“The Jennifer Hudson Show” pushes back return to air amid backlash from writers' strike
The Jennifer Hudson Show has paused production and pushed back its return to the air following backlash from the writers' strike, EW has learned.
The EGOT's daytime talk show was set to premiere its newest season on Monday, Sept. 18, but that was before Drew Barrymore attempted to cross the picket line.
Chris Millard/Warner Bros. The Jennifer Hudson Show
Barrymore had announced her decision to resume her eponymous talk show on Sept. 18 in spite of the Writer's Guild of America strike, now in its 18th week. The Never Been Kissed actress faced a heap of criticism for the move, leading her to pause her show's return until the resolution of the strike.
"I have no words to express my deepest apologies to anyone I have hurt and, of course, to our incredible team who works on the show and has made it what it is today," Barrymore wrote on social media earlier today.
Shortly after that news, The Talk followed suit, pausing its season premiere, which was also set for Sept. 18. A rep for CBS told EW the network would "continue to evaluate plans for a new launch date."
Since the strikes began, other daytime talk shows, including The View, Tamron Hall, and Live With Kelly and Mark, have been filming new episodes. The Sherri Shepherd Show is currently scheduled to premiere its new season as planned on Monday.
After more than two months of picketing, the WGA writers were joined by SAG-AFTRA actors in striking against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), bringing Hollywood to heel. While SAG card-carrying performers can technically still appear on talk shows, they can't promote any work distributed, produced, or financed by AMPTP studios or streaming platforms.
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