{"id":398987,"date":"2023-09-13T21:20:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-13T21:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=398987"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-29T14:00:00","slug":"Drew-Barrymore-dropped-as-National-Book-Awards-host","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/Drew-Barrymore-dropped-as-National-Book-Awards-host\/","title":{"rendered":"Drew Barrymore dropped as National Book Awards host"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK<\/strong> (AP)\u2014Drew Barrymore has been dropped as host of the upcoming National Book Awards ceremony, a day after her talk show taped its first episode since the Hollywood writers strike began.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe National Book Awards is an evening dedicated to celebrating the power of literature, and the incomparable contributions of writers to our culture,\u201d the National Book Foundation, which presents the award, said in a statement Tuesday. \u201cIn light of the announcement that \u2018The Drew Barrymore Show\u2019 will resume production, the National Book Foundation has rescinded Ms. Barrymore\u2019s invitation to host the 74th National Book Awards Ceremony.\u201d<\/p>\n

The awards event, sometimes referred to as the Academy Awards of the publishing world, is scheduled for Nov. 15.<\/p>\n

Barrymore\u2019s resumption of her CBS talk show doesn\u2019t inherently cause issues with the actors guild, which is also on strike, as daytime talk shows are governed by a different Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Radio and Television Artists contract that was renewed and ratified last year. But Barrymore\u2019s show employs at least three writers who are members of the writers guild, which has been on strike since early May. Those writers were picketing outside the CBS Broadcast Building on Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only people I know for sure that are not going back are us three WGA writers. And the rest, I can\u2019t really speak for,\u201d Chelsea White, one of the show\u2019s writers, said on the picket line. \u201cI think first and foremost, this is obviously way bigger than just \u2018The Drew Barrymore Show\u2019 and writers. We are out here standing with our union and feeling great and excited always to stand with our union.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barrymore drew criticism from members of both guilds for crossing the picket line, and from Colson Whitehead, Alexander Chee and other authors who questioned whether she should remain as host of the National Book Awards.<\/p>\n

The fourth season of the talk show is slated to start airing Sept. 18. A representative for Barrymore did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In an Instagram post on Sunday, Barrymore said she was \u201cmaking 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI own this choice,\u201d she added, continuing that they would comply with the strikes by not discussing or promoting struck work.<\/p>\n

She also mentioned writers in her post.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be there to provide what writers do so well, which is a way to bring us together or help us make sense of the human experience,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n

At the outset of the writers strike, Barrymore had dropped out as host of the MTV Movie & TV Awards out of solidarity with those on strike (she later won best host at the event, which ditched the live element for a clip-heavy pre-taped show). Elsewhere in the literary world, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos pulled out of May\u2019s PEN America Gala, where he was to receive a Business Visionary Award, saying he didn\u2019t want to distract from \u201cthe important work that PEN America does for writers and journalists\u201d (Netflix is among the studios and streamers on the other side of the table from the striking workers).<\/p>\n

The National Book Foundation has long sought to raise the profile of the book awards, and Barrymore would have been its best-known host in years. When she was announced as host of this year\u2019s National Book Awards, the chair of the National Book Foundation\u2019s board of directors lauded her work championing books.<\/p>\n

\u201cThroughout their careers, Drew Barrymore and Oprah Winfrey have each demonstrated their enduring belief that books have the power to change readers\u2019 lives\u2014by opening doors, sparking conversations, and building community,\u201d David Steinberger said in a statement, also referencing the ceremony\u2019s guest speaker, Winfrey.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, the foundation sought to put the spotlight back on the writers.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur commitment is to ensure that the focus of the Awards remains on celebrating writers and books, and we are grateful to Ms. Barrymore and her team for their understanding in this situation,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Drew Barrymore attends the Time100 Gala, celebrating the 100 most influential people in the world, at Frederick P. Rose Hall, April 26, 2023, in New York.<\/p>\n

-Evan Agostini
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