CBS has postponed Season 14 of “The Talk” amid mounting scrutiny over daytime talk shows returning during the Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strikes.
The chat series is “pausing its season premiere,” originally scheduled for Sept. 18, a spokesperson for the network confirmed Sunday in a statement provided to the Los Angeles Times. The statement did not mention the strikes.
“We will continue to evaluate plans for a new launch date,” the spokesperson said.
CBS delayed the next season of “The Talk” hours after Drew Barrymore announced that she would be postponing the Season 4 premiere of her talk show until the writers’ strike is over. The actor and TV host made the decision to halt production after drawing widespread criticism for taping her show during the strikes.
“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,” Barrymore said Sunday in a statement.
“I truly hope for a resolution for the entire industry soon.”
The Writers Guild of America has been vocal about its disapproval of struck programs, such as “The Drew Barrymore Show,” “The View” and “The Talk,” moving forward while their writers are on strike.
Last week, more than 100 members of the WGA picketed a taping of “The Drew Barrymore Show” at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City. All three writers from Barrymore’s program participated in the demonstration.
“I can understand why, if someone feels responsible for an entire staff and crew, they would want to get back to work so that they get paid,” Cristina Kinon, co-head writer on “The Drew Barrymore Show,” told The Times on Monday.
“If you feel like you’re sacrificing three writers for a crew of hundreds, I see that perspective. But then if you zoom out a little bit more, you’ll see that it isn’t about those three writers. It’s about an entire union of 11,000-plus writers. And if you zoom out even more, it’s about labor and unions all over the world and respecting that people need to fight for a fair deal. That’s what the Writers Guild is doing, and I support that.”
A tearful video of Barrymore responding to the backlash but doubling down on her choices resulted in even more scrutiny and, within three days, she reversed her decision to bring the show back.
Now, it appears “The Talk” — hosted by Sheryl Underwood, Natalie Morales, Akbar Gbajabiamila, Jerry O’Connell and Amanda Kloots — has done the same.
Another struck daytime program, “The Jennifer Hudson Show,” has also been criticized for plotting a return amid the writers’ strike. No word yet on whether that series will follow the leads of Barrymore and “The Talk” by abandoning that plan.
