The Drew Barrymore Show will go on despite the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, a decision host Drew Barrymore is defending against industry criticism.
CBS announced last week that the daytime talk series will begin its fourth season on September 18, prompting the Writers Guild of America to say it will picket the show’s studios Monday and Tuesday, as audience members return for tapings. Barrymore confirmed the decision in an Instagram post on Sunday, saying that the series will be made in accordance with the rules of the ongoing strikes. (Vanity Fair has reached out to reps for Barrymore and The Drew Barrymore Show for additional comment.)
Instagram content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
She began her post by referring to her decision to drop out from hosting the MTV Film & TV Awards in May, in solidarity with the writers who had just begun striking. “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,” Barrymore wrote.
The host then clarified that the show entered into its summer hiatus on April 20, before the WGA strike began, “so we never had to shut down the show,” like other variety shows that went dark as the strike began on May 2. “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,” she continued.
Barrymore explained that her motivation for the talk show’s return was fueled by wanting to provide unity during a challenging time. “I own this choice. We are in compliance with not discussing or promoting film and television that is struck of any kind,” she said. “We launched live in a global pandemic. Our show was built for sensitive times and has only functioned through what the real world is going through in real time. 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.”