SAG-AFTRA members are pictured on the picket line outside of Warner Bros. Discovery on Aug. 10, 2023 in New York. (Angela Weiss/AFP Getty)
TikTok star Darcy Michael said ‘absolutely not’ when a studio offered him $25,000 for a sponsored deal to promote a TV show right before the SAG-AFTRA strike, realizing the offer was “at least 30 percent higher” than usual for a reason.
“I was like, ‘Oh, wait, this is because it’s going to come out during the strike.’ We ain’t doing that,” Michael explained in an interview with the Daily News. “It was definitely them trying to get people to say yes to fast cash, because how do you promote a show if you can’t use any of the actors?”
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The unspecified network approached the viral Tik Toker requesting a 15-second video to be shared with Michael’s 3.6 million followers. Michael’s decision to decline was based on his conviction to ‘stand for something’ he believes in.
TikTok influencer Darcy Michael.
“Everything’s top-heavy and it just drives me insane. There’s no appreciation for the people who are actually creating the things that we emotionally connect to. Think about every time you watch a show and you laugh or you watch a movie and you cry. That is a writer that has made you feel that way first, actor second, director third, movie executives very last.”
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“If Hollywood gets mad at me for calling them out, f–k ‘em, I don’t care. I stand with actors and writers, always.”
SAG-AFTRA has made it clear that influencers who partner with studios and streamers during the strike would jeopardize future entry into the union, leading many social media stars to cancel deals, promotions, and offers.
The content creator, who started as an actor, launched his thriving online brand with husband Jeremy Baer during the pandemic and now rakes in about 50 million views a month across his socials. He says the platforms “did something that traditional TV could not do for me for 18 years, and that was find my audience.”
Actor Iain Armitage joins SAG-AFTRA members on the picket line outside of Warner Bros. Discovery on August 10, 2023 in New York. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
That audience is now the reason the actor turned TikTok comedian is embarking on a 50-city tour, which is selling out theaters across Canada and North America. But the social media maven says he realizes this is not the reality for many of his fellow artists.
“All my friends are actors and I know how s—ty they’re being paid. You look at these studios and it’s insane that they won’t give up some of the money.”
“I think the union is really smart to go on strike and I think it’s going to be a very painful strike. I don’t think it’s going to get resolved this year,” Michael noted. “It’s just greed. That’s all it is, they’re just greedy.”
When asked why he feels so strongly on the matter, despite his own success he says, “You can have a good life without sacrificing who you are and what you believe in,” he expressed.
“I’m a dad and I want my daughter to know that integrity isn’t for sale.”