Drew Barrymore announced on social media that “The Drew Barrymore Show” will be on pause until the end of the writers' strike.
After receiving backlash for announcing her show would be returning amid the ongoing strike last week, Barrymore released a statement on Instagram the morning of Sunday, Sept. 17 saying that she's reconsidered.
“I have listened to everyone, and I am making the decision to pause the show’s premiere until the strike is over,” she wrote. “I have no words to express my deepest apologies to anyone I have hurt and, of course, to our incredible team who works on the show and has made it what it is today.”
She added, “We really tried to find our way forward. And I truly hope for a resolution for the entire industry very soon.”
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The Writers Guild of America (WGA), an alliance of two labor unions that represent more than 11,000 writers across television, news, radio, and online, have been on strike since May 2, 2023. The following month, SAG-AFTRA, another labor union that represents 160,000 workers in the entertainment industry, announced July 13 that members would also be going on strike.
Barrymore opened up about her decision to bring back “The Drew Barrymore Show” while the writers' strike persisted in a now deleted Instagram post.
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She said that her show had wrapped April 20 prior to the strike, explaining that “we never had to shut down the show.”
“However,” she added, “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 said she would “own this choice” to bring the show back, writing, “We are in compliance with not discussing or promoting film and television that is struck of any kind.”
WGA East confirmed on the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, that “The Drew Barrymore Show” was a struck show and is in violation of WGA strike rules.
Barrymore, who was accused of crossing picket lines by bringing her show back amid the strike, faced backlash from fans and members of the WGA. As a result, she was uninvited to host the National Book Awards and writers began to picket her show.
After the backlash, Barrymore shared a now-deleted video on Instagram where she doubled-down on her decision to bring back her show.
“I believe there’s nothing I can do or say in this moment to make it OK,” she said. “I wanted to own a decision so that it wasn’t a PR-protected situation. And I would just take full responsibility for my actions.”
Barrymore said that her intentions to bring back the show weren't from “a place to upset or hurt anyone,” adding, “It’s not who I am. I’ve been through so many ups and downs in my life. And this is one of them.”
“I deeply apologize to writers,” she said. “I deeply apologize to unions.”
Barrymore went on to explain her decision to resume her show amid the strike, saying in the video, “I wanted to do this because as I said, this is bigger than me. And there are other people’s jobs on the line.”
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