Drew Barrymore is shutting down production on her daytime talk show after receiving an onslaught of backlash for resuming production amid the Hollywood writers strike.
“I have listened to everyone, and I am making the decision to pause the show’s premiere until the strike is over,” she wrote in a statement to Instagram, where she has shared all of her updates.
“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.”
DREW BARRYMORE DEFIES HOLLYWOOD CANCEL CULTURE AND RESUMES TALK SHOW
Drew Barrymore was skewered online for her decision to resume production on her daytime talk show, “The Drew Barrymore Show.” (Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
“We really tried to find our way forward. And I truly hope for a resolution for the entire industry very soon,” she concluded.
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Barrymore announced her return to television last week, and CBS network confirmed “The Drew Barrymore Show” would air new episodes beginning Sept. 18. The writers strike has been ongoing since May 2.
“I own this choice,” she wrote at the time. “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.”
Drew Barrymore faced severe criticism from fans and those within the entertainment industry for returning to work on “The Drew Barrymore Show.” (Arturo Holmes/WireImage/Getty Images)
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While protesting outside the CBS Broadcast Center in Manhattan, Cristina Kinon, co-head writer of “The Drew Barrymore Show,” told Fox News Digital that the staff writers were not notified that the show was returning for a fourth season without writers and noted they were also not being paid.
“I’m sure it was a really difficult decision for [Barrymore] to make,” Kinon shared. “I can’t speak for what she’s thinking, but I think that I would love for everyone in the industry to stand in solidarity with the guilds and to make sure that writers and actors get the contracts they deserve.”
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In the wake of her decision to resume production, Barrymore was dropped as the host for The National Book Foundation’s upcoming awards.
She issued another apology Friday in a since-deleted video shared on Instagram. “I’ve been through so many ups and downs in my life, and this is one of them. I deeply apologize to writers. I deeply apologize to unions. I deeply apologize,” Barrymore said.
Drew Barrymore’s emotional video explaining her decision to resume the show has since been removed from Instagram. (Getty Images/Drew Barrymore/Instagram)
“I don’t exactly know what to say because sometimes when things are so tough, it’s hard to make decisions from that place. So, all I can say is that I wanted to accept responsibility and no, I don’t have a PR machine behind this,” she added, visibly emotional. “I certainly couldn’t have expected this kind of attention, and we aren’t going to break rules and we’ll 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 post has since disappeared.
“The Drew Barrymore Show” has been on air since September 2020. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images)
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Kinon, for her part, told Fox News Digital that she did not begrudge her fellow employees who had chosen to return.
“I think that everybody deserves to be paid. Everybody deserves to be paid fairly. I don’t hold it against anybody who needs to work, of course. And I wish everyone had a union that could protect them and protect their wages and make sure they’re paid fairly.”
A representative for Barrymore and CBS Media Ventures did not immediately return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
