- Drew Barrymore has reversed course and said she will pause her show until the writers' strike ends.
- Barrymore received heated backlash when she announced her show would return amid the strikes.
After over a week of intense public backlash, Drew Barrymore announced Sunday she would pause "The Drew Barrymore Show" until the writers' strike is over, apologizing for trying to proceed with her daytime talk show without its unionized writers.
"I have listened to everyone, and I am making the decision to pause the show's premiere until the strike is over," Barrymore said in a statement posted to Instagram. "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."
She continued: "We really tried to find our way forward. And I truly hope for a resolution for the entire industry very soon."
Barrymore received fierce criticism in response to her announcement earlier in September that her show would return for a fourth season without its writers.
The approximately 11,000 members of the Writers Guild of America have been on strike since May 2 after contract negotiations broke down. Hollywood writers have said their compensation and working conditions have stagnated amid the rise of streaming services.
In a now-deleted Instagram video on September 10, Barrymore apologized to the striking writers but explained that she wanted to bring back her show because "this is bigger than me, and there are other people's jobs on the line." She also compared the strike to her show launching during the 2020 pandemic, asking, "Why would this sideline us?"
The WGA told Insider's Kirsten Acuna that Barrymore's show "should not be on the air" while the strike remains ongoing.
The National Book Foundation even rescinded its invitation for Barrymore to host the 74th National Book Awards in response to the news. And when taping resumed for Barrymore's show in New York City on September 11, WGA members picketed outside the CBS Broadcast Center.
The WGA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider on Sunday.