People Are Just Realizing Fran Drescher Is The President Of SAG-AFTRA After She Gave A Fiery Speech About The Union Striking

    The Nanny star has served as president of SAG-AFTRA since 2021.

    Following a breakdown in negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the SAG-AFTRA union announced Wednesday that they will officially go on strike.

    They join the Writers Guild of America, which has been on strike since May. This is the first time the two Hollywood unions have struck at the same time since 1960, according to CBS News.

    If you didn't know, The Nanny star Fran Drescher is the president of SAG-AFTRA. She's been in the position since October of 2021.

    On Wednesday, the union held a press conference to announce the strike. There, Fran gave a speech that has quickly gone viral for her vocal frustration with the state of negotiations.

    "The eyes of the world, and particularly the eyes of labor, are upon us," she said. "What happens here is important because what's happening to us is happening across all fields of labor. By means of when employers make Wall Street and greed their priority and they forget about the essential contributors that make the machine run."

    She became more ardent as her speech went on. "I am shocked by the way the people that we have been in business with are treating us. I cannot believe it, quite frankly, how far apart we are on so many things," she said. You can watch her full speech below:

    View this video on YouTube

    CBS News/YouTube / Via youtube.com

    Fran was not the only actor to promptly respond to news of the strike. Also on Wednesday, the cast of Oppenheimer left the film's London premiere in solidarity with the union.

    Fran's speech was widely shared online Wednesday, where some admitted to not knowing The Nanny star (as seen here in a photo for the show) was president of the union. Check out those tweets and others about her speech below:

    TIL Fran Drescher, The Nanny, is the current president of SAG-AFTRA. Spending her days now fighting for working conditions for actors across the board. https://t.co/sbQnUQrKFE pic.twitter.com/OQlScxK16N

    — Bob Wulff _(┐「ε:)_ᶻzZ (@BobWulff) July 13, 2023
    @BobWulff/Twitter / Via Twitter: @BobWulff

    how did i not know that fran drescher was the president of SAG-AFTRA https://t.co/5kgzerQ28F

    — el (@seafIwrs) July 13, 2023
    @seafIwrs/Twitter / Via Twitter: @seafIwrs

    Way to crush it, @frandrescher! United we stand. 🪧

    — Elijah Wood (@elijahwood) July 13, 2023
    @elijahwood/Twitter / Via Twitter: @elijahwood

    Holy Cow. Go Fran Go! This was a powerful statement. I stand with Fran and everyone in SAG and WGA in this extended moment...onwards https://t.co/1TO5xqkF4l

    — Mr. Bob Odenkirk (@mrbobodenkirk) July 13, 2023
    @mrbobodenkirk/Twitter / Via Twitter: @mrbobodenkirk

    Fran been holding it down since The Nanny https://t.co/hjNQLHGi5K pic.twitter.com/Mr5bxVLAbb

    — eclectic lunar aura (@milkofcolor) July 13, 2023
    @milkofcolor/CBS/Twitter / Via Twitter: @milkofcolor

    Fran Drescher becoming one of the consequential union leaders of our time is an arc I am absolutely delighted by as both a union gal and a '90s kid.

    — Emily St. James (@emilystjams) July 13, 2023
    @emilystjams/Twitter / Via Twitter: @emilystjams

    "I am shocked by the way people we have been in business with are treating us, how they're pleading poverty while giving hundreds of millions of dollars to their CEO's." A visibly distraught Fran Drescher. I love the links she's making to labor movements. @sagaftra pic.twitter.com/N6pQVhjuPt

    — Jen Richards (@SmartAssJen) July 13, 2023
    @SmartAssJen/Twitter / Via Twitter: @SmartAssJen

    If things go like they did last time SAG and the WGA stuck together, Fran Drescher will soon be president of the United States

    — Vali Chandrasekaran (@therealvali) July 13, 2023
    @therealvali/Twitter / Via Twitter: @therealvali