The highly-anticipated return of the Drew Barrymore Show, scheduled for September 18, has been postponed due to an unexpected turn of events. Actress Drew Barrymore issued an apology following controversial remarks in which she initially announced her intention to bring back her show amid the ongoing Hollywood strike, bypassing Writers Guild of America (WGA) guidelines and working without writers.
Taking to her Instagram account, Barrymore expressed her deep regret, saying, “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.”
A spokesperson for CBS Media Ventures, the distributor of the show, voiced their support for Barrymore’s decision, and said to ‘Entertainment Tonight’ “We support Drew’s decision to pause the show’s return and understand how complex and difficult this process has been for her.”
Barrymore initially announced her intention to revive her show on her social media, explaining her previous decision to step away from hosting awards events during the strike: “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 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. 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.”
As the Hollywood strike continues to unfold, Barrymore’s decision to delay her show’s return reflects the broader complexities and challenges faced by the entertainment industry during this period of labor unrest.