Actress Drew Barrymore to pause show until Hollywood writers’ strike ends
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The proposed return of The Drew Barrymore Show drew picketers from the striking writers' and actors' unions.
PHOTO: THE DREW BARRYMORE SHOW/FACEBOOK
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LOS ANGELES – Actress Drew Barrymore said on Sunday she had backed out of plans to bring back her daytime talk show while strikes in Hollywood continue, yielding to an outcry of criticism.
The proposed return of The Drew Barrymore Show drew picketers
On Sunday, the actress released a statement on Instagram that said: “I have listened to everyone, and I am making the decision to pause the show’s premiere until the strike is over.”
She also expressed her “deepest apologies to anyone I have hurt”.
Barrymore last Friday had issued a video on Instagram saying she was going forward with plans to resume her talk show next week because so many jobs were on the line. The post has since been deleted.
Crew members on the show have been out of work since the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike began in May and shut down production.
Other talk shows have also announced plans to return to television.
Real Time host Bill Maher said he was bringing back his HBO show without written pieces such as a monologue and would focus on debates with guests.
The WGA said it was “difficult to imagine” how Maher, a WGA member, could host the show and still comply with strike rules. The union said members would picket the filming of the show. REUTERS