NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� 鈥淭he Drew Barrymore Show鈥� will begin airing fresh episodes on Monday but a lot of off-air controversy will be clinging to its typically bubbly host.
Barrymore 鈥� a daughter of a proud acting dynasty 鈥� is making new batches of her syndicated talk show despite picketers outside her studio, as daytime TV becomes the latest battlefield in the
鈥淲e鈥檙e four months approximately into this strike and it鈥檚 not surprising that there are defectors,鈥� said a professor of labor and employment relations at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 predict that this would happen on daytime TV, but everybody has a breaking point in a labor dispute.鈥�
鈥淭he Drew Barrymore Show,鈥� operating without its three union writers, isn鈥檛 the only daytime show to resume. 鈥淭he View鈥� has returned for its 27th season on ABC, while and 鈥淟ive With Kelly and Ryan鈥� 鈥� neither are governed by writers guild rules 鈥� have also been producing fresh episodes. and 鈥淭he Talk鈥� are also restarting Monday.
As long as the hosts and guests don鈥檛 discuss or promote work covered by television, theatrical or streaming contracts, they're not technically breaking the strike. That's because talk shows are covered under a separate contract 鈥� the so-called Network Code 鈥� from the one actors and writers are striking. The Network Code also covers reality TV, sports, morning news shows, soap operas and game shows.
鈥淚 know there is just nothing I can do that will make this OK to those that it is not OK with. I fully accept that," Barrymore said in a video posted Friday on Instagram that was later deleted. "I just want everyone to know my intentions have never been in a place to upset or hurt anymore. It鈥檚 not who I am.鈥�
The ongoing strike pits and the against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents Disney, Netflix, Amazon and others.
The return of daytime hosts, producers and studio crews will make for some awkward exchanges, predicted a writer, professor and director of the MFA in Writing for Screen and Stage at Northwestern University.
鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of amazing that they鈥檙e going to go back to work with their own writers picketing outside the doors of the studios,鈥� said Dohrn, a writers guild member. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e literally walking past the picket line of the workers who they say they鈥檙e supporting.鈥�
Barrymore鈥檚 decision to return to the air was met with pushback on social media. 鈥淵ou have the heart and mind to be more tapped into the needs of the community than this,鈥� wrote one viewer on Instagram. Another was more blunt: 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 get to play a generous and relatable character when it鈥檚 financially expedient for you and then scab when your pocketbook is at risk.鈥�
Actor and activist Alyssa Milano, whose friendship with Barrymore stretches back years, also criticized the return,
鈥淚 love her very much 鈥� I grew up with her 鈥� but I'm not sure that this was the right move for the strike. I'm sure in her eyes it's the right move for her and the show, but as far as the WGA and SAG and union strong 鈥� not a great move.鈥�
Barrymore's stance was also met with some puzzlement since she walked away as host of the the first big awards show to air during the strike. Back then, she wrote: 鈥淚 have listened to the writers, and in order to truly respect them, I will pivot from hosting the MTV Movie & TV Awards live in solidarity with the strike.鈥�
She has since lost another hosting gig: the National Book Awards in November. 鈥渋n light of the announcement that 鈥楾he Drew Barrymore Show鈥� will resume production.鈥�
LeRoy, who has studied labor-employer struggles for 30 years, warned that TV shows like Barrymore's may think they can get by without using union writers but may find long-term costs.
鈥淣o members of the Writers Guild will ever work with that show again,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a short-term, feel-good moment or get-by moment for Drew Barrymore and maybe the others, but long term they really have, in my view, basically given themselves an early retirement.鈥�
He noted other strikes in the past that left bitter feelings for decades, like when Major League Baseball umpires went on strike in 1999. New umpires were hired and integrated with veteran ones but tensions continued.
鈥淔or the next 25 years, those umpires would not talk to each other if they were assigned to work games together," LeRoy said. 鈥淭wenty-five years of shunning. People do not forget it.鈥�
Viewers who tune into new episodes of daytime talk shows these days will find a changed landscape. Guests aren鈥檛 always the A-listers with blockbuster TV shows or films to promote. Since the strike began, authors, musicians and comedians are filling the gaps.
This week, Neil deGrasse Tyson was on 鈥淟ive With Kelly and Ryan鈥� talking about the science behind the Hulk while Cedric The Entertainer was telling Hall about his debut novel. Matthew McConaughey was on 鈥淭he View鈥� to promote his book 鈥滼ust Because.鈥�
Hosts like Barrymore may be caught in a lose-lose situation 鈥� contractually obligated to return to work but certain to anger colleagues when they do. Last week she noted
Bill Maher, who also announced he would return to his late night talk show, couched his reasoning as wanting to help all his staff, saying writers
Dohrn isn't buying it: 鈥淭hey talk about wanting to support the people who are just getting by. But Bill Maher and Drew Barrymore and the hosts of 鈥楾he View鈥� are not just getting by. They could very easily stand with their fellow workers in the industry and say, 鈥榃e鈥檙e not going to feed the studio pipeline until they make a fair offer,'" he said.
"They鈥檙e deciding for a whole host of complicated reasons to go back to work and to ultimately try to break the strike.鈥�
___
Associated Press Writer Krysta Fauria contributed to this report.
___
Mark Kennedy is at
Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press
