It’s been more than two months since the start of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike and just under two weeks since Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) joined in, but despite the lengthy tenure and highly publicized nature of the ordeal, there are still influencers who haven’t figured out how they fit into the grand scheme of things. Since SAG-AFTRA and the 160,000 plus actors they represent threw their weight behind the 20,000 writers in the WGA, entertainment executives have been scrambling to find replacement entertainment. Their untapped source? The many minds of TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, like @Straw_hat_Goofy and @CollinurMom. And though she has yet to receive an offer, TikToker @Darlinnikki77 has made it very clear that she doesn’t think her brand of entertainment should be connected in any way to what’s happening in Hollywood.
What are the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes?
It’s been more than 20 years since the last writers’ strike in 2008, and unsurprisingly, workers were yet again forced to take matters into their own hands to obtain adequate living wages. Los Angeles is one of the most expensive cities in the country, and with an average salary of $40,000 a year, most writers simply can’t afford to live in the city where they make their living. While small-time actors and writers struggle to make ends meet, CEOs make — on average — 300% more than their workers, and a quick perusal of the rejected terms shows that the writers really aren’t asking for that much, especially when you compare it to companies like Disney and their ample profit margin.
At the end of 2022’s fiscal year, the company had netted more than 80 billion dollars, and CEO Robert Iger made $27 million that year alone. Beyond asking for fair compensation from streaming residuals, the WGA is demanding compensation for pre- and post-production work, and increased contribution to health care.
SAG-AFTRA has many of the same demands, with both parties focusing on how the age of steaming has taken money from their own pockets, but lines CEO’s. To put a face to the problem, Kimiko Glenn — of Orange is the New Black — shared a video of her meager streaming royalties. Despite displaying a list of more than 30 episodes, Glenn was paid a meager $27.30 in earnings. Even worse Raedon Greer of Homefront was — instead of paid — charged for returned episodes and other accounting shenanigans beyond mere mortal comprehension.
It’s a struggle mirrored by many. As costs skyrocket, working-class people from around the globe are feeling the pressure of simply existing. With the number of striking workers on the rise, it seems that many citizens have discovered that the only remedy for income disparity is collective action. And that’s where things get tricky. When workers can’t come together as a collective, it gums up results and draws out an already painful process.
But the problem for creators and influencers who take these positions during the strike comes long after both parties reach an agreement. The union’s memory is long, and any creatives who take the opportunities now will be shut out of future endeavors in Hollywood.
Who is @DarlinNikki77?
DarlinNikki77 is an American TikTok personality. The 46-year-old describes herself as “A little bit hippie, a little bit hood” in her profile. A proud member of Gen X, Darlinnikki77 has collected more than 100k followers since she joined the site in 2021. She populates her stream with videos about her day-to-day life and the struggles she encounters as a biracial woman/woman of color.
Most of her videos are fairly innocuous though she has made several transphobic statements in the past, Biphobic comments, drinks deeply of the “all youngsters are entitled and lazy” Kool-Aid, and perhaps most egregiously, takes note of the terrible financial situation of most people while simultaneously encouraging creators to impede striking workers. She is open about her own financial struggles, which makes her pedantic arguments all the more frustrating.
Is @DarlinNikki77 a scab?
In short, no, Darlinnikki77 is not a scab, she just had a hot take about something she knew nothing about. While ignorant, she did not engage in Strikebreaking, also known as scabbing, activities, like working for struck companies – the massive media giants that refuse to negotiate with the unions.
The influencer congratulated @collinurmom for his potentially life-changing offer for his own television show. While it’s unclear exactly who Collin Everett will be working for, the move falls in line with what striking workers assumed would happen – with the absence of writers and actors, executives are turning to content creators as a temporary fix. DarlinNikki takes the opportunity to compare the SAG strikes to her own life, saying, “If my coworker decides that she doesn’t want to f***ing come to work anymore because she doesn’t like what she’s getting paid, that doesn’t mean that I need to stay home and be broke with her a**.”
It’s a terrible argument to make, strikes rely on collective bargaining, only with the majority on board is there any chance of changing anything. In her follow-up video, the TikToker doubled down and made her opinion on the strike very clear, “Now I realize this may not be the most popular opinion but… F**k SAG, are they really trying to bring content creators into this bullshit?”
She compared the striking workers to the already-resolved UPS strikes, asking if WGA/SAG-AFTRA members intend to picket with them, completely missing the point of the UPS’ own Teamsters union. The UPS strikes were over before they began, but those in Hollywood are nearing a three-month stretch without any talk of compromise coming from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
She continued her expletive-filled rant, “But because their a** is on strike if an influencer gets offered a brand deal they’re supposed to turn that sh*t down because their mother***ing a** is on strike?”
For reference, SAG-AFTRA has released a comprehensive list of do’s and don’ts for anyone interested in standing in solidarity with the striking workers, and the top point specifically encourages influencers to take brand deals. What the strike is asking, is for creators to avoid working with struck companies, the companies that are bleeding their writers and actors dry while raking in billions each year.
If that wasn’t enough, DarlinNikki77 continues her ignorant tirade, acknowledging that, “they probably do deserve a raise, but hell so do all of us. We’re all f***ing struggling. So my advice to any content creator or influencer who gets offered the deal, take that sh*t because those mother***ers wouldn’t turn down that deal for you.”
Over the following days, she made several follow-up videos, each one doubling down on her comments and refusing to acknowledge that perhaps she misspoke. Rather, she has taken to deleting and blocking anyone that opposes her viewpoint. Nikki has a history of worrying about her economic situation, so a little solidarity with her fellow struggling workers would go a long way. But it seems that the influencer never grew out of her “me-me-me” phase.
