Drew Barrymore dropped as award host over strike row
US star Drew Barrymore has been dropped as host of the US National Book Awards after she announced her TV show would be returning despite ongoing Hollywood strikes.
Barrymore announced her show would return within the strike rules.
But the show’s writers were among those who picketed the studio in New York after it resumed filming.
On Tuesday, the National Book Foundation said it had rescinded Barrymore’s invitation to host its ceremony.
“The National Book Awards is an evening dedicated to celebrating the power of literature, and the incomparable contributions of writers to our culture,” it said in a statement.
“In light of the announcement that The Drew Barrymore Show will resume production, the National Book Foundation has rescinded Ms Barrymore’s invitation to host the 74th National Book Awards Ceremony.”
Hollywood strikes
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has been on strike since the beginning of May over concerns about pay, conditions, and the use of AI.
Actors joined writers on the picket line in July.
At the beginning of the strike, Barrymore stepped down as host of MTV Film and TV Awards in solidarity with the strikers.
But in her post announcing the return of her show she said she made “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”.
TV network CBS said her show “will not be performing any writing work covered by the WGA strike”.
Her choice to return, despite sticking within the guidelines, has been widely slammed.
