“The Drew Barrymore Show” is not coming back after all.
Barrymore, 48, announced Sunday that her talk show would not return amid the Hollywood writers’ strike, reversing her previous plans.
“I have listened to everyone, and I am making the decision to pause the show’s premiere until the strike is over,” she wrote Sunday morning on Instagram. “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.”
Barrymore was slammed after announcing plans to bring her show back last week. The show employs three Writers Guild of America writers, who have been on strike since May 2.
Producers had said the show would return without any writers. The WGA was not satisfied. Union writers picketed outside the show’s New York studios last week as it was taping and planned to continue those protests on Monday, when the show was supposed to return to the air.
“Drew Barrymore should not be on the air while her writers are on strike fighting for a fair deal,” the union said previously. “In reality, shows like this cannot operate without writing, and that is struck work.”
The National Book Awards dropped Barrymore as their host after she announced her plans to bring back the show.
Barrymore was not the only one who backtracked on plans to return on Sunday. CBS’ “The Talk” was also scheduled to return to air on Monday, but canceled those plans due to the strike, according to Variety.
Talk shows are governed by a different contract than scripted TV, but some employ WGA writers. Shows with no writers, such as “Live with Kelly and Mark” and “Tamron Hall,” have operated business as usual throughout the strike.
One high-profile talk show, “The View,” has powered through without its two union writers during the strike, drawing the ire of many WGA members.