Drew Barrymore has reversed her decision to bring back her daytime talk show despite Hollywood strikes after a wave of criticism, the actress and host announced Sunday in an Instagram post.
The return of production of “The Drew Barrymore Show” drew protesters from striking writers’ and actors’ unions as taping resumed last Monday, and on Friday, Barrymore defended his decision in an emotional video on Instagram, saying, “This is bigger than me.” The company that produces the show, CBS Media Ventures, echoed Barrymore’s resolution, citing more than 150 jobs that would be affected.
But on Friday evening, Barrymore deleted the video, and on Sunday morning, she issued a new statement changing course.
“I have listened to everyone and I am making the decision to suspend the premiere of the series until the end of the strike,” the statement said. “I have no words to express my sincerest apologies to everyone I have hurt and, of course, to our incredible team who work on the show and who have made it what it is today. We’ve really been trying to find our way. And I sincerely hope that there’s an industry-wide solution very soon.”
