"My home number [and] 'If lost, please call Betty White.' "
Dee Cercone/Everett Collection/NewscomJoan Rivers issued a statement Friday regarding WGA charges pending against her for work on the non-union show Fashion Police. “This is such a bunch of bulls—t,” said Rivers according to Variety. “E! should hire Anthony Weiner to work with these people. He’d fit right in.”
The WGA East hasn’t released the charging document, but the charges appear to be for violation of the guild’s Working Rule 8, which prohibits working on a show not signed to a WGA agreement.
PHOTOS: Joan Rivers Turns 80: ‘Fashion Police’ Target Her Worst Outfits
Michael Winship, WGAE president, previously said in a statement, “The question of whether (Rivers) has, in fact, violated our working rules will be decided by the trial board. We cannot pre-judge the outcome, but we can say that it is a very serious matter when a member is accused of writing and showrunning on a noncovered show and continuing to do so after the other writers have decided to go on strike for reasonable pay and benefits.”
If found guilty, Rivers faces a fine that could be as high as all the money she’s made on the hit show in the last year, plus expulsion from the union. There’s a complicated appeals process available within the guild, and then a fine — if any — can be enforced in court.
Rivers’ statement Friday may come back to haunt her at the WGAE hearing, since it will no doubt be interpreted by the guild as showing a lack of concern for the no contract, no work rule.
The guild had no comment on Rivers’ remarks, but said that the three-member trial board was appointed earlier this week. Under WGAE rules, the guild will mail Rivers the charges at least 15 days prior to the start of the trial. The rules don’t otherwise specify when the trial will take place.
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