WGA Strike: Why Ryan Murphy Reportedly Threatened To Sue A Former Law & Order: SVU Showrunner

The Writers Guild of America strike continues to send shockwaves across nearly all movie and TV productions, as the WGA seeks a better approach to compensating writers for their work amidst the rapid technological developments of our era — including the recent advancements in artificial intelligence and streaming. The WGA strike has garnered plenty of industry solidarity, but as the labor union negotiates for the rights of its members, some strange undercurrents can form. One of the oddest recent developments involves prodigious showrunner Ryan Murphy, whose threat to sue WGA heavyweight Warren Leight emerged in an exclusive July 6 report by The Hollywood Reporter. 

Leight, a prominent WGA leader and a longtime former showrunner of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," reportedly drew Murphy's ire because of a June 21 tweet that insinuated the people working on "American Horror Story" would be ostracized from Murphy's future productions if they didn't go against the WGA strike. Murphy's people refuted these claims right away, but THR's article indicates that further steps have now been taken. 

Leight has already publicly addressed his claims about Murphy's show in a two-part tweet he posted on June 27. "While picketing this week, I heard unsubstantiated (and, I was then advised, completely false and inaccurate) claims about the production of AMERICAN HORROR STORY," he wrote. "In the heat of the moment, I made the mistake of not verifying the accuracy of such claims and posted a tweet with this misinformation. I immediately deleted the tweet. I wholeheartedly apologize to Mr. Murphy." 

Considering the reported lawsuit threat, however, it seems this apology wasn't enough for Murphy. Reportedly, Murphy getting in touch with the WBA's leadership via his lawyer about the subject of Leight's allegations has had an immediate impact on the WGA man. Leight has stepped back from his positions as the co-chair of the WGA's Strike Rules Compliance Committee and its strike captain on the East Coast.

Murphy, a WGA member himself, has continued work on "American Horror Story," American Horror Stories," and "American Sports Story" throughout the strike in his capacity as a director and a producer, which has led to an investigation by the very same WGA committee Leight was part of. While the WGA memo about the situation that THR published did implore members to remember that they shouldn't fight each other and keep their eye on the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, it also stated that the union intends to keep looking into whether Murphy has performed writing duties during the strike, as well as picketing his shows.