Dermot Mulroney is showing his support for the writers on strike — in somewhat dramatic fashion.
Mulroney walked off “The View” during a segment that is scheduled to air on Friday, a source tells Variety, explaining to the hosts that he was going to “symbolically walk off in support of the writers” as he left the stage toward the end of his interview.
Before leaving the stage, the actor asked the hosts if they were getting ready to go to commercial break and then thanked them before walking off mid-segment, according to an individual who was on-set, who adds that Mulroney’s interview was friendly and went smoothly, covering topics of his upcoming Disney+ series “Secret Invasion,” his past roles, his career, family and work ethic and longevity in Hollywood. When Mulroney left the stage, Variety is told the hosts remained professional and Joy Behar plugged his Disney+ series as she tossed to break.
After his walk-off gesture, Mulroney returned to the stage for photos with “The View” hosts during commercial break.
Even though Mulroney’s segment was pre-taped, his segment is planned to air exactly as it happened, Variety hears, and the moment with him leaving the stage is not expected to be edited out. (In the summer months, “The View” airs live four days per week, but Friday shows are pre-taped.)
Variety has reached out to ABC for comment.
In a statement to Variety, Mulroney says, “Since I have such respect for ‘The View,’ a news program with a heart, it was there that I felt comfortable enough to draw attention to the ongoing WGA strike for fair wages and working hours, as I find it incredibly important to continue to support the union.”
Mulroney was on “The View” to promote his Disney+ show, Marvel’s “Secret Invasion,” which premieres on Friday. (Disney owns Marvel and ABC, which airs “The View.”)
The WGA strike has now spanned over 50 days with no resolution. Earlier this week, hundreds of Hollywood union members gathered for a rally in Los Angeles to stand in solidarity with striking writers.
Many daytime shows have been affected by the writers strike and put on hiatus, but “The View” has continued to stay on the air throughout the strike, as the majority of its staffers are not union members. A couple of the show’s writers are impacted and not currently working on the show, but “The View” is primarily unscripted — as regularly evidenced by the hosts’ banter and hiccups.