In a recent development, the writers of "The Drew Barrymore Show" - Chelsea White, Cristina Kinon, and Liz Koe - have declined the offer to return to the show following a controversial decision by its host.
Earlier, the actress and television host, Drew Barrymore, faced criticism for her choice to continue the show during a Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike. However, Barrymore reversed this decision amidst the backlash, offering her apologies publicly on social media platforms.
Interestingly, the writers led picketing against the show during the strike and have had strong opinions on resuming the production sans writers. After an intense 148-day strike, the WGA strike concluded on September 27 when the leadership voted unanimously for a compromise with studios across Hollywood.
In the aftermath, the Barrymore show, being amongst other late-night and daytime talk shows, decided to get back on track, eyeing an October 16 return. However, with the current writing team refusing to return, the show now looks for new writers in accordance with the Writers Guild of America.
Hosts of other shows like Bill Maher of HBO also made similar decisions to postpone their returns during the strike period. Advocates of the WGA strike believe that Barrymore's initial decision discredits the value of union writers, thereby downplaying their significance in a production process. Various other talk shows returned post the WGA strike resolution, including those hosted by Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver.