Drew Barrymore Defends Talk Show's Return Amid Strikes
After 'The Drew Barrymore Show' announced its Season 4 premiere, the striking WGA issued a statement.
Drew Barrymore is defending the return of The Drew Barrymore Show amid the ongoing Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Shortly after the daytime talk show's Sept. 19 Season 4 premiere date was announced, the actress took to social media Sunday to "own this choice" to return, despite the strikes.
"I own this choice," Barrymore wrote in a statement posted to Instagram. "We are in compliance with not discussing or promoting film and television that is struck of any kind. We launched live in a global pandemic. Our show was built for sensitive times and has only functioned through what the real world is going through in real time."
She continued that the decision to return for another season is meant to "provide what writers do so well, which is a way to bring us together or help us make sense of the human experience." The Scream actress added, "I hope for a resolve [sic] for everyone as soon as possible. We have navigated difficult times since we first came on air. And so I take a step forward to start season 4 once again with an astute humility."
Barrymore, who previously stepped down from hosting the MTV Film and TV Awards in May, said that she had done so because "it had a direct conflict with what the strike was dealing with, which was studios, streamers, film and television." She added, "It was also in the first week of the strike and so I did what I thought was appropriate at the time to stand in solidarity with the writers."
The WGA has since reiterated on social media that any writing being done for the new season of The Drew Barrymore Show is in violation of WGA strike rules. "The @DrewBarrymoreTV Show is a WGA covered, struck show that is planning to return without its writers," the WGA wrote Sunday. "The Guild has, and will continue to, picket struck [sic] shows that are in production during the strike." Daytime talk show hosts are not directly affected by the SAG-AFTRA strike, as they operate under Network Television Codes and have been asked to honor their contracts.
In April, Barrymore gushed to PopCulture about The Drew Barrymore Show being renewed for a fourth season. "[I feel] just such relief because we were always on the edge and we had so much support, but there was a reality of can this work as a business model?" the actress said at the time. "Because it took a long time for us to even get any ratings or I felt like I had a huge learning curve in this job."
"I'm still scared all the time, which is, again, because I think you care," she continued. "When you really care about something, it petrifies you and the idea of it going away. But I don't mind admitting that because it's like, I don't know, I have no ability to act cool in my life. I just want to be honest about things, and I'm honestly always just so happy to be doing this show. It has brought something to my life I could have never expected or dreamt of."