Drew Barrymore cried about her difficult sobriety journey during Wednesday’s episode of her titular talk show after quitting alcohol at ages 13, 14, 43 and 47.
In a behind-the-scenes Instagram clip, the 51-year-old former child star reunited with a flight attendant who had comforted her aboard a flight in 2022.
‘When I met you, you were crying in my galley,’ the lady revealed, sharing their selfie. ‘And we sat in my galley, and you cried and cried because you were going through so much…you were just bawling, and I just was holding you.’
At that point, Barrymore climbed into the bleachers and gave the woman a big hug before taking the seat next to her.
‘Yeah, that was a really, really hard year. It was actually the year I stopped drinking,’ the Daytime Emmy-winning host said.
‘You know, when you stop drinking, it’s not like all your problems go away – there’s a ton of work to be done.’
Drew Barrymore cried about her difficult sobriety journey during Wednesday’s episode of her titular talk show after quitting alcohol at ages 13, 14, 43 and 47
Barrymore stood up and told her in-studio audience: ‘I knew, for me, that was my number one problem in life – and it could be different for everyone. But just mine happened to be drinking.’
‘Alcohol was a poison for me,’ the perky presenter admitted.
‘And I turned to it because I didn’t want to feel. I felt better when I drank, so I would turn to it.’
Barrymore told the woman she was going to need her phone number: ‘There was a reason we met that day and thank you for letting me be so honest and transparent with you then, and thank you for being that with me now.’
The Sherman Oaks native continued: ‘I don’t think we’re going to get anywhere unless we’re honest with ourselves and with each other, so I love you, and I’m so glad we’re here today talking about this.’
Barrymore famously started drinking alcohol by age nine, smoking marijuana by age 10 and doing cocaine by age 12 after starring in blockbusters like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Firestarter and Irreconcilable Differences.
The Golden Globe-winning actress’s then momager Jaid Barrymore – whom she eventually reconciled with in 2014 – would bring her along to nightclubs like Studio 54 before she got so out of control she placed her in an institution for 18 months at age 13.
Barrymore returned to that very institution, now called Healthy Living, for an emotional segment on her talk show in 2021 where she admitted she ‘was a real wild child.’
‘I just got so out of control that no one knew what to do with me,’ the nepo-granddaughter of John Barrymore recalled while sitting on the roof of her Ford Bronco truck.
In a behind-the-scenes Instagram clip, the 51-year-old former child star reunited with a flight attendant who had comforted her aboard a flight in 2022
‘When I met you, you were crying in my galley,’ the lady revealed, sharing their selfie. ‘And we sat in my galley, and you cried and cried because you were going through so much…you were just bawling, and I just was holding you’
At that point, Barrymore climbed into the bleachers and gave the woman a big hug before taking the seat next to her
‘Yeah, that was a really, really hard year. It was actually the year I stopped drinking,’ the Daytime Emmy-winning host said. ‘You know, when you stop drinking, it’s not like all your problems go away – there’s a ton of work to be done’
Barrymore stood up and told her in-studio audience:Â ‘Alcohol was a poison for me. And I turned to it because I didn’t want to feel. I felt better when I drank, so I would turn to it’
Barrymore told the woman she was going to need her phone number: ‘There was a reason we met that day and thank you for letting me be so honest and transparent with you then, and thank you for being that with me now’
The Sherman Oaks native famously started drinking alcohol by age nine, smoking marijuana by age 10 and doing cocaine by age 12 after starring in blockbusters like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Firestarter and Irreconcilable Differences (pictured in 1987)
Barrymore’s then momager Jaid Barrymore (R, pictured in 1987) – whom she eventually reconciled with in 2014 – would bring her along to nightclubs like Studio 54 before she got so out of control she placed her in an institution for 18 months at age 13
The Golden Globe-winning actress returned to that very institution, now called Healthy Living, for an emotional segment on her talk show in 2021 where she admitted she ‘was a real wild child’
And while the nepo-granddaughter of John Barrymore’s guarded 2015 memoir Wildflower barely scratched the surface, she was far more forthcoming about her troubled childhood and teenage years in her out-of-print 1991 memoir Little Girl Lost co-written by Todd Gold
Barrymore will compete for the outstanding daytime talk series trophy at the 53rd Daytime Emmy Awards, which streams October 30 on The Emmys App and watch.theemmys.tv
‘And so my mom called a friend because her daughter was out of control, and they drove me here in the middle of the night, and they walked me right through those two doors. And when you go through those two doors, you do not come out.
‘And I was there for a year and a half. And I hated it. I kicked. I screamed. One minute, you’re at movie premieres and clubbing, and the next minute you’re in a full blown institution with barbed wire everywhere, and you can’t get out.’
Barrymore – who was legally emancipated at 14 following her release – reconciled with her estranged father John Drew Barrymore, whom she called ‘an unreliable, hilarious tornado of a person,’ three years before he died of cancer in 2004.
And while the Influenced actress’s guarded 2015 memoir Wildflower barely scratched the surface, she was far more forthcoming about her troubled childhood and teenage years in her out-of-print 1991 memoir Little Girl Lost co-written by Todd Gold.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Barrymore’s reps but did not immediately hear back.
On March 9, the Flower Films co-founder’s syndicated series was renewed for a seventh and eighth season – now running through 2028.
Barrymore will compete for the outstanding daytime talk series trophy at the 53rd Daytime Emmy Awards, which streams October 30 on The Emmys App and watch.theemmys.tv.
However, CBS has yet to renew its reboot of Hollywood Squares for a third season after the Beautiful By Drew founder produced and served center-square duties for the first two.
