Drew Barrymore on the red carpet at Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People presentation. ANDREW KELLY (Portal)
Drew Barrymore backs down. The actress announced this Sunday her change of mind and paused the return of her television show until the Hollywood writers’ strike, which has lasted more than four months, ends. “There are no words to express my sincerest apology to everyone I hurt,” Barrymore wrote on Instagram. The Drew Barrymore Show host sparked disapproval from the entire writers’ union when she announced a week ago that production would resume operations for the fourth season.
“We’re really trying to find a way forward and I’m hopeful that there will be an industry-wide solution very soon,” the 50 First Dates star added. His message on social media is the culmination of a week of justifications and apologies for the tense moment caused by his return to work. On Friday afternoon, Barrymore posted a video on Instagram in which he assured that nothing he could do or say at that moment could improve the situation he had arrived at while reflecting on the work of some members of his team. “I just wanted to make a decision so that the situation would not be protected by PR agents, so I took full responsibility for my actions,” she said through tears. The video was only available for a few hours before Barrymore deleted it.
The return of production had an impact on Barrymore, a host who relies on positive content and her in-depth interviews on the daily show she launched in 2020. The National Book Foundation, a nonprofit literary organization, announced Tuesday that it has withdrawn the actress’ invitation to present the prestigious National Book Awards, which will be presented Nov. 15. “Our duty is to ensure that the focus of the awards is on authors and books. “We therefore thank Ms Barrymore and her team for their understanding of this situation,” said the awards organizers.
With the announcement a week ago, Barrymore was trying to tread on very thin ice. The host then explained that her show would not employ its original writers, members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA), who are on strike because there is no agreement on their new collective bargaining agreement. The actress also assured that the production will be very careful to respect the rules adopted by the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA during the labor dispute and not to promote films and series from the studios. SAG-AFTRA supported Barrymore by reporting that she was not violating the agreement because the show was part of the television agreement that did not follow the strike.
The writers’ union, which launched the Hollywood strike after failing to reach an agreement with studios to improve conditions, stated the opposite. He said the program was within the scope of the agreement. “Drew Barrymore shouldn’t be on the air while his writers are striking and fighting for a fair deal. “Any type of writing in this program constitutes a violation of the strike regulations,” the WGA said a week ago, increasing the number of pickets. Several authors accused the presenter and the production of scabs. The intake members who crossed the picket lines defended themselves by saying they should take food home.
The rejection Barrymore experienced after her decision to return is now shifting the focus to other magazine shows. The Jennifer Hudson Show and The Talk, morning shows on the networks, are scheduled to return to air this Monday. This despite the fact that their authors continue to demonstrate in front of the studios. Other programs have come back online, but have avoided headaches like the “Charlie’s Angels” actress’s because their writers don’t belong to the union.
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