Drew Barrymore hits back at interview critics

Drew Barrymore has finally broken her silence over the backlash surrounding her insatiable need to get close to her talk show guests.

Drew Barrymore has hit out at complaints that she often ends up too close to her guests on her talk show.

Over the last few years, Barrymore has gone viral multiple times after fans insisted that she gets a bit too close to her guests, invading their personal space.

Earlier this year she was criticised over her “cringe” interview with US presidential nominee Kamala Harris.

Promising to change her ways, the daytime talk show host addressed the issue in a new interview following the early renewal of her show for season six.

Drew Barrymore has faced criticism for her antics on The Drew Barrymore Show over the years. Picture: NBC

“I’ll try to practice physical distance, which is not my strong point,” she told ET.

She went on to reveal that it all stemmed from how alone she felt during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.

“Do you know how hard the pandemic was for me? I was alone in a studio by myself! I like to be around people,” she said, adding, “It’s not everyone’s favourite, but I’m sorry to those people.”

She went on to insist that the show and her skills as a host are ever-evolving as the show continues to be on the air.

“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.”

While guests seem to love being on the show, a small minority of viewers have bashed the host for her choice to get “too close”. Picture: Twitter

Last December, social media users called out Barrymore’s “cringey” behaviour after she was seen caressing Oprah Winfrey while cosied 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’ behaviour, telling TMZ that she was “actually comforted by the stroking of the arm” and said that she was “not uncomfortable at all.”