Two audience members at Monday’s taping of The Drew Barrymore Show are saying they were “kicked out” for quietly showing support for the ongoing Hollywood writer strike.
Drew Barrymore Responds
In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), Dominic Turiczek said that he was forced to leave when crew members saw that he and another audience member were wearing buttons that expressed support for the Writers Guild of America (WGA).
“Went to @DrewBarrymoreTV after winning tickets, unaware of the #WGA strike,” he wrote. “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.”
Barrymore announced her show's return in a long-winded post to her Instagram Sunday, where she said the series would be “in compliance with not discussing or promoting film and television that is struck of any kind." However, the actor cited the conditions of the ongoing Hollywood actor strike — not the writer strike, of which her show is in violation of.
According to the Writer's Guild of America, any writing on shows — such as introductions, monologues, sketches, and questions for the show’s guests — violate the union's strike rules, as it replaces the work of union members. Barrymore has since received an onslaught of backlash online from fans and WGA members for her decision to cross picket lines.
Turiczek explained that 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 to PEOPLE, a spokesperson for The Drew Barrymore Show confirmed the incident had transpired, and that they “regret” how it was handled.
“It is our policy to welcome everyone to our show tapings,” they 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.”
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