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Actress Drew Barrymore will continue her daytime talk show despite the heavy backlash she’s received for doing so amid the ongoing writers’ strike.
The 48-year-old star, a New York resident who has a home on Long Island in the village of Sagaponack, said she wanted to “own” her decision and “take full responsibility" in a now deleted Instagram post Friday, Sept. 15.
“I know there’s just nothing I can do that will make this okay for those it is not okay with,” she said. “I fully accept that. I fully understand that.”
The "E.T." and "Never Been Kissed" star has faced a barrage of criticism since announcing that production on the show’s fourth season will press on without Writers Guild of America (WGA) writers.
Among those to publicly blast the move is the WGA itself, which issued a statement on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, saying The Drew Barrymore Show is a WGA covered, struck show.
“The Guild has, and will continue to, picket struck shows that are in production during the strike. Any writing on 'The Drew Barrymore Show' is in violation of WGA strike rules.”
In her Instagram post Friday, Barrymore “deeply apologized” to the writers and union, saying she didn’t mean “to upset or hurt anyone.”
“It’s not who I am,” she said, appearing to get emotional. “I’ve been through so many ups and downs in my life, and this is one of them.”
She also acknowledged that it’s a “complex” issue and insisted that her show will be “in compliance” with strike rules.
“I wanted to do this because as I said, this is bigger than me and there are other people’s jobs on the line,” she said.
“I weighed the scale and said if we can go on during a global pandemic and everything that the world experienced through 2020, why would this sideline us?”
In her earlier statement, Barrymore said she wanted “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.”
Unsurprisingly, her remarks have not been received kindly on social media, with famed celebrity blogger Perez Hilton saying her explanation “sure is… a choice.”
Another commenter said Barrymore’s apology, placed in air quotes, “would have benefited from a writer.”
The fourth season of The Drew Barrymore Show is set to premiere Monday, Sept. 18.
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