Rob McElhenney Has A Message For The ‘Most Powerful People In Our Industry’ During The Coronavirus Scare

With the coronavirus causing TV show and movie productions to shut down, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet co-creator (and all-around fascinating guy) Rob McElhenney is urging studios to continue paying their staffs.

“Here is what the most powerful people in our industry can do to help those in our community who need it most: Convince the studios to continue paying people during the shut-downs. This is a very complicated issue,” McElhenney (who stressed that “studios who have not committed to continuing payroll are NOT evil”) wrote on Twitter before laying out his plan. Following Mythic Quest‘s two week hiatus, which “hopefully [slows] the curve of this thing and buys the healthcare system some time,” he tweeted, “we will create a protocol of medical clearance for each and every person to return, including doing exams on everyone before return and then remaining on set for continued vigilance. The sets will be properly sterilized in accordance with CDC guidelines and we’ll all be keeping up with basic common sense measures.” McElhenney continued:

“Make no mistake, this is not ideal. A complete quarantine of a few months would be best. But that’s not going to happen without a total restructuring of life as we know it. So… 2 weeks seems right. This would be a major hit to the studios and the producers. But so many of us have profited and benefitted from this system in astronomical ways. It is times like this when we all have to make sacrifices. Especially for those who helped us to profit and benefit. The upsides here aren’t just for those getting their checks. Thousands are living week to week which means that they will be forced to seek employment. Which means they’ll be out in the world, putting others at risk. And who can blame them? They need to provide for themselves and their families.”

You can read the whole Twitter thread below, but McElhenney’s main takeaway is: “This only really works if EVERYBODY makes the commitment to help. Just shutting down without a plan is not an option. I am so fortunate that I am in a position to help. I wouldn’t be here without the support of an entire community. No one in my position is.”

In lighter news, McElhenney called Scary Movie 4 a “masterpiece.” Which, yes.