Drew Barrymore Says Oprah Shouting Out Her Show Was "Like Life's Stamp of Approval"
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For nearly half a year, Drew Barrymore has woken up at 4:30 a.m. every weekday to host The Drew Barrymore Show which is broadcast live on CBS from 9 to 10 a.m. Barrymore envisions the hour-long show as a refuge for joy and optimism in a news landscape typically filled with anything but. "It's my way to bring in that good stuff that's happening in the world," Barrymore tells OprahMag.com in an interview timed to National Breakfast Week, and sponsored by Kellogg's.
For all its '70s-inspired retro decor, The Drew Barrymore Show has also become a model for the talkshow of the future. Launched in the era of social distancing, the show seamlessly integrates virtual guests and audiences without losing energy.
Eventually, The Drew Barrymore Show's knack for technological innovation caught Oprah's eye. In November 2020, Oprah "sat down" with Barack Obama to discuss his memoir, A Promised Land, on her AppleTV+ show, The Oprah Conversation. Though it seemed like Oprah was seated next to the former president in her living room, they were actually on opposite coasts.
When asked where she got the idea for the green screen marvel of an interview, Oprah credited Barrymore's talkshow. Barrymore invited her Charlie's Angels co-stars to join her on the show's first episode. Though Cameron Diaz appeared to be sitting in a chair near Barrymore, she was actually in a studio in Los Angeles.
Eventually, Barrymore's interview format made its way to Oprah's chat with Obama. "It felt like life's ultimate stamp of approval," Barrymore says of finding out that her show had influenced Oprah's.
For Barrymore, this also marks a full-circle moment. Her multiple appearances on Oprah's talk shows, including The Oprah Winfrey Show and Oprah's Next Chapter, chart her evolution from a troubled 15-year-old child star to a woman in her 30s, living on her own terms. Now, at 46, Barrymore is thriving as a host and mother of two daughters.
"Even though I've known her and been on the show, I still feel like someone who's watching her as a citizen going, She has changed the world and all of our lives," Barrymore said. "I'm blown away. I really am. She didn't have to give us a shout out, but I very much appreciated that she did. It means the world to us. If Oprah says that what you're doing is okay, then it is definitely okay."
Barrymore called the moment a motivation to keep going down this path, despite the shows early (really early) call times. She credits hearty breakfasts with giving her the necessary energy for the show—which is why she's participating in a weeklong cereal giveaway with Kellogg's. From March 8 to March 12, you and a friend can sign up to receive a free box of Kellogg's Raisin Bran or Frosted Mini-Wheats (Barrymore's favorites!), while supplies last.
With the show, Barrymore has a chance to exercise her natural impulse to connect with others. "I'm so glad I get to engage with other people all the time. Being kept away from people, or cutting off that communal, collective experience is the opposite of what I want," she says.
Even in a humble bowl of cereal, she sees an opportunity for connection. "I like that when I'm watching my daughter eat cereal there's probably someone far away doing the same thing. It's something I find that we all have in common. I'm always looking for those things that get us out of our differences and bond us," Barrymore says.
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