Hollywood Reacts to Tentative SAG-AFTRA, AMPTP Deal: “We Did It”

Actors are among those in Hollywood reacting to the tentative agreement reached between SAG-AFTRA and studios and streamers Wednesday.

The deal on a new three-year contract came after 118 days into the actor strike and after weeks of renewed negotiations. The strike will end at 12:01 a.m. Thursday as the deal goes to the union’s national board for approval Friday. If the deal is ratified, the contract could go into effect soon.

In a statement shared with members, SAG-AFTRA said of the agreement, “In a contract valued at over one billion dollars, we have achieved a deal of extraordinary scope that includes ‘above-pattern’ minimum compensation increases, unprecedented provisions for consent and compensation that will protect members from the threat of AI, and for the first time establishes a streaming participation bonus. Our Pension & Health caps have been substantially raised, which will bring much needed value to our plans. In addition, the deal includes numerous improvements for multiple categories including outsize compensation increases for background performers, and critical contract provisions protecting diverse communities.”

Following the announcement, actors, including Mandy Moore, Alec Baldwin, Octavia Spencer and Noah Schnapp, were quick to take to social media to share their excitement about the strike finally ending.

Fran Drescher, president of SAG-AFTRA who has been at the front of negotiations, wrote on Instagram, “We did it!!!! The Billion+ $ Deal! 3X the last contract! New ground was broke everywhere!Ty sag aftra members for hanging in and holding out for this historic deal! Ty neg comm, strike captains, staff, Duncan & Ray, our lawyers, the IA team , family and friends. Our sister unions for their unrelenting support! And the amptp for hearing us and meeting this moment!”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass shared in a statement following the news, “I am grateful that a fair agreement has been reached between SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP after a more than 100 day strike that impacted millions in Los Angeles and throughout the country. Those on the line have been the hardest hit during this period and there have been ripple effects throughout our entire city. Today’s tentative agreement is going to impact nearly every part of our economy. Now, we must lean in on local production to ensure that our entertainment industry rebounds stronger than ever and our economy is able to get back on its feet.”

This Is Us star Moore wrote on her Instagram Story, “Thank you @sagaftra negotiators and leadership for getting us over the finish line!!!! Gratitude is the attitude!! And grateful to all those who walked the walk (picketers, strike captains, Our fellow union brothers and sisters, etc…)”

Baldwin shared a video on Instagram, congratulating “each and every person, on both sides, who are responsible for this great occasion.”

Hidden Figures star Spencer shared on social media, “Ready to work now that the strike is over! Congratulations and thank you to our @sagaftra negotiating committee! Proud to stand in solidarity with all SAG members over the last 118 days.”

Schnapp, from Stranger Things, simply wrote on his Instagram Story, “We did it!!!,” while Abbott Elementary star and creator Quinta Brunson wrote, “Oh, we’re very back.”

Lost actor Daniel Dae Kim wrote, “Woo hooo!!!! Let’s hope the deal is fair and we can get back to work!”

Kumail Nanjiani, The Big Sick actor, shared on X (formerly Twitter), “YES!!! Hallelujah. I can tweet a certain trailer that I am VERY EXCITED ABOUT at midnight.”

Charmed star Alyssa Milano wrote on her Instagram Story, “Strike is over! Thanks to all who fought so hard for this historic contract!!!”

The Bear star Jeremy Allen White, who heard the news while promoting his new film The Iron Claw on the red carpet, told ET that it’s “amazing” and he is “so glad that the industry can start up again.”

“It makes me feel incredible. I don’t know the details of the deal but I’m sure SAG got what we wanted, what they wanted — and I’m so happy too, our crews, they don’t stand to benefit from this agreement so they just get to go back to work,” he shared. 

In an Instagram Story, Jameela Jamil shared an image of herself on the picket line along with a message. “Thank fuck for that!” she wrote. “Well done everyone.”

Other actors who responded in their Stories include Ariana DeBose, who wrote, “A historic strike has come to a historic deal! I cannot tell you how grateful I am to every person who came together to make this happen for the betterment of not only every SAG union member but for ALL union members.”

Beanie Feldstein also shared a series of exclamation points in a Story under the phrase “Strike Is Over,” with Hilary Duff offering a simple “Thank you, SAG-AFTRA” encase by a heart. Actress Shay Mitchell shared a video of her and another person excitedly reacting to reading the news on a phone. “MUTED BECAUSE WE ARE ALL SCREAMING!” she wrote.

Jessica Chastain, like several others, reshared a comedic reaction video from fellow actress LaNisa Renee Frederick, who gives thanks for the strike ending before being forced to attend a potluck. “And thank God, because somebody suggested a potluck tomorrow,” Frederick says. “In solidarity and gratitude.”

Frances Fisher shared several Instagram posts, including the official statement from SAG-AFTRA on the deal, on Wednesday night. But her first post was one of personal celebration. “Day 118 #SagAftraStrike OVER! Officially at midnight tonight. We couldn’t have come so far without our Strike Captains and everyone on the picket lines. Your support fueled our resolve,” she wrote. “Thank you @writersguildwest @wgaeast @teamsters @iatse all the Crafts and Crews who walked with us. One day longer. One day stronger. It took till today.”

Yvette Nicole Brown posted a lengthy message that thanked union leadership, strike captains and guilds who stood in solidarity, alongside sharing her belief in unions and that “a labor force united is unstoppable.”

“Still processing the joy of this moment — one that I was starting to think would NEVER come. I had been in those strike streets since the writers were fighting for their fair share. It was starting to feel like forever. I am proud of the resolve we all showed. I am proud of the sense of community we built and celebrated. I am happy we never caved even when some (on both sides of the fight, sadly) did their best to make us,” she wrote. “Thank you to the other guilds who stood with us and who we stood with — and WILL stand with — in their fights for what is right. I’m so grateful to put my weathered strike shoes and sign down.”

Read more initial reactions below.