Fran Drescher Defends Bringing Toy to SAG-AFTRA Strike Negotiations

SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher stands by her habit of bringing a heart-shaped plush doll to strike negotiations.

Drescher, 66, responded to a thread on X (formerly Twitter) shared by television writer David Slack on Wednesday, October 25. In the thread, Slack, 51, defended Dresher’s “eccentric” persona and said the Nanny alum has proven she’s not intimidated by the CEOs represented by the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers (AMPTP).

“[Thank you] David 4 your support. I’ve said it [before] & I’ll say it again, I don’t have 2 emulate a masculine energy [to be] a good leader,” Drescher responded to Slack on Wednesday. “I can be smart, have a keen ability [to see] integral flaws in a business model AND put a tiny heart shaped plush toy [between] me & [Disney CEO Robert] Iger. In short, I can be me.”

Drescher was elected president of the labor union in September 2021 and was reelected for a second term this fall. She has been at the forefront of the ongoing actors’ strike that began in July over a labor dispute with the AMPTP.

Related: Fran Drescher Through the Years: From ‘The Nanny’ to SAG-AFTRA President

Fran Drescher has come a long way since playing the “flashy girl from Flushing” on The Nanny. Drescher scored her breakout role in 1977’s Saturday Night Fever as supporting character Connie, who had a brief interaction with leading man John Travolta. While her performance was brief, Drescher soon landed starring roles in the likes of American Hot Wax, The Hollywood […]

Earlier this month, the actress slammed the AMPTP for its decision to suspend negotiations. “It really came as a shock to me because what does that exactly mean and why would you walk away from the table?” she said during an appearance on the Today show. “It’s not like we’re asking for anything that’s so outrageous.”

Drescher added that the move was “wrong” and “disrespectful” of the studios. “I mean, they talk at you. They really don’t want to hear what you have to say or why you’re saying it,” she said.

Drescher’s comments came shortly after the AMPTP, which represents major companies including Netflix, Disney, Paramount and Amazon, announced that talks with SAG-AFTRA had been put on hold after spending weeks at the negotiation table.

Related: Stars on the SAG-AFTRA Picket Line

The biggest names in Hollywood are showing their support for the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike by joining their fellow union members on the picket lines. In July, the labor union — which represents more than 160,000 TV and film actors — voted to go on strike after the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) […]

The AMPTP cited the proposal for actors to receive a two percent cut of streaming platform revenue as the biggest divide between the organizations, alleging that it would cost more than $800 million per year.

In response, SAG-AFTRA accused the studios of “intentionally [misrepresenting] to the press the cost of the above proposal” by 60 percent.

The temporary stall in negotiations came to an end earlier this week when SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP resumed contract talks on Tuesday, October 24. Drescher wrote via Instagram on Sunday, October 22, that she felt “optimistic” about returning to the negotiating table.

“[Thank you] dear picketers and strike captains for once again rising to the occasion!” she added. “Sleep well dear brave hearts! 💪❤️🙏✌🏿🌈🐾.”

Related: Every Cast Reunion on the SAG Picket Line

Actors and writers of Us Weekly‘s favorite shows and movies have been reuniting on the picket lines amid the historic WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike. The labor dispute originally made headlines in May 2023 when the Writers Guild of America announced that their contract negotiation with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers had stalled. […]

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) — which voted to end its own strike against the AMPTP in September after five months on the picket lines — has called upon the studios to negotiate a “fair” deal. The WGA also noted that the agreement shouldn’t be “patterned” on its own deal, but rather reached with the actors’ unique needs in mind.

“Rather than engage in the traditional AMPTP tactic of pushing a deal on SAG-AFTRA that is patterned on our own tentative agreement or any other industry deal, a strategy which has already caused considerable delay and suffering, the companies must make a deal that addresses the needs of performers,” the union said in a statement earlier this month. “WGA members will continue to show up on picket lines and support SAG-AFTRA until they reach that deal. Solidarity forever.”