Drew Barrymore attends the 2023 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor presentation at The Kennedy Center on March 19, 2023 in Washington, DC.Photo:Taylor Hill/WireImage
Taylor Hill/WireImage
The actress, 48, said on Instagram Sunday that she decided to “pause” the premiere of her talk show. The announcement comes shortly aftershe posted a since-deleted video in which she doubled downon her initial decision to resume the production.
“I have listened to everyone, and I am making the decision to pause the show’s premiere until the strike is over,” Barrymore wrote in her statement.
She continued, “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 mother of two concluded.
In a statement, a CBS Media Ventures spokesperson said, “We support Drew’s decision to pause the show’s return and understand how complex and difficult this process has been for her.”
Barrymore, who has hosted her talk show since 2020, received negative feedback for bringing the program back during the strikes. The actress initiallydefended the decisionin a Sept. 10 statement on Instagram.
Noting that production on the show’s third season wrapped on April 20, before the WGA strike began in May, Barrymore added: “I own this choice. We are in compliance with not discussing or promoting film and television that is struck of any kind.”
The actress called the show “bigger than just me,” and said that she wants 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.”
The Writers Guild of America, East swiftlyresponded on X(formerly known as Twitter) that the Guild intended to picketThe Drew Barrymore Show, noting that it counts as “struck” work.
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
On Friday, Barrymore shared anow-deleted videoon Instagram in which she apologized and defended her decision to resume the show. Within hours, the post was deleted from her account, along with the original announcement.
In the teary-eyed video, the actress addressed the backlash she faced for her initial decision and said the situation was “so complex,” but her “intentions have never been in a place to upset or hurt anyone.”
“I believe there’s nothing I can do or say in this moment to make it OK,” she said in the since-deleted video. “I wanted to own a decision so that it wasn’t a PR, protected situation. And I would just take full responsibility for my actions. I know there’s just nothing I can do that will make this OK for those that is not OK with. I fully accept that. I fully understand that.”
Barrymore continued, “I’ve been through so many ups and downs in my life and this is one of them. I deeply apologize to [the] writers. I deeply apologize to unions. I deeply apologize. I don’t exactly know what to say because sometimes when things are so tough, it’s hard to make decisions from that place.”
Mario Tama/Getty
She went on to say she “wanted to accept responsibility,” but also elaborated on why she decided to go ahead withThe Drew Barrymore Show’s new season in the first place.
“Why am I doing this? Well, I certainly couldn’t have expected this kind of attention, and we aren’t going to break rules, and we will be in compliance. I wanted to do this because as I said, this is bigger than me. And there are other people’s jobs on the line.”
The actress added that the show initially launched during the pandemic, and said she believed continuing production during the ongoing strikes would be another way for it to be “there for people in sensitive times.”
“So, I want to just put one foot in front of the other and make a show that’s there for people regardless of anything else that’s happening in the world because that’s when I think we all need something that wants to be there, being very realistic in very realistic times," she concluded the video. “So that is my why.”
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The WGA hasbeen on strikesince May 2 after the Guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) were unable to come to an agreement before the previous contract expired. The writers are seeking higher pay, minimum staffing requirements, residuals from streaming and regulation of Artificial Intelligence (AI), to name a few key issues.
source: people.com
