Ageism in Hollywood
“So, do you ever hire older writers on those sitcoms of yours?” asked the older writer in a challenging tone of voice as I was slipping the (useless) cardboard ring around the stem of my coffee cup.
I nodded vigorously. “Of course we do,” I said. “We like to work with writers who have more experience. In fact, we work regularly with two or three writers in their sixties.”
I mentioned their names. The Greek Fisherman shrugged. “Oh, those guys,” he said. “I know those guys. But they’re, you know, good writers. I don’t mean them. I mean, do you ever hire just ordinary older writers? The older ones that aren’t good?”
“Honestly, we try to hire only good writers,” I said.
“See, that’s ageism,” the Greek Fisherman said.