Veteran showrunner Tim Doyle has been publicly censured by the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) after a guild panel found him guilty of posting a racist image on Facebook last year. The incident has sparked significant controversy and discussion within the writing community and beyond.
The WGAW initiated charges against Doyle under Article X of its Constitution and Bylaws. The charges stemmed from an August 9, 2023, post in a Facebook group for WGAW members. The image, perceived by many as a racist and offensive depiction of a lynching, led to Doyle being charged with engaging in conduct prejudicial to the welfare of the Guild and unfair dealing with other members.
The guild’s trial committee concluded that Doyle’s post constituted conduct prejudicial to the welfare of the Guild and unfair dealing. Based on the trial committee’s findings, the WGAW board determined that Doyle’s actions warranted public censure.
Doyle could not be immediately reached for comment. The WGAW’s announcement of Doyle’s censure has elicited a range of reactions from writers and others on social media. The post in question caused outrage in August 2023, during a period when thousands of TV and film writers had been on strike for over three months. Doyle apologized in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, expressing regret and stating that his intention with the “silly joke” was misunderstood.
The image at the center of the controversy was described as a black-and-white drawing of a man hanging upside down from a tree, which many interpreted as evoking a lynching. The WGAW’s practice of conducting private investigations and disciplinary actions against members has long been a contentious issue among its membership. For instance, after the 2007-2008 strike, then “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno was scrutinized during a trial for jokes made on-air during the strike but was ultimately cleared of wrongdoing.
Doyle’s extensive list of TV credits includes comedies such as “Rules of Engagement,” “Last Man Standing,” “Dr. Ken,” “Speechless,” and “Better Off Ted.” Most recently, he served as showrunner and creator of “Schooled,” a short-lived spinoff of ABC’s family comedy “The Goldbergs.”
In a letter to members, the union’s board of directors detailed the charges against Doyle following the August 9 post. Doyle was charged with engaging in conduct prejudicial to the welfare of the Guild and unfair dealing with other members, as outlined in Article X.A., Section 1 of the Constitution.
Doyle has maintained that the drawing, posted during the TV and film writers’ strike, was intended as a joke. The drawing depicted a man hanging upside down from a tree. Following a hearing where evidence was presented and Doyle’s testimony was taken, a union trial committee found Doyle guilty as charged.
The WGAW Board of Directors adopted the trial committee’s findings, determining that Doyle’s conduct warranted public censure. The board’s letter to members emphasized that Doyle’s August 9, 2023, posting constituted conduct prejudicial to the welfare of the Guild and unfair dealing.
The Hollywood Reporter reached out to Doyle for comment. The post in question was an August 9 response to a post commemorating the 100th day of the WGA’s 2023 strike. In response, Doyle posted “I just got my tree up!” alongside a black-and-white image of someone hanging from a tree, which many found highly suggestive of a lynching. The backlash was swift, with page administrator Keith Powell describing the post as “epically horrible, racist, self-martyring, vile, clueless, out-of-touch, boneheaded, disturbing and toxic.”
In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter in the summer of 2023, Doyle expressed deep regret for the post, describing it as a botched joke resulting from inactivity during the strikes. He explained that he was bored and wrote a lot of jokes, and in a moment of poor judgment, he chose the wrong piece of clip art to accompany a joke about killing himself after 100 days on the picket line. Doyle stated that he Googled the words “cartoon man hanging from a tree,” and the image that came up was what he posted. He insisted that the incident was a misunderstanding.
Doyle admitted that when he learned about the backlash, his stomach dropped. He acknowledged that his imagination did not take him to the place where others would interpret the drawing as they did. He now understands the interpretation and regrets the post, though he initially did not see it that way.
The page’s administrator, Powell, noted that Doyle received a “strike” for the post, and the page operates on a three-strikes rule. Powell emphasized that a man of Doyle’s age and stature should know the history of lynching in America. Doyle sent an apology to the group and to Powell, agreeing to be more considerate and thoughtful about future posts.
The Writers Guild of America West has publicly censured showrunner Tim Doyle after finding him guilty of posting a racist image on Facebook last year. Doyle was charged with posting a photo on August 9, 2023, in a WGAW member Facebook group that other members perceived as a racist and offensive depiction of a lynching.
The WGA’s trial committee found that Doyle’s post constituted conduct prejudicial to the welfare of the Guild and unfair dealing, leading the guild’s board to determine that his conduct warranted public censure.
Doyle expressed regret for the post in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, explaining that he was bored and wrote a lot of jokes. He described the incident as a misunderstanding and emphasized that his heart was in the right place, though he did not mean to hurt or anger anyone.
Doyle’s extensive TV credits include “Rules of Engagement,” “Last Man Standing,” “Dr. Ken,” “Speechless,” and “Better Off Ted.” He most recently served as showrunner and creator of the short-lived “The Goldbergs” spinoff “Schooled.”
Writer-director-actor Keith Powell, one of the Writers Guild Facebook group’s admins, described Doyle’s post as “epically horrible, racist, self-martyring, vile, clueless, out-of-touch, boneheaded, disturbing and toxic.” Others also criticized Doyle when the post was made public.
The union sent a letter to members calling the image Doyle shared in 2023 on social media “racist.” The guild emphasized that Doyle was charged with engaging in conduct prejudicial to the welfare of the Guild and unfair dealing with other members, as outlined in Article X.A., Section 1 of the Constitution.
Doyle’s post depicted a man hanging from a tree, which he claimed was an accident. However, WGA West members did not accept this explanation. After hearing evidence, including Doyle’s testimony, a trial committee of current members in good standing found Doyle guilty as charged.
Doyle’s credits over the past 30 years include “Roseanne,” “Grace Under Fire,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Rules of Engagement,” “Better Off Ted,” and “The Kids Are Alright.”
Source: Variety, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly
