‘Last Man Standing’ Showrunner Tim Doyle Censured By WGA West For Facebook Posting Of “Racist And Offensive” Image

Longtime showrunner Tim Doyle, whose credits include Rules of Engagement, Last Man Standing, and Better Off Ted, has been censured by the Writers Guild of America West for posting a “racist and offensive depiction of a lynching” on Facebook last year.

In a letter to members today, the union’s board of directors said that charges were initiated against Doyle after the August 9, 2023, Facebook post. “Mr. Doyle was charged with engaging in conduct prejudicial to the welfare of the Guild and unfair dealing with other members in violation of Article X.A., Section 1 of the Constitution,” the letter states.

Doyle has insisted that the drawing, posted during the TV and film writers strike, was intended as a joke. The drawing depicted a man hanging upside down from a tree.

Following a hearing in which evidence was presented and Doyle’s testimony taken, a union trial committee determined Doyle “guilty as charged.”

“The WGAW Board of Directors (“Board”) adopted the trial committee’s findings that Mr. Doyle’s August 9, 2023 posting constituted conduct prejudicial to the welfare of the Guild and unfair dealing,” the letter states. “The Board determined that Mr. Doyle’s conduct warrants public censure.”