The Second Coming Of Drew Barrymore
From troubled child star to queen of daytime TV, Drew Barrymore's star continues to rise.
She loves to frolic in the rain. She thought E.T. was real. And she seems like one of the most down-to-earth celebrities in Hollywood, whose unique chat show continues to change the game.
Yes, I am talking about the beloved actor and talk show host Drew Barrymore. The actor, producer, director, author, Golden Globe winner, mother, and now host, whose career continues to blossom.
Drew’s most recent comeback, of course, is her hugely popular daytime talk show, The Drew Barrymore Show, which was recently renewed for a fourth season.
Premiering in 2020 to no crowds, entertainment journalist Keaton Bell was quick to gift us with this perfect supercut of Drew in various states of elation.
the drew barrymore show is post-realism pic.twitter.com/EnqlfaY51j
— keaton bell (@keatonkildebell) September 23, 2020
Part of the show’s appeal may be that Drew consistently connects with her guests on an intimate level, which is something we don’t generally get out of celebrity press tours. So far, she’s spoken to guests about everything from alcoholism, drug addiction, sexual assault, consent, and maybe the ultimate taboo: menopause.
While you’d be forgiven for finding Drew’s style of goofy style of hosting a bit cringe, it’s made all the more endearing considering her start as a child actor.
The world first met Drew Barrymore at the tender age of seven, when she starred in Steven Spielberg’s 1982 film E.T. Apart from the film becoming a Hollywood classic, it also catapulted the child actor — who comes from a long line of Hollywood performers — into global stardom.
Barrymore on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson in 1982
Still at the age of seven, Drew became the youngest person to host Saturday Night Live, a record that remains unbroken in 2023. Photos still exist of Drew as a literal nine-year-old clubbing at Studio 54 with her mother, where according to an interview in The Guardian, she was introduced to drugs and encouraged to dance with famous young men.
By 13, Drew was hospitalised and once she was discharged a year later, the teenager legally separated from her parents. Yep, she was declared an adult at 14, a decision which today is pretty much incomprehensible.
By the mid ’90s and early ’00s, the actor re-entered Hollywood, and cycled through a series of intensely public relationships and marriages.
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Drew then quietly made a name for herself as an influential producer and founder of the production company Flower Films, which released Never Been Kissed, Charlie’s Angels, 50 First Dates, He’s Just Not That Into You, and Whip It! — the latter of which Drew even directed.
Now with her self-titled chat show, once again, Drew has proven herself a survivor and thriver of the industry.
The Drew Barrymore Show didn’t exactly start with a bang, By the end of season two, the show was reportedly only pulling in 742,000 views per episode. These numbers were low, especially compared to major competitor The Kelly Clarkson Show, which averages about 1.5 million viewers a pice.
But in 2023, Drew has established herself as a skilled and accomplished interviewer. The infamous downfall of The Ellen DeGeneres Show likely also contributed to an uptick in the show’s success, as people realised they needed warmer and more trustworthy daytime TV.
As a host, Drew is just that but more. She always has an agenda: to create safe spaces for her guests. Some of her interviews are being regarded as the most interesting and personal interviews you’ll ever see celebrities give.
That being said, the actor can still make — and take — a joke.