Looks like Matthew McConaughey and a few other stars stepping away from making appearances on The Drew Barrymore Show after she received backlash for resuming production at her self-titled ‘Drew Barrymore Show,’ amid SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes.
As we previously reported, Barrymore made some comments about the strike that had many people upset. Just days before the show was scheduled to air, she said in a statement, “I 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. Everything we celebrate and honor about movies and television is born out of their creation. And until a solution is reached, I am choosing to wait but I’ll be watching from home and hope you will join me. I thank MTV, who has truly been some of the best partners I have ever worked with. And I can’t wait to be a part of this next year, when I can truly celebrate everything that MTV has created, which is a show that allows fans to choose who the awards go to and is truly inclusive.”
Since her controversial statements, The U.S. National Book Awards are no longer interested in having Drew Barrymore serve as their host, according to The AvClub. The decision to her not be a part of the show was announced this week. 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 In light of the announcement that The Drew Barrymore Show will resume production, the National Book Foundation has rescinded Ms Barrymore’s invitation to host the 74th National Book Awards Ceremony [in New York].”
Drew Barrymore isn’t the only person who announced that their show is coming back. Bill Maher also announced that his HBO show will soon return without writers. “Real Time is coming back, unfortunately, sans writers or writing. It has been five months, and it is time to bring people back to work,” he wrote Wednesday on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The liberal comedian said that while he “sympathized” with the writers’ concerns, there were other staff who were being hurt financially by the strike.
“The writers have important issues that I sympathize with, and hope they are addressed to their satisfaction, but they are not the only people with issues, problems, and concerns. Despite some assistance from me, much of the staff is struggling mightily,” he wrote. Maher reiterated how he loves his fellow writers on “Real Time,” but he would not allow the show “to lose an entire year and see so many below-the-line people suffer so much.” The HBO host pledged to “honor the spirit of the strike” by abstaining from show elements that were dependent on writing, such as the monologue, desk piece, and “New Rules” segments.