Drew Barrymore will no longer host the 2023 National Book Awards after her daytime talk show continued taping during Monday’s Writers Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
The National Book Foundation confirmed in a statement Tuesday that Barrymore’s invitation to host the ceremony had been “withdrawn.” The event is scheduled for November 15 in New York.
“The National Book Award is an evening dedicated to celebrating the power of literature and the incomparable contribution of writers to our culture,” said the Foundation. published X (formerly known as Twitter), reads. “In light of the announcement that The Drew Barrymore Show will continue production, the National Book Foundation has withdrawn its invitation to Ms. Barrymore to host the 74th National Book Awards.”
The statement continued: “It is our commitment 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.”
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Members of WGA-EAST and SAG-AFTRA gather outside “The Drew Barrymore Show” on Tuesday.
Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty
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Barrymore, 48, was chosen to host the ceremony in July. Oprah Winfrey was invited to speak as a special guest.
The actress announced plans to continue filming The Drew Barrymore Show on Instagram on Sunday. In her statement, she mentioned her decision in April to step down from hosting the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards before the WGA strike began on May 2. Barrymore also pointed out that the previous season of her series ended filming before that date.
“I own this choice,” Barrymore wrote in a social media post. “We agree not to discuss or promote film and television that has been attacked in any way.”
“I am also making the decision to return to this strike for the first time for our show, which may have my name on it, but this is bigger than me,” the post continues.
Barrymore went on to write that she wanted 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,” adding, “I’m hoping for a resolution for everyone as soon as possible. We’ve gotten through tough times.” since we first performed. And so I step forward to begin Season 4 again with discerning humility.”
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Writers’ Association of America, East wrote on X that The Drew Barrymore Show was “struck” and that any writing on the show would be a “violation of the WGA’s strike rules.”
When filming resumed on Monday, there was a line outside the studio. Also a member of the audience divided by X that he and another audience member wearing pins and T-shirts to show support for the WGA were kicked out of the studio.
Representative for The Drew Barrymore Show acknowledged the incident in a statement to PEOPLE and expressed “regret” over the situation.
“It is our policy to welcome everyone to the tapings of our shows,” the spokesperson said. “Due to heightened security concerns today, we regret that two members of the audience were not allowed to attend or were denied access. Drew was not aware of the incident and we are in the process of contacting affected audiences to offer them new tickets.”
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Drew Barrymore.
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
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The WGA — which represents more than 1,000 writers in television, film, news and online media — began the strike after negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) for better pay, increased residuals and restrictions on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) failed. The Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) went on strike in July.
The Drew Barrymore Show is scheduled to return to the air on September 18.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education