Drew Barrymore Delays Show Premiere Amid Writers’ Strike: ‘I’ve Listened to Everyone
In a recent statement on Instagram, Drew Barrymore has opted to postpone the premiere of “The Drew Barrymore Show” until after the resolution of the ongoing writers’ strike, following significant backlash over her decision to resume production without writers.
She said, “I have listened to everyone, and I am deciding 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 tried to find our way forward. And I truly hope for a resolution for the entire industry soon.”
“The Talk” also announced a delay in its return to the airwaves, with Season 14 originally slated to debut the following Monday.
A spokesperson for CBS Media Ventures stated, “We support Drew’s decision to pause the show’s return and understand how complex and difficult this process has been for her.”
Barrymore initially restarted production on “The Drew Barrymore Show” amidst the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. However, her decision was vehemently opposed by writers who viewed it as contradictory to their cause.
The host revealed her intention to film new episodes the previous Sunday, bringing back her crew and other non-writing staff on Monday, emphasizing that “this is bigger than just me.” On Friday, She noted that the show would be entirely unscripted and highlighted the potential jeopardy of other people’s livelihoods if she didn’t proceed.
In response to escalating criticism, Barrymore posted an apology video on Friday, which she later removed. In the video, she expressed, “I’ve been through so many ups and downs in my life, and this is one of them. I deeply apologize to the writers. I deeply apologize to the unions. I deeply apologize. I don’t know what to say because sometimes, when things are so tough, making decisions from that place is hard. So all I can say is that I wanted to accept responsibility.”
The upcoming season of “The Drew Barrymore Show,” initially set to premiere on Monday, Sept. 18, will no longer debut as planned. It remains to be seen whether the episodes produced by Barrymore last week will eventually air or if she will start anew once the strike concludes.
Numerous individuals, including Debra Messing, critiqued Barrymore’s apology video. Messing urged the “Never Been Kissed” star to reconsider, stating, “You can choose now to halt production. You can pay your employees like other talk show hosts who have stood in solidarity with the writers. Thousands of union members’ jobs and livelihoods are at stake (exponentially more than those who work on your show), and the future of our beloved industry. I hope you will reconsider.”
Barrymore is one of many talk show hosts to resume production during the strikes. “The Talk” and “The Jennifer Hudson Show” were among the projects this week to announce their return, as was “Real Time With Bill Maher,” despite Maher himself being a member of the WGA. “The Talk” later revealed that it would be pausing its return, but the other programs have not made similar announcements.
