Drew Barrymore is in the hot seat right now for her decision to kickstart The Drew Barrymore Show despite the ongoing strikes rocking the industry.
Before the Season 4 premiere of her popular daytime talk show, the 48-year-old actress and host decided to address the elephant in the room and show her support for the striking writers. She started off saying, “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’s clear she didn’t want to be caught in the crossfire of the strike, especially in those early days when it all kicked off. She continued, “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. And to be clear, our talk show actually wrapped on April 20th so we never had to shut down the show.”
But here’s where things get a bit dicey. Drew then made it known that she’s making the choice to bring back her show during the strike, even though it’s a bigger issue than just her. She said, “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.”
Clearly, Drew wanted to clarify that she’s not oblivious to the situation and the potential criticism. She continued, “I own this choice. 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 wrapped it up by expressing her intention to provide a sense of unity and understanding through her show during these challenging times: “I want to be there to provide what writers do so well, which is a way to bring us together or help us make sense of the human experience. I hope for a resolve 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.”
However, this move didn’t sit well with everyone. The Writers Guild Of America chimed in, suggesting that Drew’s show might be breaking the strike rules: “@DrewBarrymoreTV Show is a WGA covered, struck show that is planning to return without its writers. 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 strike rules.”
And if that wasn’t enough, Drew’s facing even more heat now. Reports emerged about audience members getting booted from the studio for wearing WGA pins. Two folks who snagged free tickets to the first show back claimed they were asked to leave because they had those WGA pins handed to them by picketers.
In response to the incident, a spokesperson for the show clarified their stance: “It is our policy to welcome everyone to our show tapings. Due to heightened security concerns today, we regret that two audience members were not permitted to attend or were not allowed access. Drew was completely unaware of the incident, and we are in the process of reaching out to the affected audience members to offer them new tickets.”
So, it’s a bit of a sticky situation for Drew and her show right now, with criticism and controversy swirling around her decision to resume production during the strike. Only time will tell how this all plays out in the end.
