Fran Drescher, who led the actors’ union during its historic 2023 strike, will not be running again for SAG-AFTRA president.
A list of national candidates seeking political office in the union’s 2025 elections that was released to members on Friday confirmed that the actor isn’t seeking a reappointment to the union’s top job after four years in charge.
Instead, a member of her 2023 political slate and negotiating committee, Sean Astin, is running for president. So too is Chuck Slavin, a SAG-AFTRA New England Local board member. Ballots will be collected between August 13 and September 12.
The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to a representative for Drescher for comment.
Drescher, who shot to stardom with her role on The Nanny in the ‘90s, surged back into the public consciousness as the actors’ leader during the strike in 2023. Her idiosyncratic approach to union leadership, which included bringing a heart-shaped plushie to negotiations and expounding Buddhist wisdom to her negotiating team, came to the fore during her union’s 118-day work stoppage.
Drescher commanded attention during the strike with her unvarnished takes on the situation, which included once asking if Disney CEO Bob Iger was an “ignoramus.” (In an interview with THR after the strike ended, Dresher pointed out that she is from Queens: “We don’t take no shit.”) She also occasionally sparked criticism, like when she appeared at a lavish Dolce & Gabbana event in Italy mid-contract negotiation and was snapped posing with Kim Kardashian. (A SAG-AFTRA press representative defended the move by saying it was tied to Drescher’s “brand ambassador” work.)
Even if Drescher — and her heart-shaped plushie — won’t be making an appearance at the bargaining table in 2026, it’s not like the actor will be taking a break from the public eye. Drescher’s acting career is in full force this year, as she is set to appear in the upcoming Spinal Tap II and has a starring role as Timothée Chalamet’s mom in the forthcoming A24 film Marty Supreme.