Drew Barrymore has announced her talk show won’t return for its new season as planned following backlash over plans to bring it back during the ongoing writers strike.
Barrymore, 48, posted a statement to Instagram apologising to fans after first announcing The Drew Barrymore Show would be returning in a since-deleted video.
“I have listened to everyone, and I am making the decision to pause the show’s premiere until the strike is over.
“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.
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https://www.instagram.com/p/CxS6WxHLfSO/
“And I truly hope for a resolution for the entire industry very soon,” she added.
Following the release of her statement, a spokesperson for CBS Media Ventures that airs her show said, “We support Drew’s decision to pause the show’s return and understand how complex and difficult this process has been for her.”
This comes after Barrymore initially announced the show would return in a since-deleted video which attracted criticism from industry insiders including fellow actor and talk show host Rosie O’Donnell.
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Barrymore explained she had decided to “walk away” from her role hosting the MTV Film and television Awards as it was in “direct conflict with what the strike was dealing with”. However, she would continue with the return of her own show claiming it was “in compliance with not discussing or promoting film and television that is struck of any kind.”
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) responded to the news on X/Twitter, saying: “The @DrewBarrymoreTV Show is a WGA covered, struck show that is planning to return without its writers.
https://twitter.com/WGAEast/status/1701005239338549686
“The Guild has, and will continue to, picket struck shows that are in production during the strike. Any writing on ‘The Drew Barrymore Show’ is in violation of WGA strike rules.”
Barrymore then posted the since-deleted video apologising, yet defending her decision.
“I believe there’s nothing I can do or say in this moment to make it OK,” she said.
“I wanted to own a decision so that it wasn’t a PR, protected situation.
“And I would just take full responsibility for my actions. I know there’s just nothing I can do that will make this OK for those that is not OK with. I fully accept that. I fully understand that.
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“I’ve been through so many ups and downs in my life and this is one of them. I deeply apologise to [the] writers. I deeply apologise to unions. I deeply apologise. I don’t exactly know what to say because sometimes when things are so tough, it’s hard to make decisions from that place.”
She continued by saying she “wanted to accept responsibility” and then defended her choice to return her show.
“Why am I doing this?
“Well, I certainly couldn’t have expected this kind of attention, and we aren’t going to break rules, and we will be in compliance. I wanted to do this because as I said, this is bigger than me. And there are other people’s jobs on the line.”
“So, I want to just put one foot in front of the other and make a show that’s there for people regardless of anything else that’s happening in the world because that’s when I think we all need something that wants to be there, being very realistic in very realistic times,” she added.
“So that is my why.”
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Rosie O’Donnell took to social media to slam Barrymore’s decision, calling on her to delay the return of the show and apologise for her plans to launch during the strike.
Upon reading Barrymore’s most recent post apologising and delaying the show, O’Donnell commented: “Perfect.”
The WAG and SAG-AFTRA strike launched on May 2 after the Guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) failed to reach an agreement issues including pay, minimum staffing requirements and residuals from streaming services as well as regulation of AI use.
The strike halted production on scripted film and TV series has ground to a halt, with actors even walking out of their movie premieres mid-way through the event.
SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher announced the strike.
High profile actors have joined picket lines including Meryl Streep, Bob Odenkirk and Jennifer Lawrence as well as Orange is the New Black actors Emma Myles, left, Lea DeLaria, and Laura Gomez as well as many others.
Barbie actor Margot Robbie has also shared her support, saying: “I’m very much in support of all the unions and I’m a member of SAG so I would absolutely stand by that.”