The Drew Barrymore Show will begin taping its fourth season this week, with Barrymore assuring viewers that she’ll comply with the actors’ and writers’ strike rules. But this statement immediately attracted criticism from strikers, who accuse Barrymore of undermining the strikes.
Most daytime talk shows continued unaffected by the Hollywood strikes this summer. That’s because unlike late-night shows, they don’t employ union writers. However, The Drew Barrymore Show seemingly did employ WGA staffers, thus qualifying it as a struck project. (The last season wrapped filming before the strike began, so this wasn’t relevant until now.)
Referring to The Drew Barrymore Show as “WGA covered,” the Writers Guild announced plans to picket the show’s studio tapings this week.
In a statement posted to Instagram, Barrymore wrote, “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,” she added. “Our show was built for sensitive times and has only functioned through what the real world is going through in real time. 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.”
This didn’t go down well on social media, with several detractors highlighting Barrymore’s wealth. Some argued that she could personally pay her staff’s salaries through the strike, like late-night hosts including Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and Stephen Colbert.
This planned WGA picket means that Drew Barrymore’s crew and studio audience will have to cross a picket line in order to film this week. Numerous scripted shows shut down under similar circumstances earlier this year, so it’s entirely possible that the new season of The Drew Barrymore Show won’t happen after all.
