Drew Barrymore has made the surprising announcement that her talk show will return to the air, despite the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. Barrymore explained on Instagram, “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.”
In response, WGA spokesperson Jason Gordon told Vanity Fair that the union is planning to picket outside Barrymore’s studio. He said, “‘The Drew Barrymore Show’ is a WGA-covered struck television show. It has stayed off the air since the strike began on May 2nd, but has now (unfortunately) decided to return without its writers.”
Gordon added, “The Guild has, and will continue to, picket any struck show that continues production during the duration of the strike.”
In her statement explaining the decision, Barrymore cited her own previous pro-strike stance. She began, “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,” she continued. “And to be clear, our talk show actually wrapped on April 20th, so we never had to shut down the show.”
The actress and host continued, “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.”
Barrymore explained “I own this choice” and that her show intends to be in compliance with “not discussing or promoting film and television that is struck of any kind.”
The WGA strike rules have stated that most daytime talk shows can continue to air new episodes because they do not employ writers. The two exceptions have been “The Talk” and Barrymore’s show.
CBS previously announced Barrymore’s show would be back for Season 4 on Wednesday. President and CEO of CBS News and Stations and CBS Media Ventures Wendy McMahon stated in a press release, “From launching during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to successfully pivoting to a groundbreaking half-hour format, this show has demonstrated spectacular resilience and creative agility on its journey to becoming the fastest-growing show in daytime.”
