Melissa Gilbert Slams SAG-AFTRA’s ‘Infantile’ Halloween Restrictions: ‘We Look Like A Joke’

Melissa Gilbert, the former president of SAG-AFTRA from 2001-2005, thinks that SAG-AFTRA’s new Halloween guidelines are ridiculous.

On Thursday, the Little House on the Prairie star called out the guild and its leaders for their “infantile” stance on Halloween costumes as the actors’ strike continues.

Alongside an image of a Hollywood Reporter story about the guild’s rules, Gilbert wrote on Instagram, “THIS is what you guys come up with? Literally, no one cares what anyone wears for Halloween. I mean, do you really think this kind of infantile stuff is going to end the strike? We look like a joke.”

She continues, “Please tell me you’re going to make this rule go away…. and go negotiate! For the love of God, people are suffering mightily and this is what you have to say… c’mon.”

On Wednesday, SAG-AFTRA posted “Halloween guidance” from the guild on their website, an infographic that encourages union members to dress in general costumes, such as witches, ghosts, zombies or animated characters, instead of ones that emulate movie characters.

The notice concludes, “Let’s use our collective power to send a loud and clear message to our struck employees that we will not promote their contact without a fair contract.”

Gilbert ended her caption, “This is the kind of silly b— s— that keeps us on strike. ‘Let’s enact a policy that makes us look petty and incompetent at the same time.’”

Some actors have shared their mixed feelings on the restriction.

Adam Driver and Jessica Chasten have both said they remain in solidarity with the cause but are disappointed they aren’t able to promote their respective films this spooky season.

At the Venice Film Festival premiere of Driver’s upcoming movie Ferrari in early September, Driver said he was proud to promote the SAG leadership directive.

He asked rhetorically, “Why is it that a smaller distribution company like Neon and STX International can meet the dream demands of what SAG is asking for, the dream version of SAG’s wishlist, but a big company like Netflix and Amazon can’t?”

“Every time people from SAG go and support a movie that has met the terms of the interim agreement, it just makes it more obvious that these people are willing to support the people that they collaborate with — and the others are not,” he added.

The strike has lasted over 100 days as actors continue to negotiate over the use of AI, streaming residual wages and many more issues.

The writer’s strike concluded in late September after 148 days.