Other talk shows join The Drew Barrymore Show in ignoring the WGA strike

Drew Barrymore recently announced that she’s going to be crossing the WGA picket line starting next week when her eponymous talk show returns, claiming that she will be “in compliance” with strike rules by “not discussing or promoting film and television that is struck” and that she will 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.”

But, to be clear, she will be doing that without union writers, despite the fact that her show is covered by the WGA, meaning anybody who writes for The Drew Barrymore Show is a scab and that anyone who improvises an interview question or a monologue joke in lieu of using a writer is also a scab because they’re replacing work that should be done by union writers. But sure, “bring us together.”

It sucks, and Barrymore has been getting rightfully roasted for it since the announcement, with WGA members picketing outside of CBS’ offices for more than eight hours on today. Surprisingly, though, the negative response wasn’t enough to stop some other daytime talk shows from deciding to cross the picket lines as well, with The Hollywood Reporter saying that The Talk, The Jennifer Hudson Show, and Sherri will all resume production soon despite the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. THR says that The Talk and The Jennifer Hudson Show are WGA shows that used WGA writers in the past—meaning anyone who writes (or does not write) for them during the strikes will be scabbing—but that Sherri Shepherd’s Sherri does not (though it’s still gross and an insult to the striking workers to go back into production now).

THR notes that all of the hosts are in compliance with SAG-AFTRA rules when it comes to hosting, since these talk shows are covered by a different contract than the one that the struck studios use, but that does not give them free rein to just ignore the WGA and the striking writers like this. These past few months should’ve made it clear to everyone in this business that nothing of value can exist without writers, whether it’s a major Hollywood blockbuster, a thoughtful news article, or The Talk.