Actress Giovonnie Samuels is talking about the financial hardship that she has been experiencing amid the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in Hollywood.
During the former “All of That” actress’ video, she explained her reasoning for joining the SAG-AFTRA strike.
“I need y’all to understand that not all child stars are rich. Not all of us are ‘ballin.’ The leads of the cast…they get the big money checks. The supporting cast, like myself, we don’t get that. That’s why we’re striking,” Samuels explained.
She said she is simply asking for a living wage and health insurance.
“You have no idea how hard it is. We just came out of COVID, and now we are going into a strike. I used my 401K, my [inaudible], my savings to survive COVID. I don’t know what money y’all think I have or I’m saving up something…no, no, okay between family members stealing from me or doing a show where they didn’t pay me, or now I’m fighting for residuals because executives don’t want to give me a dime,” Samuels vented to the camera.
An emotional Samuels added that she currently works two jobs to handle her responsibilities for anyone screaming ‘Get a job!’
“I don’t make enough money to qualify for SAG Health Insurance and I make too much money to qualify for assistance, but not enough money to pay for whatever procedures I need out-of-pocket. This is why I strike!” the actress said,
SAG-AFTRA/WGA Strike Chat
Samuels recently joined fellow actress Kendra C. Johnson and multi-hyphenated talent Marco Martinez to discuss the current SAG-AFTRA and WGA Strike.
“SAGAFTRA/WGA Strike Chat… some facts! This was our first chat about the Actors and Writers strike. We plan to do it again. Praying the strike ends so quickly we don’t have the time. In the event that’s not the case – take a listen to this chat and stay tuned for Part Two!” Johnson wrote.
The group discussed the lack of residuals and the financial hardships that actors are currently going through.