to Debate in D.C.

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/18/2008 12:53:00 PM

While Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report have returned to the air without writers to carry on their political commentary on Washington, D.C., the show's writers will venture to Washington next week for a comic commentary on the serious subject of the writer's strike.

According to the Writers Guild of America, the writers will host a mock debate about the issue on Capitol Hill thanks to some sympathetic congress folk.

The debate will be held Jan. 23 in the Rayburn House Office Building and moderated by Dee Dee Myers, former Clinton White House press secretary and consultant/writer on NBC’s The West Wing.

Writers in attendance will be The Daily Show's Rachel Axler, Kevin Bleyer, Tim Carvell and Jason Ross; Colbert Report's Michael Brumm, Peter Grosz, Peter Gwinn and Tom Purcell; and a special guest appearance by Allison Abner, former West Wing writer.

Legislators hosting the debate are Reps. Jerrold Nadler, Anthony Weiner (both New York Democrats) and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.).

The WGA is on strike against Hollywood producers over terms of a new contract, particularly the inability to come to terms on how to compensate writers for new-media platforms. Talks broke off Dec. 7.

For full coverage of the strike, click here.