When Drew Barrymore made the announcement in May that she would no longer be hosting the MTV Movie & TV Awards in support of striking Hollywood writers, her decision was highly praised by fans and viewers.
However, the news that her daytime talk show, “The Drew Barrymore Show,” would be returning without its unionized writers received a completely different response. A group of picketers gathered outside the CBS studios in Manhattan, where the show was filming its fourth season premiere. One protester held a sign that read, “Drew did the right thing.”
The network explained that due to the ongoing W.G.A. strike, the show would not feature any written material covered by the strike. This approach has been taken by other talk shows during the strikes affecting Hollywood, including “The View.”
On Monday afternoon, as “The Drew Barrymore Show” prepared to tape its first episode since April, a couple dozen picketers from the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA marched outside the CBS Broadcast Center, while audience members lined up along the sidewalk.
Actress turned host Drew Barrymore defended the show’s decision to return in an Instagram post. She stated that the show, which starts airing new episodes on Sept. 18, will not discuss or promote any struck film or television.
Barrymore further expressed her ownership of the choice and highlighted that the show was created during a difficult time, with the intention of addressing the real-world issues. She aims to offer a sense of togetherness and understanding through her show, hoping for a resolution to the strike as soon as possible.
The Writers Guild of America took to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, to clarify that the show is under its union and any writing on “The Drew Barrymore Show” violates WGA strike rules.
Other daytime television programs, such as ABC’s “Tamron Hall” and “Live With Kelly and Mark,” have also aired new episodes during the ongoing writers’ strike, which has lasted over four months.
Cristina Kinon, one of the co-head writers of “The Drew Barrymore Show,” expressed her disappointment while picketing. She, along with two other striking union writers, learned about the show’s return when production called for audience members.
After two audience members were removed from the taping for wearing Writers Guild pins, the show claimed it was due to heightened security concerns and offered them new tickets.
Late-night shows, which heavily rely on writers, are still on hiatus. During the previous strike in 2007, hosts gradually returned while their writers continued to strike. Currently, none have made the same decision.
Instead, five late-night hosts, including Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver, launched a podcast called “Strike Force Five,” with proceeds supporting their show’s staff.
There has been backlash regarding Barrymore’s earlier decision to step down as host of the MTV Movie & TV Awards. It was during this time that the talk show had already begun its summer hiatus, and the writers were involved in creating material for the awards show until Barrymore dropped out.
In her Instagram post, Barrymore explained her decision to step down from the MTV hosting duties, stating that the show had a direct conflict with what the strike was addressing. She emphasized that her choice to return to her own show during the strike was driven by a cause larger than her personal involvement.
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