In a now-deleted video, Drew Barrymore responded to criticism by outlining why she made the contentious decision to resume production of her talk show despite the ongoing Writers Guild strike, saying that there is “nothing I can do or say in this moment to make” doing so without the picketing writers “OK.”
Barrymore reaffirmed the prior claim made by CBS Media Ventures that The Drew Barrymore Show will resume in “compliance” with the WGA’s strike regulations in a video statement that was broadcast to her Instagram on Friday (see below). That’s in spite of the continued protests by union members and the union itself outside the CBS Broadcast Center in New York when filming started this week.
The actress, producer, and talk show host says of the response to her choice, “I certainly couldn’t have expected this kind of attention.” “We won’t break the law, and we’ll follow the rules. As I previously stated, this is bigger than me, and other people’s jobs are on the line, therefore I wanted to do this.
The host and actress refuted claims that a “PR machine” was responsible for the decision to continue the show without its WGA writers. Her video was released the day after the WGA and AMPTP made it known they would be meeting next week. (The studios have not resumed talks with SAG-AFTRA, which is also on strike and is doing so because its contract is different from the one that governs Barrymore’s talk show.)
“I’m not sure exactly what to say because, sometimes, it’s difficult to make decisions when things are so difficult. So, all I can say is that I wanted to take ownership of my actions, and no, there isn’t a PR firm behind this. I didn’t want to hide behind others, so I chose to return to the show, she added. “I won’t embellish this with frills, publicists, or corporate speak. I’ll just remain in the open, take responsibility, and accept.
Hours after posting the video to Instagram, Barrymore took it down after receiving more criticism from people like Alyssa Milano, Bradley Whitford, and others. Whitford responded sarcastically, but Milano called Barrymore’s action “not a great move” and told The Associated Press as much.
The Handmaid’s Tale actor Drew Barrymore posted on Twitter, “Drew Barrymore would like you to know that undermining union solidarity at the most crucial moment in Hollywood labor history makes her the victim.” She has had a really difficult week, it seems.
One of the media corporations against which writers are on strike is Paramount Global, which owns CBS Media Ventures and produces and distributes The Drew Barrymore Show. Barrymore’s and other daytime chat shows occasionally hire WGA writers, but not as frequently as late-night programs or scripted series. On September 18, The Talk on CBS and the Jennifer Hudson Show, distributed by Warner Bros., both return. Pickets are probably going to be held outside of both. The network has claimed that no one is filling the roles of the two WGA writers it had on staff before the labor disruption, despite the fact that ABC’s The View has continued to air throughout the writers strike (and has been picketed).
According to Barrymore, part of the inspiration for the return was her and the show’s experiences during the pandemic.
Since the show debuted live during a pandemic, she explained, “I just wanted to make a show that was there for people in difficult times. I weighed the options and I thought if we could go on during a global pandemic, and everything that the world experienced through 2020, why would this sideline us?” We all need something that wants to be there being very realistic in times like this, so I just want to put one foot in front of the other and develop a program that’s there for people regardless of anything else that’s going on in the world.
Barrymore stated earlier in the week in another Instagram post—also since deleted—that her self-titled talk show would resume despite the writers’ strikes but without them.
