In a move that is bound to disappoint fans of bonkers awards show speeches, Fran Drescher has decided not to run for a third term as president of the SAG-AFTRA actors’ union.
The Nanny star, who has served as the union president since 2021, was not on a list of candidates released by the union today. Lord of the Rings star Sean Astin will compete against actor and producer Chuck Slavin for the position.
During her tenure as president, Drescher led the union through 2023’s Hot Strike Summer, which saw both SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America walk off the job for months in search of better pay and protections against AI, among other issues.
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Sean Astin in April 2025
“It came with great sadness that we came to this crossroads. But we had no choice. We are the victims here,” said Drescher in a statement when the SAG-AFTRA strike began on July 14, 2023. “We are being victimized by a very greedy entity. I am shocked by the way the people that we have been in business with are treating us. I cannot believe it, quite frankly. How far apart we are on so many things. How they plead poverty, that they’re losing money left and right while giving hundreds and millions of dollars to their CEOS. It is disgusting. Shame on them. They stand on the wrong side of history at this very moment.”
After nearly four months on the picket line, SAG-AFTRA reached an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers (AMPTP) in November 2023. In an essay written for Entertainment Weekly the following month, Drescher reflected on her experience leading SAG-AFTRA through the strikes.
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“It was also comforting to see and experience the solidarity and camaraderie expressed by so many throughout our fight: Having large donations made by some of our highest-paid members was extremely moving, how we as a community support each other during dire straits,” she wrote. “As everyone gets back to creating again, I would love there to be fewer dystopian stories being told that create fear and hopelessness, when we can use this incredible collaborative art form to inspire humanity into a more empathetic, hopeful, and interconnected truth. We all need more of that in our lives.”
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
