Drew Barrymore Posts Tearful Apology To WGA, Says She Never Meant To 'Upset Or Hurt Anyone... That's Not Who I Am'

Just days after defending The Drew Barrymore Show's return in the midst of the WGA strike, host Drew Barrymore is offering further explanation.

"I believe there's nothing I can do or say in this moment to make it OK," Barrymore said in a tearful video posted to Instagram Friday. "I wanted to own a decision, so that it wasn't a PR-protected situation, and I would just take full responsibility for my actions."

She continued: "There are so many reasons why this is so complex, and I just want everyone to know my intentions have never been in a place to upset or hurt anyone. That's not who I am... I deeply apologize to writers. I deeply apologize to unions. I deeply apologize."

"There's a huge question of the why — why am I doing this?" she added. "Well, I certainly couldn't have expected this kind of attention, and we aren't going to break rules and we will be in compliance. I wanted to do this, because this is bigger than me and there are other people's jobs on the line."

Despite Barrymore's apology — which (update) has since been deleted from her Instagram — The Drew Barrymore Show is still set to return Monday, Sept. 18.

Barrymore took heat after announcing that her talk show would be returning for Season 4 in the middle of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. "I own this choice," Barrymore wrote in an Instagram post Sunday. "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."

Barrymore acknowledged that she stepped down from hosting the MTV Film and TV Awards in May, because "it had a direct conflict with what the strike was dealing with, which was studios, streamers, film and television."

"It was also in the first week of the strike and so I did what I thought was appropriate at the time to stand in solidarity with the writers," she said.

The WGA responded to Barrymore's statement with a brief post on X (fka Twitter), reiterating that any writing done on The Drew Barrymore Show's new season "is in violation of WGA strike rules."

"The @DrewBarrymoreTV Show is a WGA covered, struck show that is planning to return without its writers," the WGA stated on Sunday. "The Guild has, and will continue to, picket struck shows that are in production during the strike."