HOLLYWOOD - Supporters of comedian Ellen DeGeneres have defended her decision to cross the striking Hollywood picket line last Tuesday.
The TV star came under fire for not joining protestors like talk-show hosts David Letterman or Jay Leno in order to film her show, Ellen.
Her representative defended her actions on the grounds that she is the host of a syndicated show, not a network-owned program.
A friend says, "Unlike Letterman or Leno, those shows continue to deliver new episodes. But the difference is, they never employed Writers Guild members--DeGeneres did. "
A representative for DeGeneres says, "Ellen has a contract (to provide the show) as a host and a producer.
"Ellen is competing with other first-run syndicated shows that are delivering original programming like Dr. Phil, Regis and Kelly and Oprah during the competitive November sweeps period."
But the Writers Guild East slammed DeGeneres for her actions, releasing a statement that reads, "Ellen's peers who host comedy/variety shows have chosen to support the writers and help them get a fair contract; Ellen has not. Ellen said she loves and supports her writers, but her actions prove otherwise… We find it sad that Ellen spent an entire week crying and fighting for a dog that she gave away, yet she couldn't even stand by writers for more than one day."
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