Drew Barrymore draws controversy after bringing her talk show back during industry strike
"This is bigger than just me.”
Barrymore's show is technically under contract for two guilds
Drew Barrymore’s signature brand of empathy has come into question for the 11,000 members of the Writer’s Guild of America currently striking after she resumed production for her talk show.
Both the Writer’s Guild and the Screen Actor Guild, otherwise known as SAG-Aftra, have yet to reach fair negotiations with major studios and streaming companies like Disney and Netflix, and because of that, productions have come to a halt. And productions that continue to work while struck (with a few specific exceptions) are considering violating the strike rules, aka “crossing the line.”
And yet, Barrymore doubled down on her decision, writing on Instagram that she previously “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.”“To be clear, our talk show actually wrapped on April 20th so we never had to shut down the show,” she continued. “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.”
In her statement, Barrymore argued that “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,” suggesting that she was within strike regulations.
Unfortunately, it’s a little more complicated than that. Luckily TV writer David Slack, who’s worked on shows like “Law & Order” and “Magnum P.I.” explained it all in a very concise thread on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In the thread, Slack explained that Barrymore’s show is technically covered under both unions—SAG and the WGA. So while, yes, under SAG’s current contract, as long as she doesn’t promote struck shows, there’s no violation…the same cannot be said for her show under its WGA contract.
By going back on the air without her writers, Drew Barrymore is 100% ensuring that *someone* — either herself, one of her non-writing producers, or all of the above — will be doing the writing work that WGA writers normally do.
— David Slack (@slack2thefuture) September 11, 2023
“While Drew Barrymore is not a WGA member, her show employs WGA writers who are currently out on strike,” he wrote, noting that they create those popular “opening monologues, jokes, and interviews” that seem so spontaneous.
By going back on the air without her writers, Drew Barrymore is 100% ensuring that *someone* — either herself, one of her non-writing producers, or all of the above — will be doing the writing work that WGA writers normally do.
In other words…the decision is “absolutely” violating the WGA’s strike rules, according to Slack.It’s hard to tell if Barrymore’s choice to continue prediction is a result of misinformation (it’s near impossible to be 100% literate for just one of the two unions, let alone both) or if this is intentional for some reason. Either way, it certainly has ruffled feathers.
And it’s hard to not wonder if there was a better way to go about resuming production in a way that actually does support the writers.
By comparison, during the 2007 Writers Strike, which lasted 100 days, Conan O’Brien also continued to host his show. However, O’Brien used each episode to highlight how necessary writers with absolutely absurd and mundane shenanigans, like the lackadaisical tribute to his facial hair, and the ever famous attempt at spinning his wedding ring for 47 seconds.
This is true. Here's Conan spinning his wedding ring during the 2007 writers' strike just to fill airtime. It was like this for months.
— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) May 2, 2023
NBC was lucky that Conan is the GOAT, but it's impossible to explain to Gen Z how bad the content will get if there's another one. https://t.co/tNkduyiNac pic.twitter.com/5Eo1WqQG0l
Of course, as Slack pointed out, even that wouldn’t fly under the current contract. Hence why Barrymore’s show will be having picketers outside until the foreseeable future.
It almost goes without saying that it’s oversights like this—in addition to other sins—that have left the writers feeling the need to advocate for themselves. But it’s a big reminder that virtually anything you see on a television program that you enjoy, is because a writer provided you a service. And they deserve compensation for it.
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Not just coworkers—family, friends, strangers, kids…
Imagine having to go so badly but being out of euros. 
Anything hobbit-esque can't be wrong. 
But what if you need pain meds AND mascara?!
Imagine how this would affect childcare.
Honestly…where's the lie?
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Urgent dash to the bathroom! 🚪🏃♂️
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."