Only Murders in the Building actor Selena Gomez gets criticism for likely breaking SAG-AFTRA strike rules after posting a now-deleted Instagram video.
Instagram users are accusing Only Murders in the Building star Selena Gomez of violating SAG-AFTRA striking rules for posting a now-deleted video. Co-starring with Martin Short and Steve Martin (who is also the show’s co-creator and co-writer), Only Murders in the Building follows three strangers investigating mysterious deaths in their Upper West Side apartment. Charles (Martin), Mabel (Gomez), and Oliver’s (Short) shared appreciation for true-crime podcasts inspires the trio to make their own podcast series based on their discoveries. Though season 3 is currently streaming on Hulu, the cast cannot promote the mystery comedy due to SAG-AFTRA strike rules.
However, Gomez has received backlash from Instagram users for posting a video that tagged the Only Murders in the Building Instagram account. According to Variety, Gomez captioned the post “missing and wanting” and gathered over 1.1 million likes in 15 hours before deleting it from her account. While Gomez did not promote the TV series or even speak in the clip, the video appeared to come from the set of Only Murders in the Building.
Will Only Murders In The Building Continue Beyond Season 3 Despite The Strikes?
With over 428 million followers, Selena Gomez is the most-followed woman on Instagram and the third most-followed user in the world behind soccer players Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. In its conditions for striking, however, SAG-AFTRA outlines that actors cannot promote TV productions through interviews, social media, premiere events, or other means. Although there is some debate among Instagram users whether the video violated SAG-AFTRA rules, it cannot be denied that her post reached millions of individuals worldwide.
Despite the comedy needing to manage some promotional difficulties until the strike ends, its executive producer still feels optimistic about the future of Only Murders in the Building. John Hoffman shared that he sees the Hulu show as having “a good, long life” and hopes to extend its run for several more seasons. However, for that to happen, the comedy must have satisfactory viewership numbers and success for Hulu to prove it worthy of a renewal. This may become tricky since the cast cannot promote the show nor discuss the latest plot developments during its season 3 run.
Although Hulu has not officially announced a renewal for Only Murders in the Building season 4, new season 3 episodes featuring Selena Gomez and the rest of the ensemble are available to stream on Hulu every Tuesday. With half the season underway thus far, the season 3 finale is set to air on October 3.
