Drew Barrymore has deleted a video in which she apologized for resuming her talk show amid the ongoing writers' strike.
Earlier this week, the Charlie's Angel star found herself in the center of Hollywood drama after revealing that The Drew Barrymore Show would start production on its fourth season.
The 48-year-old actress was hit with a tidal wave of backlash because of the ongoing WGA (Writers Guild of America) and SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) strikes that have brought much of Hollywood to a standstill.
On Friday (September 15), Barrymore addressed the controversy in an Instagram video in which she tearfully said she took "full responsibility for [her] actions." But, it seems like she had second thoughts as the video and her original post about getting back to work, as both are now MIA from her page.
Check out Barrymore's now-deleted apology video below:In the now-deleted video, she told her followers: "I believe there's nothing I can do or say at this moment to make it ok. I know there is just nothing I can do that will make this okay to those that it is not okay with. I fully accept that. I fully understand that."
"There are so many reasons why this is so complex, and I just want everyone to know my interns have never been in a place to upset or hurt anymore. It’s not who I am," she continued. "I’ve been through so many ups and downs in my life, and this is one of them. I deeply apologize to writers, I deeply apologize to unions, I deeply apologize."
The 50 First Dates star emphasized how complex the situation was, adding, "It's not who I am," and said she had no "PR machine behind this," confessing she didn't want to "hide behind people".
Barrymore acknowledged that a lot of people had wondered why she had crossed the picket line by resuming her show, explaining: "As I said, this is bigger than me, and there are other people’s jobs on the line. And since launching live in a pandemic, I just wanted to make a show that was there for people in sensitive times."
"And I weighed the scales, and I thought, if we could go on in a global pandemic and everything that the world has experienced in 2022, why would this sideline us?" she questioned.
According to Yahoo, Debra Messing - who is currently on strike - wrote in the comments: "You can choose now to halt production. You can choose to pay your employees like other talk show hosts who have stood in solidarity with the writers."
"There are thousands of union members jobs and livelihoods that are at stake (exponentially more than those who work on your show) and the future of our beloved industry. I hope you will reconsider," she added.
Actress Ever Carradine also chimed in: "I was so hopeful that this was a video of you announcing that you were stepping away from your show and joining your writers on the picket line."
"I am such a fan of yours, as an artist and as a human, but I will never understand your choice to cross a picket line… It is not too late to change your mind," she concluded.
SAG-AFTRA is made up of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and represents more than 160,000 media performers. It is the largest performer and broadcasters union, and many of its members are celebrities.
The acting strike began two months after the Writers Guild of America's strike commenced, with the WGA hoping that the addition of actors would improve the fight for better wages, among other demands.
The Independent reported that WGA members have begun picketing outside of Barrymore's New York production studio after she announced that she would be resuming her show.
Among those slamming her decision is her eponymous talk show's co-head writer, who said that the actress would "prolong the strike" by resuming her show. "I personally understand that everybody has to make the best decision for themselves," the writer said, per the outlet.
"I know that this show has a crew of hundreds of people who need to be paid, and I understand the perspective of wanting to protect your cast, your crew, and your staff," they continued. "We’re standing with all of labor and all of the unions across the world because that is how it works."
"Unions only work when you stick together with unions across the labor spectrum," they added.