With no end in sight for the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) strike, a few daytime talk shows settled on continuing their programs without writers, adding fuel to the strikers’ rage.
Many talk show productions halted after the writer’s strike commenced in May 2023. Soon, viewers began feeling the sting of the absence of writers, and TV shows would, too. But a handful of daytime talk shows have circumvented the issue, announcing their return.
The Jennifer Hudson Show, covered by the WGA, resumed production and advertised its second season, airing Sept. 18. Hudson’s syndicated show will operate without writers but will recommence working with union writers once a new contract is up.
Other shows like Tamron Hall and Sherri Shepherd’s Sherri never ceased production since they aren’t a part of WGA. Sherri has operated amid the strike without writers but has previously employed WGA writers, Variety reported.
Sherri announced her show will return Monday, Sept. 18.
The View — comprising co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Alyssa Farah Griffin, and Ana Navarro — is covered by the WGA but has continued production without writers while addressing the strike.
Each show has been picketed outside their studios, from The Jennifer Hudson Show (Burbank at Warner Bros. Studios) to The View (ABC Studios in NY), but not as much as actress and talk show host Drew Barrymore of The Drew Barrymore Show.
The Never Been Kissed actress supported the strike in early May by pulling out as the host of the MTV Movie & TV Awards, gaining much praise. Things took a 180 after the talk show host announced The Drew Barrymore Show would return, receiving backlash from critics accusing her of crossing the picket line.
Protesters gathered outside CBS Studios with signs and chants, including three writers for the The Drew Barrymore Show. They shared with the Hollywood Reporter their disappointment after learning Drew resumed production, confirming to them that TV executives saw little to no value in TV writers.
Drew released a statement defending herself.
“I own this choice,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “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.”
She continued, “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.”
Daytime talk shows can resume whether or not they’re a part of the WGA. The difficulty for them is that TV or film production promotions are forbidden, making guest appearances complex.
