Drew Barrymore Halts Talk Show Return After Backlash, Will Resume When Strike Ends

Drew Barrymore isn’t bringing back her daytime talk show “The Drew Barrymore Show” until the strike ends, after all. The decision comes a week after the actor was criticized for saying “The Drew Barrymore Show” would premiere on Sept. 18 in compliance with WGA guidelines and without writers.

“I have listened to everyone, and I am making the decision to pause the show’s premiere until the strike is over,” she wrote on Instagram. “I have no words to express my deepest apologies to anyone I have hurt and, of course, to our incredible team who works on the show and has made it what it is today. We really tried to find our way forward. And I truly hope for a resolution for the entire industry very soon.”

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Barrymore faced swift blowback for her decision to resume taping her talk show despite Hollywood’s ongoing labor strikes. As part of the fallout, National Book awards rescinded Barrymore’s invitation to host its upcoming annual award ceremony.

As long as hosts or guest don’t discuss or promote struck work, Barrymore wouldn’t have been violating SAG-AFTRA rules. (The Network Code agreement allows daytime hosts to perform hosting duties.) But Barrymore’s show operates with union writers, so new episodes would have required the hiring of non-WGA members (or no one at all) to script the show.

At the time, the WGA condemned Barrymore’s decision in a statement, saying, “Drew Barrymore should not be on the air while her writers are on strike fighting for a fair deal. In reality, shows like this cannot operate without writing, and that is struck work.”

“The Jennifer Hudson Show” and “The Talk” have also set plans to restart on Monday while the writers and actors remain on the picket lines. Other morning talk shows that have returned this season include “Live With Kelly and Mark” and “Tamron Hall Show,” neither of which have writers and are not covered by the WGA.

Barrymore apologized in a now-deleted video, in which she says she owned the choice to bring back her show. “I certainly couldn’t have expected this kind of attention,” she said. “I wanted to do this because as I said, this is bigger than me, and there are other people’s jobs on the line.”

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