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NEW YORK – “The Drew Barrymore Show” will begin airing new episodes Monday, but plenty of off-air controversy will surround the typically bubbly host.
Barrymore – a daughter of a proud acting dynasty – is producing new episodes of her syndicated talk show despite pickets outside her studio, as daytime television becomes the latest battleground in the ongoing labor dispute in Hollywood.
“We’ve been at this strike for about four months and it’s not surprising that there are defections,” said Michael H. LeRoy, a professor of labor and employment relations at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “I couldn’t have predicted something like this would happen on daytime television, but in a workplace dispute, everyone has a breaking point.”
“The Drew Barrymore Show,” which is running without its three union writers, isn’t the only daytime show returning. “The View” has returned for its 27th season on ABC, while “Tamron Hall” and “Live With Kelly and Ryan” — neither of which are subject to Writers Guild rules — have also produced new episodes. “The Jennifer Hudson Show” and “The Talk” also restart on Monday.
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 television, sports, morning news programs, soap operas and game shows.
“I know there’s just nothing I can do to make this right for those it’s not OK for. I fully accept that,” Barrymore said in a video posted to Instagram on Friday that was later deleted. “I just want everyone to know that my intentions have never been able to upset or hurt me again. That’s not who I am.”
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.
The return of daytime hosts, producers and studio crews will lead to some awkward exchanges, predicted Zayd Ayers Dohrn, author, professor and director of the MFA in Writing for Film and Stage at Northwestern University.
“It’s kind of amazing that they’re going back to work and demonstrating their own writers outside the studio doors,” said Dohrn, a member of the writers’ guild. “They are literally walking past the strike line of the workers they claim to support.”
Barrymore’s decision to return to the air was met with opposition on social media. “You have the heart and mind to be even more responsive to the needs of the community,” one viewer wrote on Instagram. Another was more blunt: “You can’t play a generous and likeable character when it makes financial sense for you and then back out when your wallet is on the line.”
Actress and activist Alyssa Milano, whose friendship with Barrymore goes back years, also criticized the return. called it “not a great move.”
“I love her very much – I grew up with her – but I’m not sure this was the right move for the strike. I’m sure in their eyes it’s the right move for them and the show, but as far as the WGA and SAG and the union are strong – not a big move.”
Barrymore’s stance also sparked some consternation, as she resigned in May as host of the MTV Movie and TV Awards, the first major awards show to air during the strike. At the time, she wrote: “I have listened to the writers and to truly respect them, I will be refraining from the live broadcast of the MTV Movie and TV Awards in solidarity with the strike.”
She has since lost another hosting gig: the National Book Awards in November. The organization rescinded its invitation “in light of the announcement that production of ‘The Drew Barrymore Show’ will resume.”
LeRoy, who has covered labor-employer struggles for 30 years, warned that television shows like Barrymore’s may think they can get by without using union writers, but may incur long-term costs.
“No member of the Writers Guild will ever work with this show again,” he said. “For Drew Barrymore and maybe the others, it’s a short-term moment of feel good or getting by, but in the long term, I think they’ve essentially given themselves an early retirement.”
He pointed to other strikes in the past that left bitter feelings for decades, such as when Major League Baseball umpires went on strike in 1999. New referees were hired and integrated with experienced referees, but tensions continued.
“For the next 25 years, if you got them to work games together, these referees wouldn’t be talking to each other,” LeRoy said. “Twenty-five years of avoidance. People don’t forget.”
Viewers tuning in to new episodes of daytime talk shows these days will find a changed landscape. Guests aren’t always the A-listers looking to promote blockbuster TV shows or movies. Authors, musicians and comedians have been filling the gaps since the strike began.
This week on Live With Kelly and Ryan, Neil deGrasse Tyson talked about the science behind the Hulk while Cedric the Entertainer told Hall about his debut novel. Matthew McConaughey was on “The View” to promote his book “Just Because.”
Hosts like Barrymore may find themselves in a situation where it’s all about survival: They’re contractually obligated to return to work, but are sure to upset their colleagues if they do. Last week she remarked, “This is bigger than just me.”
Bill Maher, who also announced he would be returning to his late-night talk show, based his reasoning on wanting to help all of his employees, saying that writers are “not the only people with problems, problems and worries.” .
Dohrn doesn’t believe that: “They talk about wanting to support people who are just making ends meet. But Bill Maher and Drew Barrymore and the hosts of ‘The View’ aren’t exactly making ends meet. They could easily side with their fellow workers in the industry and say, “We’re not going to feed the studio pipeline until they make a fair offer,” he said.
“They decide to go back to work for a whole range of complicated reasons and ultimately try to break the strike.”
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