Drew Barrymore makes U-turn on talkshow return after tearful video during writers’ strikes

Drew Barrymore has shared an update on her show (Picture; The Drew Barrymore Show / BACKGRID)

Drew Barrymore has shared an update about the premiere of her show after making a controversial return during the writer’s strikes.

The Writers Guild of America have been on strike since the beginning of May after failing to negotiate for better wages.

It amplified when Hollywood joined the movement in July after the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (Sag-Aftra) voted unanimously to walk out.

This has caused shows across the industry to go dark but earlier this month, Drew, 48, announced the return of the Drew Barrymore Show, which first premiered in 2020.

At the time, she vowed to ‘own’ the decision, but the move sparked intense backlash from fans and the industry, as the Charlie’s Angels actress was later dropped as the host of the National Book Awards.

She later issued an apology in a lengthy video, insisting that she ‘fully accepts’ the reaction.

And she’s now shared an update about the show on Instagram, saying she has ‘listened’.

Drew wrote: ‘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.’

A spokesperson for CBS Media Ventures added to Metro.co.uk: ‘We support Drew’s decision to pause the show’s return and understand how complex and difficult this process has been for her.’

This comes after Drew’s lengthy apology, in which she began: ‘I believe there is nothing I can do or say in this moment to make it okay.

‘I wanted to own a decision so that it wasn’t a PR protected situation, and I would just take full responsibility for my actions.

‘I know there’s nothing I can do that will make this okay for those it is not okay with. I fully accept that, I fully understand that.

‘There are so many reasons why this is so complex, and I just want everyone to know my intentions have never been in a place to upset or hurt anyone.

‘That’s not who I am. 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… I don’t exactly know what to say, because sometimes when things are so tough, it’s hard to make decisions from that place.

‘All I can say is that I wanted to accept responsibility. And no, I don’t have a PR machine behind this.

‘My decision to go back to the show, I didn’t want to hide behind people, so I won’t. And I won’t polish this with bells and whistles, publicists and corporate rhetoric. I’ll just stand out there and accept, and be responsible.’

Drew shared a lengthy apology video (Picture: Guerin Charles/ABACA/Shutterstock)

She continued: ‘There’s a huge question of the ‘why’. Why am I doing this? Well, I certainly couldn’t have expected this kind of attention. We aren’t going to break rules and we will 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.

‘Since launching live in a pandemic, I just wanted to make a show that was there for people in sensitive times.

‘I weighed the scales and I thought, if we could go on during a global pandemic, and everything the world has experienced through 2020, why would this sideline us?

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‘So I want to just put one foot in front of the other and make a show that’s there for people, regardless of anything else that’s happening in the world.

‘Because that’s when I think we all need something that wants to be there, being very realistic in very realistic times. So that is my why.’

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‘I have listened’