Everything the Chicago Fire, PD and Med casts have said about the SAG Strike

On July 13, SAG-AFTRA officially went on strike for the first time since 1960 which means that all working actors who are part of the Screen Actors Guild are on strike. This includes actors from all three One Chicago shows with the Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, and Chicago Med stars all on strike alongside their SAG-AFTRA guild members.

With SAG-AFTRA on strike, the One Chicago casts are now on strike. Here is everything that has been said about the current strike. This piece was last updated on Sunday, July 16, 2023. New updates will be added as the cast makes additional statements.

Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Chicago Med stars react to SAG-AFTRA strike

S. Epatha Merkerson, star of Chicago Med: On July 14, 2023, S. Epatha Merkerson took to Instagram to share her solitary for the SAG-AFTRA strike. While Merkerson did not share a caption with her image, her post subtly showed support for the strike by sharing the SAG-AFTRA Stroke strike poster icon.

Kristen Hager, former Chicago Med star: On July 15, former Chicago Med star Kristen Hager took to Instagram to share a series of photos from a SAG-AFTRA strike in which she joined fellow actors on the picket line.

“Day 1. Out here in the heat, bringing the heat! Babies and all. UNITED WE STAND. Let’s go [SAG-AFTRA],” Hager wrote.

Steven Weber, star of Chicago Med: Since the strike began, Steven Weber has been actively sharing updates on Instagram connected to the strike. In his first post, Weber released the following statement when sharing a screenshot of a Discussing Film update:

"Y’know those movies where the villain is some empathy-free greedy bastard who has zero compassion for fellow human beings and is only in the game to line his pockets, like the bad guys in Mr.Deeds Goes to Town, It’s A Wonderful Life, The Wolf of Wall Street or Robocop? Well, this is that."

On July 15, Weber showed support for background performers in regard to statements made about how companies feel they should be able to use an actor’s likeness via AI scans and own their likeness to be used however they see fit without any payment to the actors:

"I have acted alongside background artists (formerly referred to as “extras”) for the 40 years I have been fortunate enough to work as an actor (and been a background artist myself). It can be fun and engaging but it is mostly a challenging job requiring extreme patience and skill. Background artists are essential to television and film production. It is truly incomprehensible that “management” is putting every human element it can find in the crosshairs in order to maximize profit. It’s cruel, stupid and a bad business model, except if your business is a goddamn pyramid scheme. And guess what: this will not be confined to the entertainment industry. AI should be used for scientific purposes, to explore space, to figure out how to deal with pollution, to cure cancer, whatever. Not to take away people’s livelihoods."

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Marina Squerciati, star of Chicago PD: Though Squerciati has not yet released any formal statements via social media, she has since updated her Instagram profile photo to the SAG-AFTRA Strong strike logo.

Jesse Lee Soffer, former star of Chicago PD: In an Instagram post shared on July 15, former Chicago PD actor Jesse Lee Soffer shared his support for the strike and the union he’s been a proud member of for over three decades.

“Proud member since 1991. This union has supported me for 32 years! I stand strong with SAG-AFTRA,” Soffer wrote on Instagram in a post accompanying a photo of his SAG-AFTRA membership.

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