If you’ve seen any clip of Drew Barrymore in recent months that isn’t her relishing in a rain storm, it’s probably one of her getting rather close to her talk show guests.
The Hollywood icon launched her daytime chat show, The Drew Barrymore Show, in 2020, and every episode since has seen her adopt an interview style that has caught the ire of fans. No matter who she’s interviewing, the E.T. star seems to be unaware of her guest’s sense of personal space, whether she’s patting Oprah’s hair, cuddling Justin Long, or sitting on the lap of Natasha Lyonne. Oh, she also once showed her bare leg to Kathryn Hahn.
While most of those guests have appeared largely unbothered by Barrymore’s resistance to personal space, Martha Stewart seems to have taken a stance against the touchy-feely interviewing quirk, as her recent appearance on The Drew Barrymore show proves. The celebrity chef and best friend of Snoop Dogg (as her tombstone will read) stopped by the talk show to promote her new cookbook, which marks her 100th overall.
While chatting about the cookbook, Barrymore can be seen sidling up to Stewart with a mischievous look in her eye, before asking the legendary homemaker whether there’s anything that makes her feel “soft and gooey.” After agreeing that “it’s nice” to be “treated like a lady,” Stewart looks confused as Barrymore proceeds to touch her shoulder and stroke her arm. Since they’ve grown accustomed to this kind of hands-on interviewing approach, the audience can be heard letting out a laugh, prompting a knowing look from Stewart.
Then, perhaps mustering the courage of all the former guests too timid to say something in the past, Stewart promptly rejected Barrymore’s arm stroke and declared that she is “the wrong gender” for that kind of advance. After that, Stewart playfully pushes the Charlie’s Angels star away, prompting an exaggerated fall back onto the couch from Barrymore. Naturally, the hilarious exchange spawned equally hilarious fan reactions, with many X users sharing GIFs that recalled Stewart’s not-so-graceful push.
Others questioned why Barrymore seems to “LOVE to invade people’s personal space all the time,” and commended Stewart for “having boundaries.” The overwhelming sentiment, however, reflected the playfulness of the pair’s exchange, with one commenter saying they “love the dynamic between these two icons.” These kinds of responses have become commonplace when netizens discuss Barrymore, to the point where countless memes and entire Reddit threads have been dedicated to her tactile interviewing style.
The actress herself even addressed the commentary earlier this year, acknowledging in an interview with Entertainment Tonight that her interview style is “not everyone’s favorite.” Barrymore said the lack of physical interaction during the COVID pandemic had forced her to retroactively make up for lost touching time. While she admitted that it is “not my strong point,” Barrymore did vow to “try to practice physical distance” between herself and her guests in future interviews.
Stewart can probably attest to the fact that Barrymore failed this promise, but who would really complain if the one and only Drew Barrymore was cozying up beside you? A reassuring pat on the head from the private investigator Dylan Sanders herself? Sign me up!