Drew Barrymore has backtracked on her decision to go ahead with her talk show while the writers’ and actors’ unions are on strike.

Last week, Barrymore resumed her talk show, The Drew Barrymore Show, in New York, despite having writers who are part of the Writers Guild of America.

Thhe show was picketed and the actor ended up posting, and then deleting, a video to her Instagram where she said production would still go ahead as there were too many jobs on the line.

Crew members on the show have been out of work since the WGA strike began in May, shutting down production.

On Monday, Barrymore once again took to Instagram to announce the show would not return while strikes continued.

“I have listened to everyone, and I am making the decision to pause the show’s premiere until the strike is over,” she said.

“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.

“We really tried to find our way forward. And I truly hope for a resolution for the entire industry very soon.”

Barrymore isn’t the only one delaying her show following backlash, daytime show The Talk has also been delayed due to the strikes, as has The Jennifer Hudson Show, which was meant to start this week.

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Did Barrymore break strike rules?

By returning to air, Barrymore would not have violated SAG-AFTRA rules, as contracts for talk shows, game shows and soap operas were renewed last year.

However, she was called a “scab” during the week her show was set to resume. A scab is someone who “crosses the picket line” and works during a strike, taking a job from a union member.

If The Drew Barrymore Show returned while strikes continued, the star would have had to either use WGA writers who were prepared to violate the strike rules, or use non-union writers.

She also could have gone ahead without writers, which may have been the plan. But many were less than convinced Barrymore would take the stage without some sort of writing being done.

“By going back on the air without her writers, Drew Barrymore is 100 per cent ensuring that someone – either herself, one of her non-writing producers, or all of the above – will be doing the writing work that WGA writers normally do,” former WGA board member David Slack said on X.

Barrymore decided to “own” the choice to return and said she would have been in “compliance with not discussing or promoting film and television that is struck of any kind”.

Barrymore is a member of SAG, but her talk show operates under a different agreement. The union confirmed to NBC News she would not have broken any rules.

Union writers employed

“The Drew Barrymore Show is produced under the Network Television Code which is a separate contract and is not struck. It is permissible work and Drew’s role as host does not violate the current strike rules,” the spokesperson said.

Because the show employs union writers, people are of the belief it, and other talk shows, should not go ahead during the strikes.

Writers and the WGA East members picketed the show.

Tweet from @WGAEast

Two people unaware of the strike and subsequent picketing attended a taping of Barrymore’s show and were handed WGA pins on their way in by union members.

Inside, Dominic Turiczek and Cassidy Carter were asked to remove the pins. Turiczek refused to do so and they were both asked to leave, which according to a spokesperson for the show, Barrymore did not know.

They both joined the picket line after exiting, with Carter saying the experienced changed their view of Barrymore.

Among those on the picket lines outside where The Drew Barrymore Show was being taped was Chelsea White, one of the writers.

“I think in general, this is obviously bigger than us three writers on The Drew Barrymore Show,” White said, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“It is a bummer to hear that the show is going back because it sends a message that union writers are not valuable. And it goes directly against what the WGA, SAG-AFTRA, all the unions are trying to band together to stand up against the greedy studios.”

What hosts do without writers

During the 2007-2008 WGA strike, talk shows were faced with the same problem and Conan O’Brien had a pretty powerful solution.

O’Brien got his start as a writer and expressed support for the union during the strike.

Opting to film new episodes of Late Night with Conan O’Brien he veered away from any content that could be perceived as though a writer had their hand in crafting it.

The episodes filmed during the strike featured him going without a script and resulted in him doing some pretty mundane things, like seeing how many times he could spin his wedding ring on his desk.