Ryan Murphy Threatens to Sue Writers Guild Strike Captain Over Tweet

Out producer and American Horror Story co-creator Ryan Murphy has threatened a member of the Writers Guild of America with a lawsuit over accusations made regarding strike violations.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Murphy's attorney sent a letter to the WGA regarding a tweet posted by Warren Leight, an East Coast strike captain and Strike Rules Compliance Committee co-chair.

In the tweet, which has since been deleted, Leight claimed that crewmembers working on American Horror Story told him they would be "blackballed in Murphy-land" if they did not cross picket-lines. A spokesperson for Murphy called the allegations “absolute nonsense" and "categorically false.”

The Writers Guild of America has been on strike since May 2 following failed negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

While production has been halted or delayed on a number of shows and movies, three projects produced by Murphy are moving ahead during the strike: American Horror Story season 12, American Horror Stories season 3, and American Sports Story season 1.

In response to Murphy's threat of litigation, Leight retracted his allegations and apologized in a follow-up tweet, stating that the claims he heard were "unsubstantiated...completely false and inaccurate," and that he "made the mistake of not verifying the accuracy of such claims."

According to a memo sent by WGA East officers and obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Leight has also forfeited his Guild positions as strike captain and co-chair of the Strike Rules Compliance Committee.

Murphy is himself a member of WGA West, but is allowed to continue working as a producer and director so long as he does not act in the role of a writer.

The WGA East memo notes that they will "continue to investigate all leads" regarding Murphy's alleged strike violations. If he is found to have broken strike rules, the showrunner may face fines and be suspended or expelled from the Guild.