A few days after stating that she would resume her talk show, Drew Barrymore backed down and suspended the return of “The Drew Barrymore Show.”
The actress, who rose to fame for her role in “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” when she was just seven years old, was forced to halt the resumption of her show due to pressure from striking writers.
"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," she wrote on her Instagram account.
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In addition, in a statement reported by Variety, she went on to say that she "certainly couldn’t have expected this kind of attention" and that she "wanted to do this because as I said, this is bigger than me, and there are other people’s jobs on the line."
Pressure from the WGA and National Book Foundation
Barrymore announced that “The Drew Barrymore Show” would return on Sept. 18. Something that the Writers Guild of America (WGA) denied, which contributed its own vision:
“The Drew Barrymore Show” is a striking show covered by the WGA that plans to return without its writers. The union has done and will continue to picket the striking programs that are in production during the strike. Any writing on “The Drew Barrymore Show” is violating the WGA's strike rules.
The actress was also met with criticism from the National Book Foundation, which terminated her contract as the host of the ceremony of the 74th edition of the National Book Awards:
The National Book Awards are an evening dedicated to celebrating the power of literature and the unparalleled contributions of writers to our culture. Following the announcement of the resumption of production of “The Drew Barrymore Show,” the National Book Foundation has rescinded Ms. Barrymore's invitation to present the 74th National Book Awards ceremony. We are committed to ensuring that the awards continue to focus on celebrating writers and books, and we thank Ms. Barrymore and her team for their understanding in this situation.
