The Drew Barrymore Show is gearing up for its October 16 return to television...but there is one significant problem.
The show's three co-head writers—Chelsea White, Cristina Kinon and Liz Koe—have refused to return following the WGA strike.
Of course, it may not come as a huge surprise given Barrymore shared last month that she would be moving forward with the show's fourth season without the head writers who were on strike.
Not only that, but the writers also told THR that they found out the show was going back into production not from the host or any other employees of the show, but from social media posts about audience ticket giveaways.
White explained:
“It is a bummer to hear that the show is going back because it sends a message that union writers are not valuable."
And Kinon added:
“I understand that everybody has to do what they feel is best for them. For me and the WGA writers on the show, it’s important for us to stick with our union."
"We deserve a fair contract, so we are here today outside.”
But, as we now know, the host backpedalled on her decision given the swift backlash her statement garnered, not to mention the guests who cancelled, and vowed to resume only when the strike was over.
Well, that time has come—but White, Kinon and Koe have declined to return as writers of the show, forcing production to search for new writers.
'Drew Barrymore Show' Writers Refuse to Return After Writers Strike (Exclusive) | THR Newsyoutu.be
And people on social media applauded the writers for acknowledging their worth.
The Drew Barrymore writers refusing to return, Roy Wood Jr. walking away from The Daily Show\u2026 if you learned only one thing from the last 5 months, I hope it\u2019s how valuable you are \ud83d\udc4f\ud83c\udffd— Danielle Nicki (@Danielle Nicki) 1696516476
@DiscussingFilm Love this! Never disrespect the writers who do so much! I glad they stuck up for themselves!— CubsKickAss (@CubsKickAss) 1696459703
@DiscussingFilm AS THEY SHOULD!! They deserve fair and better treatment elsewhere \u2764\ufe0f— MediaVerse: Comics Unwrapped (@MediaVerse: Comics Unwrapped) 1696553060
@DanielleNicki Love it. Never understood why the industry is so flippant about the value of writers. Us & production folks really are the engine behind all of these operations— Josh Cobb (@Josh Cobb) 1696523880
@DanielleNicki That\u2019s something I\u2019ve always struggled with\n\nBut I\u2019m so glad to see more and more people realizing they deserve better— Erik Johnsen (@Erik Johnsen) 1696519631
@PopBase What Drew did was like dumping your boyfriend, seeing there wasn't anything better out there and then trying to get back together because you don't want to be alone. Those writers feel betrayed and good for them that they can afford to not take a job back that they don't want.— aka stardust (@aka stardust) 1696458072
@PopBase Integrity over opportunity. Writers unite— Alexander James (@Alexander James) 1696453578
@THR Love it! Never disrespect your writers!— CubsKickAss (@CubsKickAss) 1696459913
@THR I can understand that for sure, she didn\u2019t stand in solidarity with them for pay. \ud83e\udd37\ud83c\udffe\u200d\u2640\ufe0f— Lindz (@Lindz) 1696455613
Barrymore did admit her mistake and apologize, writing on September 17:
“I have listened to everyone, and I am making the decision to pause the show’s premiere until the strike is over."
“I have no words to express my deepest apologies to anyone I have hurt and, of course, to our incredible team who works on the show and has made it what it is today.”
But the damage was already done.
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