Jennifer Hudson Show Postpones Season 2 Amid Writers’ Strike – The Hollywood Reporter
The Jennifer Hudson Show joins other daytime talk shows in postponing the season premiere as writers continue to strike.
Hudson’s syndicated show, distributed by Warner Bros., was scheduled to premiere Monday but is now on hold. The decision follows that of The Drew Barrymore Show and CBS’ The conversation. According to sources, Hudson supported the postponement.
All three shows are signatories to the Writers Guild of America Minimum Basic Agreement and have historically employed WGA writers. They were all supposed to open their seasons on Monday, but came under scrutiny – and harsh criticism – last week.
The catalyst for this was Barrymore’s September 10 announcement that she would debut the fourth season of her show. “I own this choice,” she said in an Instagram post. “We are committed to not discussing or promoting films and television shows that are affected in any way.”
After a backlash from striking writers and actors, including pickets outside her New York studio, Barrymore apologized on Friday but did not announce plans for a production pause. This happened on Sunday when the host wrote on Instagram: “I have listened to everyone and am making the decision to pause the show’s premiere until the strike is over,” Barrymore wrote in a statement on Instagram on Sunday. “I don’t have the words to sincerely apologize to everyone I hurt and of course to our incredible team who work on the show and made it what it is today.”
Although much of the criticism focused on Barrymore—partly due to her public statements and the fact that she opted out of hosting the MTV Movie and TV Awards in the early weeks of the writers’ strike—striking writers also questioned Barrymore’s decisions in question The conversation And The Jennifer Hudson Show to announce Monday premieres (Hudson’s show did this a few weeks ago). The conversation was demonstrated as some preparations were made last week.
A fourth daytime anchor who is a WGA signee, NBCUniversal Kelly Clarkson Show, is in the process of moving production from Los Angeles to New York and has not yet announced a premiere date. ABC’s The view has remained in production (and been demonstrated) during the writers’ and actors’ strikes, although it is said that the striking writers’ work is not being done by anyone else.
Several other daytime shows including Live with Kelly and Mark, Tamron Hall And Sherrihosted by Sherri Shepherd, does not employ WGA writers and is produced as usual.
