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Drew Barrymore’s “eponymous” daytime talk show will return for season four on September 18, four months after the Writers Guild of America formally went on strike after unsuccessful talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), and two months after SAG-AFTRA accompanied them on the picket line. This action has received intense backlash from the guilds themselves, the actors and writers on the picket lines, and supporters of the cause worldwide.
What did Drew Barrymore say about her show going on in the middle of strikes?
In a message posted to social media on September 10, the The Drew Barrymore Show host mentioned her intention to stand down as host of the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards in May, stating that her show will be “compliance with not discussing or promoting film and television that is struck of any kind.” She began: “I made a choice to walk away from the MTV, film and television awards because I was the host and it had a direct conflict with what the strike was dealing with which was studios, streamers, film, and television. It was also in the first week of the strike and so I did what I thought was the appropriate thing at the time to stand in solidarity with the writers.”
“However, I am also making the choice to come back for the first time in this strike for our show, that may have my name on it but this is bigger than just me. I own this choice.”
Drew Barrymore on Instagram
“I want to be there to provide what writers do so well, which is a way to bring us together or help us make sense of the human experience,” Barrymore continued. “I hope for a resolve for everyone as soon as possible. We have navigated difficult times since we first came on air. And so I take a step forward to start season 4 once again with an astute humility.” However, this statement ended up attracting the WGA’s attention and leading to immense backlash.
What did WGA say about ‘The Drew Barrymore Show’ making a comeback?
The WGA blasted the decision on X with full support from other users, and claimed that the actress’ show is “a WGA covered, struck show that is planning to return without its writers. The Writers Guild then further added that “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.”
A representative also confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that union members will picket outside the show’s New York City studios on September 11 and 12. The comment section for WGA’s X account was parted in two, with some people saying they’re glad they don’t have to watch the show because of it’s bad writing, and others commenting that they support the decision fully and are horrified at the actress for this move. “This actually surprises me,” wrote one X user. “She has seemed to be sincerely compassionate and thoughtful. What a strange, clearly destructive, unkind decision.”
