Summary
- Drew Barrymore faced massive backlash for resuming filming on her talk show during the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, with many calling her a scab.
- After apologizing and stating that her show would continue filming, Barrymore has now announced that she will pause the show's premiere until the strike is over.
- Barrymore's decision to continue filming without writers was seen as a violation of the WGA's rules, leading to further controversy and causing her reputation as a celebrity to suffer.
Barrymore to apologize while stating that her show would still continue filming. This, however, fueled the fire of controversy surrounding her behavior during a strike even more.
Via Instagram, Barrymore has now announced that she will no longer be filming episodes for her show and will wait to resume once the strike ends. Check out the post below:
Stating that she listened to everyone, Barrymore once again apologized to the people she had hurt, hoping that the strikes would resolve soon. Check out her full statement below:
I have listened to everyone, and I am making the decision to pause the show’s premiere until the strike is over. 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.
The Drew Barrymore Show Backlash Explained
In resuming her show, Barrymore was not violating SAG-AFTRA rules, as it was covered by a different contract that isn't part of the ongoing strikes between the union and the AMPTP. However, the show employed WGA writers and was covered by that union's current contract. Because of this, Barrymore was directly violating the WGA's rules by resuming her show without writers, particularly if any writing occurred on the show.
When the show resumed filming, it expelled audience wearing WGA pins from the taping, with Barrymore stating she was unaware that the incident occurred. Still, this caused far more backlash for the actor and talk show host, whose pressure to stop filming her show mounted by the day. In response to the mounting controversy, Barrymore filmed a four-minute-long video on Instagram, where she directly apologized to the writers and unions but still planned on continuing filming. The video was quickly deleted, as it caused more backlash against Barrymore.
Barrymore was also recently dropped as host for the National Book Awards because she decided to continue filming her show. Since then, it looks like she has learned her lesson and decided to stop production on her show, but at the high cost of her reputation as a celebrity. The Drew Barrymore Show will resume filming once the strikes end, but the question remains whether celebrity guests will ever return to her show after these events.
Source: Drew Barrymore/Instagram