In an unusual move this year, the WGA Awards ceremonies were held more than a month after the 2024 Oscars, with the ceremony coming after 2023’s months-long writers strike. The union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers reached a new three-year deal in September, which provides protections against the use of artificial intelligence, data transparency and residuals tied to streaming success and guarantees for the minimum size of writers rooms.

At the New York ceremony, host Gondelman joked about the awards’ late slot on this year’s calendar: “This year we’re the final event of awards season. The Golden Globes, ancient history. The Oscars were our opening act. The Writers Guild Awards are the headliner of all of the awards shows. It has been a little while since some of the nominated work was released. The Succession finale was so long ago that since it aired Tom Wambsgans has already run the Waystar-Royco company fully into the ground.”

Gondelman also joked about challenges in the industry since the end of the strike, poking fun at both himself and Daily Show Monday host Jon Stewart.

“Since the writers strike ended, as a show of solidarity, I have remained unemployed,” the former Desus & Mero and Last Week Tonight writer said before joking about Stewart. “The strikes ended back in the fall, but some people are still getting back on their feet. Just to make ends meet, Jon Stewart was forced to take a part-time job working Monday nights.”

Early in the New York ceremony, it was revealed that the 2024 recipients of the WGA East’s Richard B. Jablow Award were the members and leadership of IATSE, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, SAG-AFTRA and American Federation of Musicians, for “demonstrating unwavering support and sacrifice during the WGA’s 148-day strike.” Jablow, for whom the award is named, helped found the WGAE, wrote its constitution and served as its first counsel.

WGAE president Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, who received the Jablow Award in 2020, presented this year’s award, saying: “To me, the most pivotal moments of the WGA strike of 2023 were each and every time we were joined by our sister unions. Each and every time Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians showed up to play honky tonk on the sidewalks of New York City. Each and every time a Teamster truck driver refused to cross our line. Each and every time an IATSE crewmember sacrificed their day’s pay for our cause. Each and every time a SAG-AFTRA actor grabbed a megaphone out of our hands and chanted chants that did not rhyme. Thank you for your solidarity. We are one union, and we stand by your side, forever.”

During the L.A. ceremony, Drew Carey was shown on screens inside the venue eating seemingly in a diner, and then he walked out into the crowd. The video was a reference to Carey’s generosity in paying for meals for the striking writers. Onstage, he said the last time he did this, “I think before it was like $67,000 … but some of you decided, ‘Oh yeah, I’m going to get a shake and dessert’ as it was way more this time. … When the bills started piling up my accountant called and was like, ‘Is there any way we can dial this back?’” He said no since he had already committed to it, and it was the right thing to do. “I talked to my agent and he said, ‘You’re going to lose your house over this,’ and I said, ‘Fine, I’ll lose my house,’” noting that he became a millionaire because of writers, so it was only fair to pay it back.