Drew Barrymore Showrunner Fired After Allegedly Telling Black, Hispanic/Latino Staffers 'Don't Rob Me'
The Drew Barrymore-produced "Hollywood Squares" revival has lost its showrunner, Vincent Rubino, who faces allegations of racially insensitive remarks.
Rubino was fired from his roles as executive producer and showrunner of the upcoming CBS game show after he allegedly raised his arms and told three BIPOC members of the production staff, "Don't rob me," Deadline reported, citing an unnamed source.
The three crew members, who work as production assistants on the set, are believed to be Black and Hispanic/Latino, according to the insider.
A different staffer reportedly witnessed the alleged incident and informed the production's human resources department.
Not long after, Jesse Collins Entertainment, which is co-producing the game show alongside Barrymore's Flower Films, decided to fire Rubino from "Hollywood Squares," according to the source.
Neither Rubino nor the production companies have publicly addressed the matter as of this writing.
Rubino is a veteran producer in the game show space with a long list of hits under his belt, including "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?," "The $100,000 Pyramid," "Supermarket Sweep," "Brain Games" and "The Newlywed Game."
A "Hollywood Squares" reboot featuring Barrymore as its famed center square was first announced by CBS in May.
While unveiling its schedule for the 2024-2025 TV season, the network announced that the reimagined "Hollywood Squares" will premiere in January and air every Wednesday at 10 p.m. EDT.
It will air after Drew Carey's "The Price is Right at Night" and "Raid the Cage," which is co-hosted by Damon Wayans Jr. and Jeannie Mai.
Network executives said they were excited to see the actress, whose talk show "The Drew Barrymore Show" is aired by CBS stations, bring her signature brand of joy and charisma to "Hollywood Squares."
"Drew's already a part of our CBS family," CBS Entertainment President Amy Reisenbach said in May. "She's adorable, she's engaging, she's going to bring her friends under the squares."
CBS President and CEO George Cheeks added, "We're reimagining 'Hollywood Squares.' We're going to be true to the old school elements, but like having an anchor of somebody with that personality, those relationships, and just someone who actually is so such a diehard fan of that franchise. We're super excited about her in the center square."
"CBS Mornings" co-host Nate Burleson will lead the new "Hollywood Squares."
According to CBS, the reboot will follow the format of the classic 1960s game show.
"The 'board' for the game is a vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by a celebrity seated at a desk and facing the contestants," the network said in a press release. "The celebrities are asked questions and the contestants judge the legitimacy of their answers to win the game."
