‘The Drew Barrymore Show’ is coming back — without WGA writers

As previously announced, The Drew Barrymore Show is returning on Monday, October 16 — but without its three WGA writers.

The show’s head writers Chelsea White, Cristina Kinon and Liz Koe — all vocal critics of the show’s attempted return amid the Writers Guild Strike in mid-September — have declined an offer to return with it, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter. During the strike, all three could be seen picketing outside of Drew Barrymore’s Manhattan studio on multiple days, with signs that read, “Honk if you [love] union labor” or “Drew’s News: Strikes,” sources tell THR. The production is reportedly interviewing new writers and will comply with the guild.

The show initially announced it would return on September 18, before the strike ended, explaining, “We launched live in a global pandemic. Our show was built for sensitive times and has only functioned through what the real world is going through in real time. I want to be there to provide what writers do so well, which is a way to bring us together or help us make sense of the human experience.”

However, the decision drew flak from striking writers and their supporters, prompting Barrymore to reverse her decision.

“I have listened to everyone, and I am making the decision to pause the show’s premiere until the strike is over,” Barrymore wrote on Instagram at the time, adding, “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.”