Drew Barrymore finally explained why she gets up close and personal with many of her guests on her talk show.
As she celebrated the early Season 6 renewal of her eponymous daytime series, the “Charlie’s Angels” star admitted to “Entertainment Tonight” that she’ll be “practicing physical distance” with her guests moving forward — though it’s “not [her] strong point.”
“First of all, we’re always going to be big on joy and laughter and feeling good,” she said.
“That was something that I always wanted to do but I never thought we would launch in a pandemic. And trying to lean into the joy and the feel good comedy at that time was real weird and wacky.”
She continued, “Do you know how hard the pandemic was for me? I was alone in a studio by myself. I like to be around people.”
Last December, social media users called out Barrymore’s “cringey” behavior after she was seen caressing Oprah Winfrey while cozied up on the couch in one of her episodes.
Some viewers claimed Winfrey made efforts to scoot away from Barrymore’s intense hands-on approach.
“Drew is too overbearing and cringey & it doesn’t seem genuine the way she fawns all over her guests!!” one user wrote.
“The hand hold and the arm being caressed is past my boundary,” another chimed in.
Winfrey, 70, later defended the actress’ behavior, telling TMZ that she was “actually comforted by the stroking of the arm” and “not uncomfortable at all.”
While speaking to “Entertainment Tonight” Thursday, Barrymore poked fun at the backlash by joking that her interview style is “not everyone’s favorite.”
The “Never Been Kissed” star also reflected on her show’s growth and milestone accomplishment ahead of the Season 5 premiere in September.
“If you’re lucky enough to be on a show, it needs runway. It needs time. A lot don’t get there and we were not likely to get there,” she said.
“I always think that when good things happen, you talk about that it wasn’t just easy. That it wasn’t just handed. We had a lot of years of uncertainty. So, this feels all the more delicious because of that.”
