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Actor Dermot Mulroney, promoting his new Disney+ Marvel series Secret Invasionleft the set of ABC View in an episode airing today, expressing support for striking WGA writers.
Leaving the stage before the end of his interview segment – the show, as usual for Summer Friday episodes, was taped yesterday – Mulroney said, kindly and apologetically: “Let’s- break up? I want to do it symbolically. In support and solidarity with the writers, I will be leaving your show. Thanks, I’ll see you on the picket lines. As he left the stage, he turned around, waved and said, “I love you, thank you.”
The co-hosts, including today’s moderator Joy Behar, didn’t seem surprised. Behar looked at the camera and repeated Mulroney’s name and that of the new Marvel series. After returning from the commercial break, the show moved on to a segment about swimwear. The departure was not mentioned again.
Before the seemingly expected departure, Mulroney and the co-hosts discussed his past films – including a friendly debate on the merits of My Best Friend Wedding against The date of the wedding, as well as the actor’s recent camping reunion with old friends in Virginia.
Re Secret Invasionon which Mulroney plays President Ritson, the actor said that beyond his scenes with Samuel L. Jackson and Don Cheadle, he was unaware of other aspects of the alien invasion story.
Disney owns both Marvel and ABC. View aired the entire pre-recorded episode, complete with the Mulroney walkout.
During the WGA’s 50+ day strike, the unscripted View continued to air daily shows without writers, with moderator Whoopi Goldberg – who, as is often the case on Fridays, was not on set for today’s episode – generally telling viewers that co-hosts do not read writer-penned introductions or lead-ins.
Mulroney had also appeared on NBC Today Wednesday for his Secret Invasion promotion. He posted an Instagram selfie of the set of Todaynoting “taken live on @todayshow (news show – no WGA writers)”.
In a statement obtained by Deadline, Mulroney said: “Since I have such respect for ‘The View’, a news program with a heart, that’s where I felt comfortable enough to attract attention to the ongoing WGA strike for fair wages and working hours, as I find it extremely important to continue supporting the union.