Writers Sound Off About Litigious ‘SEAL Team’ Staffer Who Claims He Lost Gig Because He Was White & Male
A lawsuit filed by a SEAL Team script coordinator and freelancer who claims he was denied a writing position because he’s a straight white guy has already struck a chord with fellow scribes.
Many took to X to express their frustration with freelance scribe Brian Beneker, who says in the complaint that he suffered by not being part of “the favored hiring groups; that is, they were nonwhite, LGBTQ, or female.” He also called out the “illegal policy” of diversity, equity and inclusion measures.
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Beneker, who has worked on SEAL Team since 2017 and before that was a script coordinator on Sons of Anarchy, claims in 2019 that he questioned current showrunner Spencer Hudnut over why previous showrunner John Glenn had hired a new male writer when Glenn claimed at the time that “there were already too many staff writers and there was no room for CBS to hire [Beneker].”
“Hudnut indicated it was because he was Black,” the complaint says.
While continuing his job as script coordinator, Beneker wrote three episodes of the David Boreanaz-led series in 2019. He has another one supposedly set to air as the eighth episode of the series’ upcoming seventh and final season. His suit is backed by former Trump White House advisor Stephen Miller’s nonprofit America First Legal Foundation.
Many writers called Beneker’s bluff by either citing UCLA’s annual Hollywood diversity report, or calling out his past performance.
“I worked with this guy in 2000–I was a writer, he was a script coordinator and a seriously odd duck THEN,” wrote Jorge A. Reyes (Queen of the South) on X. “He thinks never gotten a staff writer job in 24 years because he’s white? …. Now, in an effort to not face that truth, he links up with Trump’s Minister of Information in a bullshit crybaby-ass lawsuit whose only real purpose is as a cudgel against still-underrepresented groups who STILL hold historically low numbers of the available jobs here.”
“As a woman of color, I know that many people see me and automatically think ‘unqualified for the job’; until I can prove otherwise,” wrote Helen Shang (13 Reasons Why). “You’re not the default. We doubt you. So justify yourself. It’s the boulder that I and others continue to have to push.”
Adds The Black List founder Franklin Leonard, “There’s a lot of genuinely hilarious stuff here, but seeking a court order to make you a full time producer on the show you’ve been script coordinating is truly incredible stuff.”
Beneker is seeking $500,000 in alleged lost wages, and “an injunction requiring defendants to offer plaintiff a full-time job as a producer.” Click to read Beneker’s discrimination lawsuit, which was filed last week in U.S. District Court in California.
Here’s a sampling of more X posts from Hollywood writers/staffers:
That Seal Team lawsuit reads like a series of Mad Libs…which is ironic because he's mad at libs.
— Myles Warden (@ReallyMighty) March 4, 2024
Guys. I’ve been a heterosexual white man script coordinator for a few years now. Why didn’t anyone tell me about suing studios and showrunners?!?!?!
— Zack Morrison (@ZackMorrison18) March 5, 2024
We knew this was coming. But let’s talk stats… 44% of WOC leave the entertainment industry after 10 years experience because they don’t hit a glass ceiling; it’s concrete. @Inclusionists stats show we are going backwards. Facts matter not feelings. https://t.co/m6E78OMhdI
— Cheryl (@Cheryl_CLBP) March 5, 2024
stop telling white male writers there's no jobs for them because of diversity initiatives when the truth is they're simply not cutting the mustard and you don't wanna say that. it's insulting to all parties and also verifiably not what's happening in the industry https://t.co/bqhXsiPHnQ
— caitie delaney (@caitiedelaney) March 4, 2024
I think something we need to consider about that SEAL team script coord is he’s been a script coord since 2008 and has possibly lost his mind. No one should be tracking changes and be avail 24/7 for 16 years. Your mind will turn to jelly
— danielle weisberg for hire (@danielleweisber) March 5, 2024
I know nothing about the specifics of this situation. Apparently there's a showrunner out there who ought to be able to clarify pretty quickly how this went down. But I do know one thing about qualifications, having hired writers before…
https://t.co/GC4Xkea0Ue via @thr— Brandon Margolis (@BrandonMargolis) March 5, 2024
Regardless of your opinion of the individual writer suing CBS/Paramount, I think we should generally normalize writers suing and shame companies violating employment law—not the other way around.
— Van (@VanTheBrand) March 5, 2024
Deeply embarrassing on the script coordinator's part but everyone who uses "diversity" as an "easy" excuse for not hiring or promoting people are complicit here too. Diversity is way too often used as an excuse for not hiring or promoting someone you had no intention to hire. https://t.co/UHkxYDvV2M
— Brittany Van Horne (@_brittanyv) March 5, 2024
Script coordinator has been a broken job for a long time. The wages are low for the skillset ($25/hour I believe) and schedule expectations trade-off is implied opportunity for advancement, which happens more and more rarely. By contrast, script supervisors make $40/hour minimum.
— Brenden Gallagher (@brendengallager) March 5, 2024
UCLA releases a diversity report every single year. Anyone can google it. White men are the majority of writers in HW. They make up the majority of writers rooms. This is not an opinion. This is a fact. You lose jobs to each other. To other white people. https://t.co/VfH1mUPE9J
— Dani Fernandez (@msdanifernandez) March 5, 2024
Losing jobs to "diversity quotas"?
😒
The (thoroughly researched, data-driven) receipts say otherwise.https://t.co/qDmgZ1IYfn pic.twitter.com/8Bn6xpoRfr— chandra thomas (@chandra7thomas) March 5, 2024
“The show that knew me, my work ethic, and my creative abilities better than any other show on Earth didn’t want to hire me so now I guess I’ll sue my way into a career.” https://t.co/2XH4dKW2Hy
— Jim Fagan (@JamesFagan) March 5, 2024
You're never really alone when you're a Black person cause there's always a White man blaming you for the jobs they can't get . pic.twitter.com/F0VjcNrlQe
— blk fem aaron sorkin got art to create (@uhdresejwrites) March 4, 2024
That man suing CBS is also demanding they make him a producer.
If that’s not PEAK WHITENESS I don’t know what the fuck else is LMAO
(Please somebody go find a writing sample of his lol) pic.twitter.com/PBP7LnPjUC— Kellee Terrell (@kelleent) March 5, 2024
…..woooooooow.
This is why you stay on Writer Twitter. Truth comes out. https://t.co/2IxLv1bdFb— Joseph Mwamba (@JoeMightLikeTV) March 5, 2024
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