The successful morning talk show, The Drew Barrymore Show, has begun taping in New York City for its fourth season. Despite the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike, Drew Barrymore has made the decision to move forward with the filming of the next season of her show. This decision has come with tons of disapproval from striking writers and supporters of the strike. Via The Hollywood Reporter, “Writers Guild of America members and scribes for The Drew Barrymore Show picketed outside CBS Studios Monday in New York as the talk show resumed filming…”
While in line for getting into the free taping of the show, two audience members, Cassidy Carter and Dominic Turiczek, were given WGA pins by picketers outside of CBS Studios. Those two audience members were asked to leave the taping of the show before it started because they were wearing the pins. Carter and Turiczek then decided to join the strike outside the studio, as according to The Hollywood Reporter, Turiczek stated, “If they think we’re part of the strike, we might as well be.” Carter added, “It really has changed my perspective on her and the show in general… I’ve been completely alarmed and disheartened by this whole process.”
Barrymore was able to resume taping The Drew Barrymore Show by not using WGA writers on the show which abides by the SAG-AFTRA and WGA rules. The co-head writers, who are WGA members, joined the picket lines yesterday, with Chelsea White, one of the writers expressing her surprise in the show being resumed since its hiatus that started last April. Via The Hollywood Reporter, White stated, “I think in general, this is obviously bigger than us three writers on The Drew Barrymore Show. It is a bummer to hear that the show is going back because it sends a message that union writers are not valuable…” The striking writers are disappointed in Barrymore’s tricky decision to begin taping without them, but are understanding that the show’s starting allows others in the industry the opportunity to return to work after many months. It is unknown if once the strike is over, if the writers will return to The Drew Barrymore Show.