LOS ANGELES, Jan. 2 U.S. Republican presidential contender Mike Huckabee was expected to cross a picket line to appear on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."
Leno was set to go back on the air Wednesday night after the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike shut down his show for two months.
The guild has vowed to picket all late-night shows, including Leno's, which resume production without their writing staffs.
CNN reported that Huckabee told reporters earlier Wednesday he thought a "special arrangement" had been made between late-night shows and the striking writers that would allow the programs to go back on the air without reprisal from the guild.
"So I don't anticipate it's a crossing of the picket line. I support the writers by the way, unequivocally. Absolutely," CNN quoted him as saying.
However, only shows produced by the Worldwide Pants production company -- "Late Show with David Letterman" and "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" -- have such an agreement to return to television with their writers and therefore avoid picketing by the guild.
Huckabee's campaign told CNN he still planned to appear on "The Tonight Show."
Copyright 2008 by UPI
