Drew Barrymore gets booted from award show hosting gig amidst strike backlash
Meanwhile, Matthew McConaughey and other stars have reportedly pulled out of appearances on The Drew Barrymore Show
Aux News Drew Barrymore
The U.S. National Book Awards are no longer interested in having Drew Barrymore serve as their host, BBC News reports. The decision to uninvite Barrymore from Friday’s event, announced this week by the National Book Foundation, is one of the first concrete manifestations of the backlash Barrymore has received over the last few days, after announcing on Sunday that she’s going to resume filming on her talk show, The Drew Barrymore Show, without her striking writers.
In a statement, the NBF wrote that, “The National Book Awards is an evening dedicated to celebrating the power of literature, and the incomparable contributions of writers to our culture. In light of the announcement that The Drew Barrymore Show will resume production, the National Book Foundation has rescinded Ms Barrymore’s invitation to host the 74th National Book Awards Ceremony [in New York].”
Barrymore made her announcement back on September 10, stating that “I own this choice,” and declaring that the show will be in compliance with strike rules. As she noted in her Instagram post, Barrymore stepped away from hosting the MTV Film And Television Awards earlier this year “to stand in solidarity with the writers,” but feels that, “this is bigger than just me,” and that she’s taking the step to resume filming “with an astute humility.”
Barrymore’s decision has faced a hefty amount of backlash already, up to and including a report from Rolling Stone that stars like Matthew McConaughey, Samantha Bee, and Leslie Jones have all pulled out of appearances on the show in solidarity with the ongoing strikes. Earlier this week, filming on the daytime talk show was picketed by the WGA—including appearances from the show’s own writers, with co-head writer Chelsea White giving a statement that “When any production that is covered under WGA comes back during a strike it undermines our whole group effort to come to a fair contract with the AMPTP.”
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I mean, presumably Barrymore could have (as she’s apparently within this level of decision making) negotiated a new contract with her writers complying with their most recent offer as the accepted terms and then applying for the appropriate exemption.Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.
I haven’t researched it, but it’s entirely possible that she doesn’t have that power. If she’s producing her show under contract, then it’s the company hiring her (or her personal company) that has to be a signatory with the WGA. If that’s the case (likely, since this is a CBS show) they’re holding out, there’s not much Barrymore could do.
Wouldn’t that completely go against the idea of union solidarity? Like if the networks and such can just make deals with certain shows to bring the writers back, then they can just make deals with their successful ones leaving the rest to hold out. Which would completely screw over the WGA.
What I described is the actual process by which shows are granted waivers. If you agree to operate under the most recent offer from the union as your contract, you can be granted a waiver to operate.It’s the opposite of weakening the unions’ position. It literally says “we can work under the terms and conditions that the union wishes to work under and has most recently offered at the bargaining table, and are doing it right now”.
But doesn’t that just mean that a network could pick their most profitable show, give those writers a deal and then let everyone else walk the picket line (potentially making a deal with people already making more than the union contract minimum). Writers taking that deal would basically be saying “screw the rest of the union, I got my money” (which is basically the opposite of collective bargaining). It would be like if NBC decided just agree to the SAG offer fo Mariska Hargitay and Ice-T and just made SVU episodes with the two of them.
It’s a bit more complicated than the first source I checked – they do a review of which productions they grant waivers to, and apparently (not mentioned in my first read) WGA has asked that they not grant future waivers. It still undermines the studio side – that the offer from the union is untenable and a shoot cannot operate under those terms. Presumably the review process (which gets really into the weeds, it’s apparently supposed to be ‘independents’ but that definition has also apparently been VERY stretched) would keep it so that you would not end up with a self sabotaging situation.
she’ll eventually release a teary eyed apology video and all will be forgotten..
All of the daytime hosts are going back now so the heat will be off of her now that it’s everyone.
Chances are, the apology will be astutely humiliating.
Isn’t her contract for the show not covered under the strike? Like, isn’t she contractually obligated to continue the show? I kind of want more info before jumping on the outrage machine.
Those are good points. Would the contractual obligation continue under the adverse circumstances of not having writers, however?
Honestly? No clue. But I do think we’re missing some info, and I don’t think current AV Club writers put in a responsible amount of research before they tell us to grab the pitchforks.
I do feel like she would have said if she were contractually obligated to continue the show.
You’d think Barrymore or one of her producers would go on background to a trade and explain this more if the Colorless Broadcasting System is blocking her from explicitly saying this.
Yes. Any on air talent covered under Netcode contract would be considered in breach of their contract if they do not show up for work.Since Drew made her announcement, all of the remaining daytime talk shows have also announced they are returning. Bill Maher is also stating he is returning.
also I heard some actors saying that they wish we could just name Netflix and the streaming services as why the strike is happening. It’s less about the cable networks or certain production companies, but specifically those big streaming companies.
There are reports that the big streamers and the biggest studios are the holdouts on real negotiation because of the residuals from streaming. That’s why Netflix has such a big stake in that part of the argument because they’d likely pay the most. However, we already know “paying the most” still means less than 1% of revenue for any of those guys. And just a hunch, but I think they would be perfectly happy to cave on the AI stuff if they could talk the unions down on residuals. I don’t think any of them are actually all that eager to start making movies with scans of favorite actors. It’s leverage. Similarly, I think the WGA would likely cave on episode counts or minimum writer’s room sizes if the residuals are bumped up. That’s not a criticism of them. It’s just how negotiation works and I think it’s clear the residuals piece is the piece most members of both unions care the most about.
Barrymore could easily mention the contract you say compels her to work. All SAG-AFTRA says is that she is not compelled to strike under Netcode, which is SAG-AFTRA alone. That’s all. Nothing about what the WGA requires. Nothing about somebody “forcing” her to do this. Just “astute humility”.
I’m not saying you’re wrong. But I am saying I’m only seeing the argument you’re making in internet comments. You’d think something as exonerating in the American psyche as contractual obligation would be the first thing out of her or her show’s more public defenders’ mouths. Nope. Just wishy washy “sorry not sorry”s. Which you can at least admit does nobody any favors in trying to parse the optics vs reality.
I mean members of the WGA also stated it. I’ve quoted them in multiple places. You cannot just choose to strike because another union is on strike. That’s why soap opera actors right now are required to show up for work on sets with scab writers that are actively being picketed because their contracts aren’t expired. I’m sure CBS has no desire to come out and say they are making their talent go back to work, but all three shows that had WGA writers who announced they are going back (Drew, The Talk and Jennifer Hudson) are all distributed by and owned by CBS.
The difference being that Barrymore is not just “an actor”, but a showrunner. “Can” do something is not “required” to do something, because her obligation to appear as an actor certainly not what’s at stake here. Network Television Code may cover how she is *treated*, but as a showrunner, she’s not in the same boat as a soap opera actor, and arguing otherwise feels a bit strange. She may indeed have a contractual obligation to produce her show, but not because of SAG or Netcode.Again, you might indeed be correct, in partial or in whole. Lord knows news media in this country is shit. But the only public statements on the why have been, again, Barrymore’s, which mentions no legal obligation, SAG’s, which says she’s simply not in breach of SAG’s strike, and the WGA, *which is picketing all of those shows*. The silence on her team’s end, if it is as simple as you say, does them no favors. Either she is at least partially a villain in this, or she and her team are bizarrely comfortable with her looking like one when she isn’t. Bad solidarity or bad PR.And not for nothing, but the entire reason for the strikes is that the legal status quo sucks ass. Barrymore and those other talk shows continuing to produce under conditions that caused a union strike, while legal, can still be critiqued, even if (or ESPECIALLY if) the system requires her to do critiquable things.
You’re information is inaccurate. Showrunners are also not on strike unless they are members of one of the guilds that are on strike. They could still be required to be the showrunner if their show is in production even if they can no longer write. Being a showrunner does not mean that she can’t be compelled to work – Again, see all late night hosts excluding Letterman in the last strike. Her show while produced by her company is under contract with CBS who distributes it. That contract dictates what content needs to be produced and that is who can compel her to come back. They would not be able to do so if she were in a union that is on strike *in those roles.* So, they cannot make her talk about her old movies, for example.Anyone who isn’t an actor covered under the theatrical contract or a writer covered under the WGA contract is required to show up to work or be in breach of their contracts.And hey, don’t take my word for it. Take SAG’s: “If you are contracted to work on a project that continues production while the WGA is on strike, you are legally obligated to continue working by your personal services agreement and the ‘no strike’ clause in our collective bargaining agreements.”Guess what? Netcode Contract includes ‘no strike’ clause.ETA: Barrymore also spoke on Instagram that the situation is more complex than her original statement said.
I remember Oprah had to still film her show literally in texas when all the farmers tried to sue her for mad cow stuff, or the network would sue her for breach of contract. And that’s Oprah! I think we’re missing a lot of the legalities of what is happening with daytime shows.
Then she should really just say that. I’d respect more than her statement that the world somehow needs her show.
Yeah, “my employer threatening to sue me for $50 million if I breach my still-active contract, so its grudgingly back to work for me” isn’t as noble as the “I’m only doing this for the working man!” schtick Maher is floating, but I’d wager it would at least cut down on the scab accusations.
The big caveat here is that it’s The Drew Barrymore Show. If she’s found in breach of contract, there would probably be some significant repercussions, but what are they going to do, fire her from her own show? She could just make a new one later, and presuming her numbers are worthwhile, some other network would be raking in that ad money next year. In comparison to the late night shows now and even back in ‘07, those shows are all bigger than their hosts. NBC could fire Fallon and hire Jim Belushi tonight if they they decided he was in breach of contract, and nobody would miss a step. But Barrymore has much more leverage to refuse to work her own show. She’d probably get a lot less accolades for breaking contract in solidarity than flak she’s getting now for crossing picket lines, but it would be a pretty powerful move.
If that’s the case, why wouldn’t she just say that? If she and/or Maher had said “my contract obligates me to continue doing this show, I still stand in solidarity with the WGA” then the outrage would be nearly nothing.
Right. I feel like if that’s the case, she should just say that, and say that because we can’t do this show without writing, I’ll just sit here silent on air for 60 minutes.
might have had to sign an NDA.
My theory is dayime talk shows are so disposable that if they went off the air, they would be cancelled. Most of the hosts are D-List (Barrymore is maybe C-List) where that gig is easy money and all they really have. The days of many of these “celebs” trying to get parts are long done. So would you really risk a million dollars or just take the heat and go back? Jerry O’Connell makes 2 million! to be on “The Talk”. Where else is he going to get that kind of money, ever anymore?
I’m confused. Didn’t Conan do his show during the strike in 2007, 2008? He grew a strike beard IIRC! I don’t remember backlash to that.
https://screenrant.com/writers-strike-reactions-conan-obrien-2007/#:~:text=Conan%20will%20not%20be%20impacted%20by%20the%20Writers,then%20with%20their%20salaries%20makes%20him%20more%20admirable.
In the last strike, Letterman owned his show and agreed to the WGA demands, which allowed him to go back on the air. The other late night shows soon followed suit to compete. Unfortunately, I don’t think and of the late night host now day have that power. Not at all sure on the day time shows (and don’t care), but as someone earlier posted, if Drew can call the shots, she can simply agree to the WGA proposals and get her writers back.
if Drew can call the shots, she can simply agree to the WGA proposals and get her writers back.I don’t think that’s the case this time around. Unlike SAG-AFTRA, WGA has pointedly refused to grant any waivers (unless that’s changed recently and I missed it, which is certainly possible).
It wasn’t the case the last time either. Only Letterman had a deal. The others went on air without writers.
Any company, at any time, can pull out of the AMPTP and make a deal with the WGA. That may in fact be the only way this clusterfuck ends- most likely scenario being the legacy studios abandoning Netflix/Amazon/Apple/etc, since their business models are vastly different anyways.
No, they did not.The other Late Night hosts had no interim deals. Only Letterman did. The others went back on air without their writers.
Thank you for the clarification. It’s been a few years.
Yep! All of the late night hosts were required to go back. Likely the only reason the networks aren’t pulling that trigger is that there are also no actors to interview. David Letterman was the exception in that he made an interim deal with the WGA and was allowed to use writers.That said, Bill Maher announced today he will be resuming production.
Astute Humility in action
I thought her show has an unscripted talk/interview show. So not using writers. Whats the big deal then?
This is her origin story. This is when she becomes a supervillain. A member of the committee that booted her dies mysteriously, and Drew attends the funeral. As the casket is being lowered into the ground, the mourners learn that another member has died. They all look at Drew and she says, “I guess you will have to — bury more.” And she smiles that little smile she does.
And my heart melts.
❤️
I think she’s been bitter ever since Spielberg had E.T. be best friends with Henry Thomas rather than herself back in 1982.
I imagine the Titan AE debacle didn’t help.(I actually really like that movie, but you can definitely tell it had some development issues…)
That was a great movie. We need more like that and The Road To El Dorado
Looks like they want Drew to Barry a little less.
Oh. No. Not the National Book Awards. What ever shall she do?
Wait, this show had WRITER(S)?? Plural??? Wow.
Stand with Drew! Piss off Union woketards and their stooges