If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, SheKnows may receive an affiliate commission.
Drew Barrymore is learning the hard way that her WGA strike crisis is not behind her after delaying the start of her fourth season of The Drew Barrymore Show. The talk show host found herself drawing the ire of the Writers Guild of America after she announced that her show was moving forward without her three union writers — but would welcome them back to the fold once a new contract had been ratified. Well, Barrymore is discovering that there are long-term consequences for her decision.
Her three head co-writers, Chelsea White, Cristina Kinon and Liz Koe, stood united in deciding to decline a new contract on the show, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Barrymore is now reportedly scrambling to conduct last-minute interviews to find new writers to replace the women ahead of her Oct. 16 premiere. While the new hires will be WGA writers, White, Kinon, and Koe were considered crucial staff members that helped set the tone of the successful daytime show which they launched in the middle of a pandemic. They helped Barrymore find her voice in the daytime space and capitalize on her charm that viewers gravitate toward.
Their relationship with Barrymore obviously changed during the strike as the trio was often seen on the picket lines outside the New York City studio with signs reading, “Honk if you [love] union labor” or “Drew’s News: Strikes.” There was also the uncomfortable issue that the writers found out The Drew Barrymore Showwas returning in the middle of the strike from “audience ticket giveaways that had been posted on social media” — not from their beloved boss.
That disappointing news hit the writers hard and it might have been the major turning point in their decision to leave the show. “It is a bummer to hear that the show is going back because it sends a message that union writers are not valuable,” White told the media outlet in mid-September. The thought must have crossed their minds, though because White had a very pointed response about returning to work with Barrymore. “Maybe no comment,” she said at the time.
Barrymore likely didn’t understand the backlash that was going to follow in the wake of her decision. As reported by Katie Couric Media, Barrymore was quick to apologize after the original backlash she got following the announcement of her show return.
While she was not in violation of her SAG-AFTRA Network Television Code contract, the optics were not great over crossing a union picket line. Her PR blunders with the social media videos messages put her in the hot spotlight over other shows that also continued on, particularly The View. Now, she’s seeing those ramifications from inside Hollywood, and while it will likely blow over with viewers, it will be a lingering issue with her union staff.
Before you go, click here to see all the celebrities who supported the SAG-AFTRA & WGA strikes.
Leave a Comment