Drew Barrymore announced Sunday that her talk show will return for its fourth season amid the SAG/WGA strikes.
In a statement posted on Instagram, Barrymore said she decided to bring back "The Drew Barrymore Show" even though she walked away from hosting the MTV Movie & TV Awards just days into the strike.
"I own this choice," Barrymore said. "We are in compliance with not discussing or promoting film and television that is struck of any kind."
The show, which launched in 2020, "was built for sensitive times and has only functioned through what the real world is going through in real time," Barrymore wrote.
"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."
A SAG-AFTRA spokesperson told NBC that the talk show's return does not violate the ongoing strike.
“The Drew Barrymore Show is produced under the Network Television Code which is a separate contract and is not struck. It is permissible work and Drew’s role as host does not violate the current strike rules," the spokesperson said.
Thousands of screenwriters have been on strike for more than three months, citing unfair pay in the streaming era. They were joined on the picket lines by thousands of actors represented by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, or SAG-AFTRA, a labor union whose members include some of the most famous faces in the entertainment industry.
SAG-AFTRA’s national board voted unanimously in July to go on strike, the first time film and television performers have staged a work stoppage since 1980. High-stakes negotiations between the guild and a trade association representing the entertainment industry’s top studios broke down the night before.
SAG-AFTRA’s members are seeking a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers that they believe must account for the economic realities of the streaming revolution and the risks posed by emerging digital technologies.
