Drew Barrymore said she would pause production on her daytime talk show after facing tremendous backlash from writers, actors and fans over her decision to bring the show back amid the Hollywood strike.
“I have listened to everyone, and I am making the decision to pause the show’s premiere until the strike is over,” she said in a statement posted 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.”
Barrymore announced on Sept. 10 that “The Drew Barrymore Show” would kick up production again amid the writers’ and actors’ strikes, which led to protests and picketing from the Writers Guild of America outside her New York studio last week.
Writers have been on strike for more than four months, campaigning for better pay and protections in the streaming era. The Screen Actors Guild started its own strike in July over similar issues, including better residual pay from streaming services. The “Drew Barrymore Show” employs three WGA writers, all of whom picketed outside the show’s taping last week.
“I truly hope for a resolution for the entire industry very soon,” Barrymore wrote on Instagram on Sunday. Representatives for Barrymore did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
CBS originally announced in early September that Barrymore’s show would return for a new season with a premiere date of Sept. 18. A CBS Media spokesperson said Sunday that the company stands with Barrymore.
“We support Drew’s decision to pause the show’s return and understand how complex and difficult this process has been for her,” the spokesperson said.
As taping was underway on Monday and Tuesday, those who attended said they were greeted by WGA protesters and picketers, who chanted phrases like “CBS! You are a mess!” and “We expect more from Drew Barry-more!” Some audience members were handed WGA support pins. According to multiple reports, two Barrymore fans wearing WGA pins were asked to leave the taping for security reasons.
“The Guild has, and will continue to, picket struck shows that are in production during the strike. Any writing on ‘The Drew Barrymore Show’ is in violation of WGA rules,” a post on the WGA East’s Instagram account said last week.
Her decision to resume production also prompted the National Book Awards to rescind its invitation to Barrymore to host the next ceremony. Writers on social media criticized Barrymore for moving ahead with the taping. In May, Barrymore declined to host the MTV Movie and TV Awards to support the strike.
A number of daytime talk shows have remained in production despite the strike, including “The View.” Similarly, “Jeopardy!” announced in August that it would return with recycled questions for its 40th season.
Last week, “The Jennifer Hudson Show” and “The Talk” announced they would return during the strike shortly after Barrymore made her decision. It’s unclear if those shows will pause production, too.
Idk man too little too late for me. Forever taints her image and the projects she is involved with
I’ve heard she is a mover and shaker in Hollywood. If true, it would difficult to stay that way when your friends promise n not to work with you. Later, she can make amends.
My post meant in my eyes. I’m sure it won’t hurt her in the least
Furthermore, I don’t think anyone ( even Barrymore) can snap her fingers and get a show back on the air like that. It takes some amount of planning and organization.
So she probably knew this was in the works for a while and still did it anyway.
You just never know what went on in terms of contracts or what may have been going on behind the scenes. She didn’t film anything, and that should really be the threshold.
She didn’t film anything, and that should really be the threshold.
From the article:
The “Drew Barrymore Show” employs three WGA writers, all of whom picketed outside the show’s taping last week.
She filmed something then decided to not air what they filmed due to the blowback. Show was supposed to come back September 18th. How would they have managed that without recording last week? Tomorrow is the 18th.
My reading skills aren’t great. My bad. You are right.
What about when Conan made shows during the last writers strike, what’s your image of him now?
He specifically did his shows without ANY writing whatsoever… he could have written his own show but he didn’t write anything down. He didn’t get scab writers… he literally went out on set, and bullshitted with his co host and spun a bottle cap and in essence showed how trash shows are without writers… he did his show to prove a point… and he accomplished that…
I guess Drew’s friends weren’t happy with her.
I’m glad she relented. My respect for her has raised slightly again.
Yeah but it’s definitely not on the same level of respect I had, probably will neve will. It’s not like I know her personality so whatever, but to become a scab just like that was extra shitty with guacamole on top.
The strike isn’t all bad, clearly.
OH NO!
I’m really curious how these strikes will end. It feels like they’ve been going on for a long time and at a bad time for the studios as well, judging by how many movies are bombing at the moment + the streaming subscriber numbers. I’m just not sure if the studios will be able to ever meet the demands the strike is asking for, it feels like they’re stuck in a downward spiral…
Also, from what I’ve heard here and there it sounds like they have some pretty crazy demands (something about a minimum writers room size of 8 or 10?) which are going to make it hard to ever come to an agreement, especially if those writers also need to be paid in full.
I’m just not sure if the studios will be able to ever meet the demands the strike is asking for,
The studios can absolutely afford it. Don’t start believing Hollywood Accounting.
Right. Be able to doesn’t belong in that sentence.
They’re very able. What’s lacking is a willingness to set aside their own greed and be fair to their workers.
How do you know they’re able to? Looking at Disney as a specific case, they’ve lost over 1 billion on their movies in the past 2 years and are constantly bleeding subscribers. On top of that there’s also some persistent rumors that they got caught up in the whole FTX debacle and lost a bunch of money on that as well.
Also, as a quick aside: what would you consider to be fair to their workers? The wages I’ve heard being mentioned sounded pretty good to me already, especially compared to other jobs.
Subs are fluctuating, but you’re exaggerating to describe it as “bleeding”. They’re at 164 million and were even outperforming Netflix at the end of 2022.
As CEO, Iger is awarded approximately $27 million in annual target compensation.
Now that’s a crazy demand! Did you know he replaced their last CEO who left in 2022 with an exit package worth $23.4 million? Even when they’re gone, Disney’s CEOs are raking in Disney cash. Maybe if Iger made 1 million max in annual target compensation, his writers could afford a roof over their heads?
What is the main issue is residuals. Writers used to get decent kickbacks from repeat airing of their work and that accumulated body of work was how you gained security in an industry where the next gig might not materialize. Most people in film live a feast and famine lifestyle but writers are less secure than most technicians. Also it’s kind of modeled over how we deal with creative IP like books. The body of work belongs in some way to it’s creator tied by legal strings.
What happened was basically streaming services got cut a really REALLY good deal particularly on writing labor (though there were other kickbacks) when they debuted because nobody wanted to kill the baby that was the experimental model of streaming. That meant those jobs were far less lucrative… But all those higher paying jobs in network television were still around.
Streaming ain’t a baby anymore. It grew up and it became the dominant model taking over the space that used to be network jobs meaning all those good paying jobs dried up. The streaming kid is out of college and working full time earning more money than the parents yet still gobbling all the food in the fridge, it’s time to kick them out of their parent’s basement and let them live as an adult. That good deal they got initially cut was not supposed to last them into the level of success where they were in a position to use it to perpetually starve everyone who helped make them successful in the first place.
Thanks for the explanation and additional context, that helps put things into perspective a bit more. I understand that they want a different kind of monetary reward from streaming, hopefully they can get their deal eventually.
Between 2018 and 2021 Hollywood CEO pay rose 51% and writer pay didn’t budge (actually dropped 14% when adjusted for inflation).
The writers are asking for 16% over three years according to the article I’m reading. Which is still less than inflation and far less than CEO wage increases. That’s what the writers feel is fair, less than inflation and 40% less than CEOs.
As far as what I personally feel is fair? Seize the means of production and tar and feather the rich assholes who continue to abuse the working class. But I’m not in the negotiations so my opinion doesn’t really count.
The Hobbit set a precedent that they can bust unions with a big enough project. I’m afraid that’s what they are going for here.
We really need to repeal The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947
