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'Drew Barrymore Show' Attendees Explain Why They Were Ejected as Spokesperson Expresses 'Regret' over Incident
"Drew was completely unaware of the incident and we are in the process of reaching out to the affected audience members to offer them new tickets," a spokesperson for Barrymore's talk show told PEOPLE
Two audience members at Monday’s taping of The Drew Barrymore Show have claimed they were “kicked out” for expressing their support for the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike.
The incident occurred shortly after host Drew Barrymore announced on Sunday that she had decided to resume production on her eponymous daytime talk show amid the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
In a post shared on X (formerly known as Twitter), Dominic Turiczek shared how he was forced to leave the live taping after producers spotted him and another audience member wearing pins and T-shirts in support of the ongoing Hollywood strikes.
“Went to @DrewBarrymoreTV after winning tickets, unaware of the #WGA strike,” he wrote alongside a photo of himself posing outside of CBS studios. “We took pins & went in, got kicked out, & verbally assaulted by @DrewBarrymore ’s crew. It’s clear they don’t support #WGAStrong, writers or fans! #DrewTheRightThing So we took shirts and joined. F--- that.”
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Turiczek admitted he “knew about the #WGA strike, just not that they were picketing at Drew’s show.”
“We were unaware until inside, that her show had WGA writers, thus crossing picket lines by starting again,” he added. “We won the tickets last minute and didn’t do enough research, clearly.”
In a statement shared with PEOPLE, a representative for The Drew Barrymore Show acknowledged the incident and expressed “regret” over how the situation was handled.
“It is our policy to welcome everyone to our show tapings,” the spokesperson said. “Due to heightened security concerns today, we regret that two audience members were not permitted to attend or were not allowed access. Drew was completely unaware of the incident and we are in the process of reaching out to the affected audience members to offer them new tickets.”
Related: Drew Barrymore Taking Summer 'Social Media Break' to 'Go on Some Adventures': 'Healthy for the Soul'
CBS
The 48-year-old actress — who has hosted daytime show since 2020 — released a statement late last weekend about her decision to bring back her daytime show.
“I 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,” she wrote on Instagram.
Barrymore continued, “It was also in the first week of the strike and so I did what I thought was the appropriate thing at the time to stand in solidarity with the writers.”
She also made it clear that production on her talk show’s third season finished April 20, which was before the WGA strike began on May 2.
“I own this choice,” Barrymore added in her statement. “We are in compliance with not discussing or promoting film and television that is struck of any kind."
Related: Late-Night Shows Shut Down as Hollywood Writers Strike Begins After Failed Negotiations
The WGA — which represents more than 1,000 writers across television, film, news and online media — has been on strike amid failed negotiations to secure better pay, increased residuals and limits on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) across the film and television industry.
Like the WGA, after contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) stalled in July, the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) began their own strike.
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The Drew Barrymore Show is scheduled to return on Sept. 18.
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