‘Parks and Recreation’ Cast Members Reunite on SAG-AFTRA Picket Line
As part of the SAG-AFTRA strike against the AMPTP, cast members from Parks and Recreation reunited on the picket line outside the Amazon Studios offices in Culver City, California, on Friday.
Representing the 2010s-era NBC workplace sitcom at the protest were series regulars Aubrey Plaza(April Ludgate), Adam Scott (Ben Wyatt), Nick Offerman (Ron Swanson), Retta (Donna Meagle), Jim O’Heir (Jerry Gergich).
Plaza and Retta both carried picket signs referencing Parks and Rec storylines. Plaza’s read, “Ann Perkins works for the AMPTP,” a nod to April’s frenemy on the show, played by Rashida Jones.
Retta’s sign, meanwhile, read, “I sold that little red thing for health insurance,” referencing a slinky outfit Donna mentions on the show.
#WGASTRONG pic.twitter.com/Vc2MmpzX0w
— Jonterri Gadson (@JaytotheTee) August 11, 2023
Joining those cast members on the picket line were various guest stars from Parks and Rec’s seven-season run: Ben Schwartz (Jean-Ralphio Saperstein), Colton Dunn (Brett Hull), Sam Elliott (Ron Dunn), Alison Becker (Shauna Malwae-Tweep), Kirk Fox (Joe Fantringham), Joe Mande (Morris Lerpiss), Susan Yeagley (Jessica Wicks), and Allan McLeod (Trodd Frankensteip), as seen in photos from TV writer Jonterri Gadson.
Showrunner Michael Schur also showed up for the reunion, as did co-creator Greg Daniels and writer Greg Levine, according to Entertainment Weekly.
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Perhaps the most notable protester in the bunch, however, was Li’l Sebastian, the miniature horse that was the pride of Pawnee on Parks and Recreation.
Since mid-July, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has been on strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The guild’s members are campaigning for increased residuals from streaming platforms and limits on the use of artificial intelligence, among other issues. The SAG-AFTRA strike coincides with the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike against the AMPTP, which started in May.
