In an attempt to share her point of view and explain her decision to return to work during the Hollywood strikes and restart her daytime talk show, Drew Barrymore posted an emotional apology video on Instagram on Friday.
However, the video received such significant backlash from members of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, including named actors, writers, and some organizations, mostly unhappy with his tactic and decision. That led Barrymore to delete the video entirely.
During the now-deleted video, Barrymore expressed, “I don’t think there’s anything I can do or say right now to make everything okay. “I wanted to own a decision, so it wasn’t a PR-protected situation, and I would just take full responsibility for my actions.”
Photo: CBS Media Ventures
The talk show host, actress and producer went on to say, “I know there’s nothing I can do to make this okay for those it’s not okay with. I fully accept it. I perfectly understand. There are many reasons why this is so complex, and I just want everyone to know that my intentions have never again been in a place to upset or hurt. It’s not who I am. I have been through many ups and downs in my life and this is one of them. I deeply apologize to the writers. “I deeply apologize to the unions.”
As for why Drew wanted his daytime show back on the air now, which previously used WGA writers, he added: “There’s a big question about why…why am I doing this? I certainly couldn’t have expected this kind of attention, and we’re not going to break the rules and we’ll stick to them. I wanted to do this because, like I said, this is bigger than me and there are other people’s jobs on the line.”
Some of the stars who disagree with Barrymore’s decision include Alyssa Milano, who told the AP: “I love her so much, this is not the right move. It affects the strength of our movement. “It’s not a big move.”
Photo: DBarrymoreIG
Bradley Whitfield shared: “Drew Barrymore would like you to know that undermining union solidarity at the most crucial moment in Hollywood labor history makes her the victim. “This has been a very hard week for her.”
Debra Messing posted: “You can now choose to stop production. You can choose to pay your employees like other talk show hosts who have sympathized with writers. There are thousands of union members’ jobs and livelihoods at stake (exponentially more than those working on your program) and the future of our beloved industry. I hope you reconsider.”
And the WGA made this comment: “Drew Barrymore should not be on the air while his writers are on strike fighting for fair treatment. In reality, shows like this can’t function without writing, and that’s impactful work.”
You can watch Barrymore’s viral video below when it was retweeted.
Now let us know, should Drew halt production on the new season of his daytime talk show amid the union strikes? Share your thoughts through the comments section below.
It is VERY difficult to make credible self-adhesive tape. https://t.co/Z32OW4e68U
– (@JoshMalina) September 16, 2023
