Drew Barrymore deletes apology video after online backlash

On September 15, Drew Barrymore took to Instagram to share an apology video to respond to the criticism she'd received for announcing the return of her daytime talk show a few days prior, amid the writers' strike. However, the video has since been taken down as a result of backlash on social media, particularly from her colleagues in the entertainment sector.

In spite of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, Barrymore had declared her talk show would resume on September 18. Soon after, The Talk and The Jennifer Hudson Show also revealed their return dates. But Barrymore is the one who is facing criticism, possibly because viewers were of the opinion that it was she who started the trend.

In her apology video, Barrymore defended her decision to return to television and commented,

“I believe there’s nothing I can do or say at this moment to make it OK. I wanted to own a decision, so that it wasn’t a PR-protected situation, and I would just take full responsibility for my actions. I know there is just nothing I can do that will make this OK to those that it is not OK with. I fully accept that. I fully understand that."

She continued,

"There are so many reasons why this is so complex, and I just want everyone to know my intentions have never been in a place to upset or hurt anymore. It’s not who I am. I’ve been through so many ups and downs in my life, and this is one of them. I deeply apologize to writers. I deeply apologize to unions.”

Many people were not persuaded by Barrymore's explanation of why she decided to restart her talk show and said that the actress should have done something to support the strike's causes instead of continuing with the show.

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Drew Barrymore's claim of self-written talk show receives backlash

SAG-AFTRA Strike (Image via Getty)

After the announcement that her show would be returning, people were quick to question how the show would function, given that the writers for Drew Barrymore's show were also a part of the strike.

However, in her apology video, the actress stressed the importance of the fact that her talk show was majorly self-produced and is only coming back to provide viewers with entertainment regardless of the conditions of the industry.

Responding to Barrymore's apology video and the claim that her talk show was majorly self-written and produced, a spokesperson from Writer's Guild of America stated to Variety,

"Drew Barrymore should not be on the air while her writers are on strike fighting for a fair deal. In reality, shows like this cannot operate without writing, and that is struck work."

Alyssa Milano, Debra Messing, and Bradley Whitford were among the celebrities who criticized Drew Barrymore's video, with Messing also stating to the Associated Press that the decision was "not a great move" on her part.

Her show also ran into protesters on the first day of filming earlier this week.

However, the actresses' decision is being defended by CBS Media Ventures, responsible for producing Drew Barrymore's talk show. In an official statement released by the entity to Variety, the spokesperson stated,

"While our show has been largely an unscripted talk show from the beginning, the new shows we are producing this season will be completely unscripted until the strike ends. No one on our staff will fill a writing position."

Since then, Barrymore has been subjected to much backlash from fans who claim that the only reason the actress is coming back is to earn money.

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The Drew Barrymore Show premieres on Amazon Prime Video on September 18, 2023.