Drew Barrymore Pauses “The Drew Barrymore Show” Premiere Amid Labor Strikes
Drew Barrymore has announced a pause in the premiere of her daytime talk show, “The Drew Barrymore Show,” in response to ongoing labor strikes in the entertainment industry. This decision comes after the actor initially stated that the show would return in accordance with WGA guidelines and without writers, prompting criticism.
In an Instagram post, Barrymore expressed her deep apologies for any hurt caused by her initial decision and acknowledged the complexity of the situation. She also expressed hope for a resolution in the industry soon.
A spokesperson for CBS Media Ventures, the show’s distributor, expressed support for Barrymore’s decision to pause the show’s return and acknowledged the challenges she faced.
As a result of this decision, “The Drew Barrymore Show” will air repeats for the foreseeable future, and episodes taped last week during production resumption will not be aired.
Barrymore’s initial choice to bring back the show had faced criticism from the Writers Guild of America (WGA), as the show operates with union writers. Barrymore’s decision was driven, in part, by contractual obligations with station partners across the daytime TV industry. The National Book Awards also rescinded her invitation to host its upcoming annual award ceremony in response to her earlier decision.
Although Barrymore’s show could have continued as long as hosts and guests did not discuss or promote struck work, the WGA had condemned her decision, asserting that shows like hers depend on writing, which constitutes struck work.
Following Barrymore’s pause, other daytime talk shows, including CBS’ “The Talk” and “The Jennifer Hudson Show,” also announced that they would not return as planned. “The View” has continued airing without its writers, while “Live With Kelly and Mark” and the “Tamron Hall Show” do not have writers and are not covered by the WGA.
Barrymore had previously apologized in a now-deleted video over the weekend, stating that she had made the decision because she believed it was necessary for the jobs of others in the industry.
