Drew Barrymore won’t be bringing back her daytime talk show until the strikes in Hollywood end. The decision follows a week of heavy criticism of Barrymore after her announcement that her daytime show would return on Sept. 18 without writers, in compliance with WGA guidelines.
“I have listened to everyone, and I am making the decision to pause the show’s premiere until the strike is over,” Barrymore wrote on Instagram. “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. 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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CBS Media Ventures confirmed the decision in a statement and gave Barrymore the vote of confidence on their end. “We support Drew’s decision to pause the show’s return and understand how complex and difficult this process has been for her,” the statement read.
According to Variety, the show will continue to air repeats going forward, and any episodes that were filmed before the decision won’t air. This turn of events brings a week of hefty criticism and confusion toward Barrymore and her attempts to explain the return. The Drew Barrymore Show was not the only show to announce a return, though the actress seemed to take the brunt of criticism. Bill Maher, an actual member of the WGA, also announced his return to HBO without an apology.
As Variety notes, part of Barrymore’s initial decision to bring the show back on-air amid the strikes was due to contractual obligations with station partners and affiliates who rely on the daytime TV business.
Barrymore had her invitation to host the National Book Awards’ upcoming award ceremony in the wake of the controversy. The impact behind the scenes has yet to be revealed, though. Barrymore had initially apologized in a video message that was deleted before this new decision was announced.
“I certainly couldn’t have expected this kind of attention,” Barrymore said in the deleted 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.”
The WGA condemned Barrymore’s decision to return, saying she “should not be on the air” while writers are striking and picketing. Now that Barrymore has chosen to pause, they have not released a new statement. The Talk on CBS also joined Barrymore in delaying the planned return.
Other daytime shows are continuing on with production, including The View, Live With Kelly and Mark, Tamron Hall Show, and The Jennifer Hudson Show. The latter was also planned for a Sept. 18 return.
