On the surface, everything always seems (relatively) shiny and bright in Hollywood, until it’s not. For Drew Barrymore and her ex-husband Will Kopelman, that happened when they announced their divorce in 2016. Now, the actress has opened up about how she intentionally stepped away from the spotlight between her breakup and starting her talk show, The Drew Barrymore Show, noting that she felt her perfect familial world was crumbling around her.
Barrymore has moved on to brighter days, managing her staple daytime talk show and joining the modern-day Hollywood Squares on the 2025 TV schedule. However, the E.T. star shared that it took her a while to recenter herself and her professional life after her divorce.
According to the Scream actress, she felt like everything she knew in her personal life was ending. She had monumental whiplash after things were finalized that made her question everything, but she was able to pull herself out of it because of her children, as she explained to the AARP:
My dream family was falling apart and I didn’t know how to put one foot in front of the other. And I had grown up so fast but now I didn’t know what age to feel—I just knew that my life was heavy, and painful and sad—and I sat in that for a while. Eventually, thank goodness, I lifted myself out of it. I had two kids and I had to figure it out.
Hearing The 50 First Dates alum be so open and existential about the breakup and aftermath must be a good sign of how much she's healed in the years since her divorce. As Drew Barrymore's best movies illustrate, she's been a consistent presence on screen, but I’m not surprised she hit the pause button on Hollywood for this life-changing event.
After that, the Never Been Kissed star spoke specifically about stepping away from Hollywood. She said she realized how important it was to to learn about herself and spend time with her children, rather than join another project:
I was in my early 40s, and not learning how to be my own healthy, independent individual, how to be the parent I dream to be. Being other people doesn’t help me figure that out right now. And the long hours of doing films were hours I wouldn’t have with my kids. I wasn’t going to do that.
Being a former child star who worked through all the turbulences of growing up in the spotlight and continues to do so is admirable. So many people could have thrown themselves into work to move through a split like this, but it’s nice to see that pause in the public spotlight.
After her break, Barrymore began her talk show, which has been an overall hit, and that’s in large part due to its host. Although, the host and her crew have faced some backlash, including her response to returning to work amid the strike along with the 90 Day Fiance video and its harsh discourse. However, even amidst these bumpy times, the Donnie Darko alum stays open the best she can in receiving feedback and working through a situation–a sign of someone who has done their homework in growing up.
It seems like the Ever After star has a lot more daytime TV instore after returning to Hollywood. She seems to have rebuilt her world, and now I’m hoping for a new Sandler-Barrymore rom-com, because it’s been about a decade since their last movie. However, regardless of what she does, I’m glad she’s back and we can see her regularly on her show.
You can watch The Drew Barrymore Show and Hollywood Squares on CBS or with a Paramount+ subscription.
