Drew Barrymore (48) apparently shared a tearful apology on social media – and then deleted it again. The actress recently had to take a lot of criticism because she went on air with her talk show during the Hollywood strike. She had announced that “The Drew Barrymore Show” would return under the strike rules. However, on the first day of production there were reportedly demonstrators in front of the CBS studios.
“I don’t think there’s anything I can do or say at this moment to make everything right,” Drew Barrymore said in a tearful Instagram video that can no longer be seen, according to Variety. She takes full responsibility for her actions. The situation was “complex,” she said, according to the report. “I just want everyone to know that it was never my intention to upset or hurt anyone. That’s not who I am. I’ve been through so many ups and downs in my life and this is part of it.” She added, according to Variety: “I deeply apologize to the writers, I deeply apologize to the unions.”
She apparently went on to explain that there was no “PR machine” behind the video or the decision to restart production. “I wanted to do this because this is bigger than me and other people’s jobs are at stake,” she reportedly said.
Meanwhile, there was a lot of criticism for Barrymore from the striking screenwriters. On Friday, a spokesperson for the Writers Guild of America told Variety: “Drew Barrymore should not be on the air while their writers are on strike and fighting for a fair deal.” The show’s production format, meanwhile, supports its star as no rules of the strike are being violated, it is said.
More than 11,000 US screenwriters have been on strike since May 2, 2023, and around 16,000 actors from the acting union SAG-AFTRA joined them in mid-July. After initial negotiations between the strikers and the major studios and streaming providers at the end of August were unsuccessful, a breakthrough is now to be achieved in renewed talks. The Writers Guild of America has suggested a meeting for next week, the umbrella organization of film and television producers AMPTP said on Thursday.
