Drew Barrymore dropped from hosting gig after resuming talk show amid strike

Barrymore insisted that her talk show, set to return for its fourth season on September 18, will abide by the rules of the strike

Actor Drew Barrymore has been removed as National Book Awards host due to her decision to resume filming her talk show during the Hollywood writers’ strike.

The update was shared by the National Book Foundation via a statement on Tuesday, US-based news portal Deadline reported.

“The National Book Awards is an evening dedicated to celebrating the power of literature, and the incomparable contributions of writers to our culture. Our commitment is to ensure that the focus of the Awards remains on celebrating writers and books, and we are grateful to Ms. Barrymore and her team for their understanding in this situation,” the foundation said.

Barrymore had previously backed out of hosting the MTV Movie & TV Awards in support of the Writers Guild of America’s strike. But earlier this week she announced her show would be returning, drawing anger from members of both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA.

Barrymore insisted that her talk show, set to return for its fourth season on September 18, will abide by the rules of the strike.

“I made a choice to walk away from the MTV, film and television awards because I was the host and it had a direct conflict with what the strike was dealing with which was studios, streamers, film, and television. It was also in the first week of the strike and so I did what I thought was the appropriate thing at the time to stand in solidarity with the writers. And to be clear, our talk show actually wrapped on April 20th so we never had to shut down the show. However, I am also making the choice to come back for the first time in this strike for our show, that may have my name on it but this is bigger than just me,” she wrote. 

She added, “I own this choice. We are in compliance with not discussing or promoting film and television that is struck of any kind. 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. I hope for a resolve for everyone as soon as possible. We have navigated difficult times since we first came on air. And so I take a step forward to start season 4 once again with an astute humility.”

The National Book Awards ceremony is scheduled to take place on Nov. 15 in New York City.

TV and film writers in the Writers Guild of America went on strike in May after the union was unable to come to a new contract agreement with the Hollywood studios and streamers.

SAG-AFTRA, the union representing 160,000 actors and performers, went on strike in July after they too were unable to reach a new contract agreement with major studios. Wages, streaming residuals and AI usage remain central issues in the stalemate.

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