Now, the drama surrounding Barrymore and her physical affection towards guests on her eponymous talk show all kicked off when Oprah Winfrey appeared as a guest last year.
In one particular segment, the pair discussed how the 70-year-old values spending time with her audience outside of filming time on her shows.
All the while, Barrymore held onto her hands and caressed her arm while saying: “Something that I learned about you, because I didn’t know this detail was that you would spend time with the audience outside of the show you were filming. And one thing that I’ve done is spend time with the audience every day. And I had felt guilty for it.”
“My crew used to be like: ‘Oh my god, how much time is she going to spend talking to that audience?! Would she please let the audience go so we can let the next audience in?!’”
Taking her hands back and using them while speaking, Winfrey added: “Sitting with the audience [is necessary]… That’s why I was complimenting you on how you got through it [during the pandemic]… because you’re not getting their energy.”
However, after the video of the segment was posted to Instagram, showing the host clinging onto Winfrey’s hands in an attempt to be close while talking, it gained some backlash.
Here’s the clip in question:
Many branded the interaction as “cringey” and “fake”, as per some fans who took to the comment section to leave their opinions on the matter.
Since then, many have been questioning why Barrymore feels the need to “force” closeness with her guests, though the star has now laid all those worries to rest in the most Barrymore way she could have done – with some light-hearted sarcasm.
“I’ll try to practice physical distance, which is not my strong point,” the Charlie’s Angels star told Entertainment Tonight following the talk show’s renewal for Seasons 6 and 7 earlier this month.
“Do you know how hard the pandemic was for me?” she went continued. “I was alone in a studio by myself! I like to be around people!”
She also noted that she knows it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but she does it as an expression of “joy” to create a “feel good” show.
“I think that first of all we’re always gonna be big on joy and laughter and feeling good, and that was something 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 and the comedy at that time was real weird and wacky,” she explained to the interviewer who stated that her closeness with other guests was his favorite part of the show.
“I am so into working on myself as a person that I think that’s always gonna be a big part of the show: ‘How do we live a life? How do we thrive and not just survive?’” she continued before adding: “I love listening to people. I love learning from people. I’m a student. I will never not be a student.”
Barrymore has previously been open with this topic while speaking with her Fever Pitch co-star Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show prior to the incident with Winfrey where she explained that she felt a “magnetic pull” to be physically close to the people she interviews.
Each to their own!
