Straw Hat Goofy under fire for comments on SAG

Popular movie influencer ‘Straw Hat Goofy’ is facing the internet’s ire after making divisive comments regarding the ongoing SAG-AFTRA actors’ strike.

The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (or SAG-AFTRA, for short) is currently on strike alongside the Writers’ Guild of America for better pay, protections against AI, and more.

As a result, A-List actors have walked out of movie premiers in solidarity, as seen when the cast of Oppenheimer exited the film’s premier ahead of its viral launch this weekend.

Guild actors are urging each other not to cross the picket line during the ongoing strike, which has prompted quite a conversation on social media as influencers and those in related fields speak out on the subject.

One such influencer is coming under fire for his thoughts on the strike: ‘Straw Hat Goofy,’ best known for his coverage of all things film-related. Readers may have seen him in the previews before movies at AMC Theaters alongside ‘Noovie’ host Maria Menounos.

In a now-deleted TikTok video, Straw Hat Goofy created a skit discussing how he, as a non-union influencer, wasn’t involved in the strike and that he will continue to accept contracts from big film studios to create content.

This prompted the ire of many commenters, who called him out for not standing with actors in solidarity with the strike.

Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.

Straw Hat Goofy later uploaded a video addressing the backlash, where he offered an apology to SAG actors but clarified that he is “under contract” with certain studios and will continue to honor those agreements.

This response has also sparked some backlash, with actor, writer, and SAG member Charlie Capen criticizing Goofy’s explanation in a video.

“Oh buddy, you fundamentally misunderstand the point,” Capen said. “The whole point is to not honor the contracts that are given because you’re trying to help support other people in their negotiating and bargaining.”

SAG-AFTRA has now released its official guidelines regarding its strike, which state that “influencers may still pursue commercial work, including influencer-generated brand deals covered by the SAG-AFTRA Influencer Agreement and/or Influencer Waiver.”

However, influencers should not “accept any new work for promotion of struck companies or their content” — but, “if an influencer is already under contract to promote struck work, then the influencer should fulfill their work obligation.”

It’s important to note that SAG-AFTRA is not calling for a consumer strike, so movie lovers are free to attend film screenings such as Oppenheimer, which you can read our glowing review for right here on Dexerto.