The Drew Barrymore Show is unlike any other talk show on television right now.
The actress has developed her own peculiar style of interviewing that can sometimes be more akin to a therapy session, or one of those long conversations with your best friend that go on for hours. She redefined the concept of getting up close and personal with guests, holding their hands, hugging them, sitting on the floor with them, kneeling in front of them, and even holding them in her lap.
Some people love it, arguing that she makes her guests feel listened to and comfortable, while others say the over-the-top affection might have the exact opposite effect. By now, though, the whole approach has become all that people think of when they think about the Drew Barrymore Show… Well, that and scabbing.
Listen, some of us just value our personal space, ok?
Not even the audience members are safe.
Do you know who else is totally oblivious about how much space two human beings should hold between them in public? Art and Patrick from Challengers — if you know, you know.
OK, maybe it gets a little awkward on that Drew Barrymore Show couch sometimes, but the tactic does work more often than not, resulting in some of daytime TV’s most laid-back and genuine moments, like when Jordan Fisher visited the set, or when Justin Long, who dated the actress in the aughts, said he would always love her.
Like, seriously, she has some kind of superpower.
And if you’re on the “I love my personal space” team, someone has already come up with a way for you to avoid any uncomfortable interactions with the touchy-feely talk show host.
For a more fabulous option, we present:
Frankly, the only thing I miss about the pandemic is how strangers were forced to stand well away from me. We should bring that back. Enforce it by law, even. But Drew is just doing her job, and if she feels that this level of intimacy is what she needs to bring the best out of her interviewees, there’s no harm in that — just as long as she’s making sure everyone involved is comfortable with it.