Earlier this week, Drew Barrymore caught heat for announcing she’s bringing back The Drew Barrymore Show during the strike. Today, she apologized for making people upset, but is continuing to bring the show back regardless.
In a video posted to Instagram, Barrymore starts by saying, “I believe there’s nothing I can do or say in this moment to make it OK.” She added that there was no “PR machine behind this” decision, and that because they started the show during the pandemic, when people really needed it, “Why would this sideline us?”
As many online responded, it would sideline them because there is currently a writers’ and actors’ strike happening, and Barrymore’s decision means she is returning to production on the show without her WGA writers, who are striking. Barrymore said on Sunday that they would be in compliance with strike rules, though it’s clear that is not the case. She did not mention any other ways that she could pay her staff while continuing to strike.
In the last week, two people attending a taping of The Drew Barrymore Show were reportedly asked to leave after security saw their WGA pins, which were given to them by picketers. Barrymore reportedly did not know this happened.
Barrymore’s decision also had a ripple effect: This week, Bill Maher also announced his HBO show is coming back, sans writers. He expressed anti-strike sentiment earlier this month.
