Drew Barrymore’s popular talk show is coming back to a TV near you — this despite the fact that there’s still a couple strikes going on … and one guild is effectively calling her a scab.
The former child star announced Sunday that season 4 of ‘The Drew Barrymore Show’ will soon resume production, something she knows is going to ruffle feathers … but which she’s defending as necessary, while also vowing to comply with strike regulations.
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Drew writes, “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.”
Then, the haymaker … “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. I own this choice. We are in compliance with not discussing or promoting film and television that is struck of any kind.”
She explains that people, apparently, need her show … writing, “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. 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.”
Drew finishes with this … “I hope for a resolve for everyone as soon as possible. We have navigated difficult times since we first came on air. And so I take a step forward to start season 4 once again with an astute humility.”
Read between the lines, and it sounds Drew is going to proceed without any writers — at least for now. While she’s saying they’ll be in compliance, the WGA says she’s already in violation of strike rules by moving forward at all … claiming ‘TDBS’ is a struck show.
A WGA honcho tells THR, “It has stayed off the air since the strike began on May 2nd but has now (unfortunately) decided to return without its writers. The Guild has, and will continue to, picket any struck show that continues production for the duration of the strike.”
Fun fact — ‘The Drew Barrymore Show’ is just one of 2 daytime talk shows (‘The Talk being the other) that employ union writers. CBS — the parent company — says her show will not be performing any writing work covered by the WGA strike, including literary material.
Season 4 is expected to premiere on Sept. 18. We’ll see what Drew says about this on the air, if anything.
