Drew Barrymore
The actor’s decision to pause the daytime show until work issues are resolved is having a snowball effect, with The Talk and The Jennifer Hudson Show also postponing the reboot
Associated Press and Guardian staff
Monday 18 September 2023, 01.17 BST
Drew Barrymore, who was criticized for taping new episodes of her daytime talk show despite the ongoing writer and cast strikes, now says she will wait until the labor issues are resolved. Hours later, another CBS talk show, The Talk, also decided to postpone its return.
“I have listened to everyone and am making the decision to pause the premiere of the show until the strike is over,” Barrymore posted on Instagram on Sunday. “I am at a loss for words to sincerely apologize to everyone I have hurt and of course to our incredible team who work on the show and have made it what it is today. We were really trying to find the way forward. And I really hope for a solution for the entire industry soon.”
The actress and host’s original decision to bring The Drew Barrymore Show back on the air on Monday, September 18 — without her three union writers and with pickets outside her studio — was met with opposition on social media. Her CBS show resumed last week in New York and was protested by striking writers.
Drew Barrymore tearfully apologizes for restarting TV show during strike
“We support Drew’s decision to pause the show’s return and understand how complex and difficult this process has been for her,” a CBS Media Ventures spokesperson said.
According to Variety, episodes of The Drew Barrymore Show taped last week will not air. instead, repeats are screened for now.
Earlier in the weekend, Barrymore posted a tearful apology in a now-deleted Instagram video, taking responsibility for wanting to bring her show back — in accordance with Sag-Aftra and WGA’s strike rules. “I wanted to do this because, like I said, this is bigger than me and other people’s jobs are at stake,” she said.
Other daytime shows have resumed. “The View” has returned for its 27th season on ABC, while “Tamron Hall” and “Live With Kelly and Ryan” (both of which are not subject to writers’ guild rules) have produced new episodes.
The Jennifer Hudson Show was scheduled to reboot on Monday, but Variety reported that it has postponed its return.
The Talk has also canceled its reboot scheduled for Monday. “We will continue to review plans for a new launch date,” CBC said in a statement on Sunday.
Ariel Dumas, head writer and executive producer of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” responded on X, formerly Twitter: “This is really great,” she wrote, saying, “The Drew Barrymore Show decided to do the right thing.” I hope @TheView and others will follow suit.”
As long as the hosts and guests do not discuss or promote work covered by television, theater or streaming contracts, they are not technically breaking the strike. This is because talk shows are subject to a separate contract – the so-called Network Code – which affects the actors and writers. The network code also covers reality TV, sports, morning news shows, soap operas and game shows.
Barrymore’s stance prompted the National Book Awards to uninvite her as presenter in November. The organization rescinded its invitation “in light of the announcement that production of ‘The Drew Barrymore Show’ will resume.”
The ongoing strike pits the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents Disney, Netflix, Amazon and others.
{{#Ticker}}
{{top left}}
{{bottom left}}
{{top right}}
{{bottom right}}
{{#goalExceededMarkerPercentage}}{{/goalExceededMarkerPercentage}}{{/ticker}}
{{Headline}}
{{#paragraphs}}
{{.}}
{{/paragraphs}}{{highlightedText}}
{{#choiceCards}}{{/choiceCards}}We will be in touch to remind you to contribute. Watch for a message in your inbox. If you have any questions about contributing, please contact us.