Drew Barrymore is returning to daytime TV.
This may be taken as a welcome announcement to some who watch the celebrity’s sunny talk show, but it is a point of contention with the people behind it, who are still striking for better pay and job security. Are.
In April, “The Drew Barrymore Show” completed its third season. The following month, unionized writers, some of whom had worked on the show, began their strike, with the actors joining the strike line in July.
Barrymore has shown solidarity with striking groups with her decision to step down as host of the MTV Movie & TV Awards in May, which has received praise from striking members of the Writers Guild of America and fans alike.
But it’s a different picture amid their latest announcement, with the writers now putting production on hold on the show itself, the first episode of the fourth season of which was taped on Monday afternoon, which is now scheduled to air on September 18.
Barrymore said the new season would be in compliance with SAG-AFTRA strike rules, which prohibit any discussion or promotion of “killed” film and television projects, meaning union members are not allowed to work on them. Is.
But the show typically employs Writers Guild members, meaning the new season will either employ members in violation, non-WGA members, or no writers at all.
In a post on X, Writers Guild That said, “The Drew Barrymore Show” is a “WGA covered, strike show”, meaning any writing on it is considered a strike violation and therefore a strike, although a CBS spokesperson told Rolling Stone. Told that there will be no writing work involved in the show. Covered by strike.
But the guild’s views on the matter explain why a few dozen protesters, including some of Barrymore’s show writers, moved their picket lines to the CBS studio sidewalk in Manhattan during filming on Monday.
An audience member present at the taping said that he and another attendee were removed from the crew for wearing Writers Guild pins, which were given to them by picketers. A statement from the show said that she was not allowed to attend due to “heightened security concerns” and that Barrymore was not aware of the incident.
Those who were not physically taking a stand in or around the studio took their stance online. One said they were sympathetic to him and the rest of his crew, but allowing an exception would create another rift in the picket line.
I understand why Drew Barrymore is doing this. 100%. His show employs people and those people are suffering. I sympathize.
Yes and.
We cannot allow exceptions.
If there is one, there will be more. We did not struggle so long, did not suffer so much that the wall broke.@WGA East https://t.co/fUem1rOrXe
– Avishai ✡ is on strike (@avishaiw) 11 September 2023
Some other daytime TV shows have aired new programming during the strike, such as “The View” and “Live with Kelly & Mark.”
But several other talk shows have gone off the air and are rerunning during the strike, like the band of late-night hosts who recently teamed up for a podcast with the proceeds going toward the striking workers.
In her Instagram post of the announcement, Barrymore said, “That’s my choice,” and pointed to the sensitivity that has always surrounded her shows, while hoping for “a resolution to everything as soon as possible.” Is.
“Our show was made for sensitive times and deals with what the real world is going through in real time,” he said. “I want to be there for the good that writers do, that brings us together or helps us understand the human experience.”