Entertainment
Drew Barrymore, The Talk, Even Bill Maher Reverse Scab Plans Amidst Strikes on September 18, 2023 at 9:02 pm The Hollywood Gossip
This summer, we have witnessed entertainment industry event that the world has not seen in generations.
Both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA are striking amidst unthinkable corporate cheating. Executives are paying themselves tens of millions, while using streaming loopholes to pay minuscule residuals to the people who actually make TV and film.
It’s unsustainable. And there are many other issues that desperately need addressing.
Amidst all of this, a few clowns decided to resume their shows — scabbing during the strike. Sadly, Drew Barrymore was among them. Now, at least, she has reversed course and offered a heartfelt apology.
In September of 2023, Drew Barrymore posted an “apology” video to Instagram. She apologized to writers and actors for returning to her show during the historic WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes … but, at the time, still planned to scab. (Instagram)
Please, don’t scab
Last week, The Drew Barrymore Show resumed — an apparent violation of the work stoppage.
Years ago, talk shows could continue in some form during strikes, lining the pockets of networks without their usual content. Those rules have since changed.
Reports came out, describing Barrymore’s security expelling studio audience members who wore strike-related materials.
Patricia Clarkson joins SAG-AFTRA members on the picket line outside of Warner Bros. Discovery on August 10, 2023 in New York. The Emmy Awards have been postponed by almost four months, organizers said Thursday, as crippling strikes by Hollywood’s actors and writers drag on with no resolution in sight. (Getty)
Simply put, the whole point of any sort of strike — such as the one that America’s courageous auto workers recently authorized — is for the people who actually create goods and services and art that generate profit to bargain collectively.
Only a small percentage of actors are millionaires or more. Even a smaller percentage of writers are. The vast majority of SAG-AFTRA actors don’t even make as much as your average first-year teacher.
People who create value should then receive financial compensation for their labor and ingenuity. But with massive companies obsessed with golden parachutes and stockholders, it has become a game of cheating them out of their due.
Drew Barrymore speaks onstage during American Film InstituteÂs 44th Life Achievement Award Gala Tribute show to John Williams at Dolby Theatre on June 9, 2016 (Getty)
We were ALL rooting for you!
Crossing the picket line — literally or metaphorically — hurts strikers. It also, by extension, hurts most Americans.
So when Drew Barrymore, or The Talk, or whatever Bill Maher’s god-awful show is called … when they start filming despite a work stoppage, it helps these corporate behemoths to avoid paying people what they owe them.
In case anyone wondered how valuable actors and writers actually are, Warner Bros Discovery projected a loss of $500 million for 2023. That’s bad, even under Zaslav’s leadership. Agreeing to the guilds’ terms would have cost a fraction of that.
Bill Maher attends the Los Angeles Premiere of LBJ at ArcLight Hollywood on October 24, 2017. (Getty)
No one was rooting for Maher
Long story short, it sucked to hear that Barrymore was filming with scabs instead of her own writers. People felt disappointed in her.
Everyone expected this from Maher. He is a notoriously awful person who will almost invariably take the wrong stance on most issues.
The backlash was intense. And while it was a great opportunity to dunk on Maher, it was a time to bite the bullet and call out Barrymore.
Drew Barrymore attends the 2023 Time100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 26, 2023. (Getty)
Two apologies: a hit and a miss
Late last week, she put out an apology … but did not signal her intent to change course. That was, obviously, not enough.
Now, Barrymore is showing that she has listened to and understood people’s concerns.
“I have listened to everyone, and I am making the decision to pause the show’s premiere until the strike is over,” she wrote on Instagram. Absolutely, it is a good thing that she has listened. We’re sure that many friends reached out to her.
“I have listened to everyone, and I am making the decision to pause the showâs premiere until the strike is over,” Drew Barrymore announced on Instagram, reversing her plans to scab during the historic 2023 WGA/SAG-AFTRA strikes. (Instagram)
“I have no words to express my deepest apologies to anyone I have hurt,” Barrymore continued.
“And, of course,” Barrymore acknowledged, “to our incredible team who works on the show and has made it what it is today.”
Oddly, she wrote: “We really tried to find our way forward.”
John Oliver, winner of the Outstanding Variety Talk Series award for ‘Last Week Tonight with John Oliver’, poses in the press room during the 74th Primetime Emmys. (Getty)
Barrymore affirmed: “And I truly hope for a resolution for the entire industry very soon.”
Previously, she had explained that she was trying to resume work to save the jobs of other people.
For the record, other talk show hosts have formed a podcast, Strike Force Five, to earn money to pay their writers and crews.
Bill Maher often says what’s on his mind. But this has gotten the comedian in trouble a lot over the years. (Getty)
Like we said, a lot of people felt disappointed in Drew Barrymore. Reversing course was the right thing to do, and it’s a relief.
What’s really a sign of the incredible upswell in public opinion is that The Talk and Bill Maher are also reacting to the backlash. Both halted plans to resume business as usual.
As many on social media observed, if Maher is caving, public pressure is an effective tool.
David Zaslav, President and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, attends a premiere in May 2023. Many have dubbed him “the most hated man” in the entertainment industry, and with good reason. (Getty)
There’s only one group of people who can end these strikes, and they’re executives in charge of some of the biggest entertainment industry corporations on the planet.
Instead, many executives planned vacations for this year. Companies have pushed film releases to next year — to a post-strike time when actors can promote their projects.
They can end the strikes by agreeing to reasonable terms from SAG-AFTRA and the WGA. Instead, it appears from the outside that they’d rather continue to lose money out of spite.
Drew Barrymore, The Talk, Even Bill Maher Reverse Scab Plans Amidst Strikes was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
This summer, we have witnessed entertainment industry event that the world has not seen in generations. Both the WGA and …
Drew Barrymore, The Talk, Even Bill Maher Reverse Scab Plans Amidst Strikes was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
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Entertainment
What We Can Learn Inside 50 Cent’s Explosive Diddy Documentary: 5 Reasons You Should Watch
50 Cent’s new Netflix docuseries about Sean “Diddy” Combs is more than a headline-grabbing exposé; it is a meticulous breakdown of how power, celebrity, and silence can collide in the entertainment industry.
Across its episodes, the series traces Diddy’s rise, the allegations that followed him for years, and the shocking footage and testimonies now forcing a wider cultural reckoning.
1. It Chronicles Diddy’s Rise and Fall – And How Power Warps Reality
The docuseries follows Combs from hitmaker and business icon to a figure facing serious criminal conviction and public disgrace, mapping out decades of influence, branding, and behind-the-scenes behavior. Watching that arc shows how money, fame, and industry relationships can shield someone from scrutiny and delay accountability, even as disturbing accusations accumulate.
2. Never-Before-Seen Footage Shows How Narratives Are Managed
Exclusive footage of Diddy in private settings and in the tense days around his legal troubles reveals how carefully celebrity narratives are shaped, even in crisis.
Viewers can learn to question polished statements and recognize that what looks spontaneous in public is often the result of strategy, damage control, and legal calculation.
3. Survivors’ Stories Highlight Patterns of Abuse and Silence
Interviews with alleged victims, former staff, and industry insiders describe patterns of control, fear, and emotional or physical harm that were long whispered about but rarely aired in this detail. Their stories underline how difficult it is to speak out against a powerful figure, teaching viewers why many survivors delay disclosure and why consistent patterns across multiple accounts matter.
4. 50 Cent’s Approach Shows Storytelling as a Tool for Accountability
As executive producer, 50 Cent uses his reputation and platform to push a project that leans into uncomfortable truths rather than protecting industry relationships. The series demonstrates how documentary storytelling can challenge established power structures, elevate marginalized voices, and pressure institutions to respond when traditional systems have failed.
5. The Cultural Backlash Reveals How Society Handles Celebrity Accountability
Reactions to the doc—ranging from people calling it necessary and brave to others dismissing it as a vendetta or smear campaign—expose how emotionally invested audiences can be in defending or condemning a famous figure. Watching that debate unfold helps viewers see how fandom, nostalgia, and bias influence who is believed, and why conversations about “cancel culture” often mask deeper questions about justice and who is considered too powerful to fall.
A new Christmas-themed episode of South Park is scheduled to air with a central plot in which Satan is depicted as preparing for the birth of an Antichrist figure. The premise extends a season-long narrative arc that has involved Satan, Donald Trump, and apocalyptic rhetoric, positioning this holiday episode as a culmination of those storylines rather than a stand‑alone concept.
Episode premise and season context
According to published synopses and entertainment coverage, the episode frames the Antichrist as part of a fictional storyline that blends religious symbolism with commentary on politics, media, and cultural fear. This follows earlier Season 28 episodes that introduced ideas about Trump fathering an Antichrist child and tech billionaire Peter Thiel obsessing over prophecy and end‑times narratives. The Christmas setting is presented as a contrast to the darker themes, reflecting the series’ pattern of pairing holiday imagery with controversial subject matter.
Public and political reactions
Coverage notes that some figures connected to Donald Trump’s political orbit have criticized the season’s portrayal of Trump and his allies, describing the show as relying on shock tactics rather than substantive critique. Commentators highlight that these objections are directed more at the depiction of real political figures and the show’s tone than at the specific theology of the Antichrist storyline.
At the time of reporting, there have not been widely reported, detailed statements from major religious leaders focused solely on this Christmas episode, though religion-focused criticism of South Park in general has a long history.
Media and cultural commentary
Entertainment outlets such as The Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly, Forbes, Slate, and USA Today describe the Antichrist arc as part of South Park’s ongoing use of Trump-era and tech-world politics as material for satire.
Viewer guidance and content advisory
South Park is rated TV‑MA and is intended for adult audiences due to strong language, explicit themes, and frequent use of religious and political satire. Viewers who are sensitive to depictions of Satan, the Antichrist, or parodies involving real political figures may find this episode particularly objectionable, while others may view it as consistent with the show’s long‑running approach to controversial topics. As with previous episodes, individual responses are likely to vary widely, and the episode is best understood as part of an ongoing satirical series rather than a factual or theological statement.
Sydney Sweeney has decided she is finished watching strangers on the internet treat her face like a forensic project. After years of side‑by‑side screenshots, “then vs now” TikToks, and long comment threads wondering what work she has supposedly had done, the actor is now addressing the plastic surgery rumors directly—and using them to say something larger about how women are looked at in Hollywood and online.
Growing Up on Camera vs. “Before and After” Culture
Sweeney points out that people are often mistaking normal changes for procedures: she grew up on camera, her roles now come with big‑budget glam teams, and her body has shifted as she has trained, aged, and worked nonstop. Yet every new red‑carpet photo gets folded into a narrative that assumes surgeons, not time, are responsible. Rather than walking through a checklist of what is “real,” she emphasizes how bizarre it is that internet detectives comb through pores, noses, and jawlines as if they are owed an explanation for every contour of a woman’s face.
The Real Problem Isn’t Her Face
By speaking up, Sweeney is redirecting the conversation away from her features and toward the culture that obsesses over them.
She argues that the real issue isn’t whether an actress has had work done, but why audiences feel so entitled to dissect her body as public property in the first place.
For her, the constant speculation is less about curiosity and more about control—another way to tell women what they should look like and punish them when they do not fit. In calling out that dynamic, Sweeney isn’t just defending herself; she is forcing fans and followers to ask why tearing apart someone else’s appearance has become such a popular form of entertainment.
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