Drew Barrymore will return to her talk show very soon! The actress, 48, announced that her show would make its return later in Sep. 2023 in an Instagram post on September 10. While she announced that The Drew Barrymore Show would be back on air soon, the actress faced backlash as the WGA strike was still underway. She announced that the show would stop production after the response, but now that the WGA strike has reached a deal, the show is looking to return.
The WGA announced that it reached a “tentative agreement” in the strike on Sunday, September 24, 2023. Following the announcement, a new report from Entertainment Tonight revealed that The Drew Barrymore Show is eye-ing an October return.
Ahead of the show’s return, here are all the details you need to know about when it will be back on air, and the controversy surrounding its return.
Drew Backs Out of MTV Movie & TV Awards Amid Strike
Season 3 of The Drew Barrymore Show ended back in April before the writers’ strike began in May. At the time, Drew was tapped to host the 2023 MTV Movie and TV Awards, but she backed out in solidarity with the strike. She said she’d return for the 2024 show. “I have listened to the writers, and in order to truly respect them, I will pivot from hosting the MTV Movie & TV Awards live in solidarity with the strike,” she said in a statement at the time, via Variety.
Drew explained her reasoning further in her post announcing her talk show’s return. “I made a choice to walk away from the MTV, film and television awards because I was the host and it had a direct conflict with what the strike was dealing with which was studios, streamers, film, and television. It was also in the first week of the strike and so I did what I thought was the appropriate thing at the time to stand in solidarity with the writers,” she wrote in her Instagram post.
Drew Announces Her Show Will Return
Drew revealed her plans for her show to come back on Sep. 10. “I am also making 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,” she wrote, after explaining why she backed out of the MTV Movie and TV Awards. “I own this choice.”
After explaining that she wouldn’t speak about struck movies or shows, she gave more of her reasoning for the return. “I want to be there to provide what writers do so well, which is a way to bring us together or help us make sense of the human experience,” she said. “I hope for a resolve for everyone as soon as possible. We have navigated difficult times since we first came on air. And so I take a step forward to start season 4 once again with an astute humility.”
The WGA Announces Plans to Picket ‘The Drew Barrymore Show’
The @DrewBarrymoreTV Show is a WGA covered, struck show that is planning to return without its writers. The Guild has, and will continue to, picket struck shows that are in production during the strike. Any writing on “The Drew Barrymore Show” is in violation of WGA strike rules.
— Writers Guild of America, East (@WGAEast) September 10, 2023
While Drew said that her show was “in compliance with not discussing or promoting film and television that is struck of any kind,” the WGA had a different response. “The @DrewBarrymoreTV Show Show is a WGA covered, struck show that is planning to return without its writers. The Guild has, and will continue to, picket struck shows that are in production during the strike. Any writing on ‘The Drew Barrymore Show’ is in violation of WGA strike rules,” the guild wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
The Drew Barrymore Show has seemingly begun tapings already, but two audience members were reportedly asked to leave for wearing WGA pins, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Two students said that they were handed “Writers Guild on Strike” pins. They said that security asked them to remove the buttons as they entered. One complied, but the other did not. A crew member saw the button as they arrived for the taping and reportedly asked them both to leave. They said they joined the picket line after the incident. “I’ve been completely alarmed and disheartened by this whole process,” one of the fans said.
A spokesperson for the show explained that they were working on getting the pair new tickets in a statement to THR. “It is our policy to welcome everyone to our show tapings. Due to heightened security concerns today, we regret that two audience members were not permitted to attend or were not allowed access. Drew was completely unaware of the incident and we are in the process of reaching out to the affected audience members to offer them new tickets,” they said.
Drew Pauses the Show Amid Backlash
Following the backlash, Drew released an emotional video on her social media. “I deeply apologize to [the] writers. I deeply apologize to unions. I deeply apologize,” she said in the since-deleted clip. “I don’t exactly know what to say because sometimes when things are so tough, it’s hard to make decisions from that place.”
Shortly after her video, Drew announced her plans to put the show on hold until the strike ends on September 17. “I have listened to everyone, and I am making the decision to pause the show’s premiere until the strike is over,” she wrote. “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.”
‘The Drew Barrymore Show’ Season 4 Premiere Date
This just in: We’re kicking off our brand new season on Monday, October 16th! 🎉
Check your local listings: https://t.co/3yRe9N8zsg
Join our studio audience: https://t.co/5EDOK5x9GX pic.twitter.com/e91lmT6Jte— The Drew Barrymore Show (@DrewBarrymoreTV) October 4, 2023
The Writer’s Guild of America reached a tentative agreement on September 24, 2023, with The Drew Barrymore Show. The show was originally scheduled to return on Sep. 18, 2023, per CNN. Other daytime talk shows such as The View, Tamron Hall, and The Kelly Clarkson Show have continued amid the strikes.
Most recently, Drew’s show confirmed that it will officially return for Season 4 on October 16, 2023. “This just in: We’re kicking off our brand new season on Monday, October 16th!” the show captioned the announcement via Instagram on October 4. Amid the news, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that three of Drew’s writers have declined to return to the talk show for Season 4. The trio of writers set to not return include Chelsea White, Cristina Kinon and Liz Koe, per the outlet’s sources.
In “compliance with the guild” the show is now interviewing potential new writers for the show’s next season. A few weeks prior, on September 11, Chelsea told THR that they found out about the show’s return via online giveaways. “It is a bummer to hear that the show is going back because it sends a message that union writers are not valuable,” Chelsea said at the time. Meanwhile, Cristina said: “I understand that everybody has to do what they feel is best for them. For me and the WGA writers on the show, it’s important for us to stick with our union. We deserve a fair contract, so we are here today outside.” Drew has been silent via her personal Instagram at the time of publication.