Drew Barrymore Reveals She Was Drinking Constantly During “Cripplingly Difficult” Year After Divorce

By Samantha Nungesser @samjnungesser
Published Dec. 27, 2022, 12:19 p.m. ET

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Drew Barrymore is opening up about the “cripplingly difficult” year following her 2016 divorce from Will Kopelman and how she coped with alcohol before shifting her energy to The Drew Barrymore Show.

Barrymore told People that there “was no scandal” that led to her divorce from Kopelman, with whom she shares daughters Olive, 10, and Frankie, 8. The actress added that since “nothing went wrong,” it was “harder and more confusing because there isn’t The Thing to point to.”

She went on to reveal that she had moved from California to New York to be closer to her ex-husband’s family and elaborated on the difficult first winter after her move.

“It just took me down,” she said. “There are times where you can look at someone you think is a strong person and see them so broken and go, ‘How the fuck did they get there?’ And I was that person. I broke.”

While she dished on being two and a half years sober in December 2021, Barrymore reflected on how she previously coped with alcohol “to numb the pain and feel good.”

“The drinking thing for me was a constant, like, ‘You cannot change. You are weak and incapable of doing what’s best for you. You keep thinking you will master this thing, and it’s getting the better of you,'” she admitted.

Having since quit drinking and starting therapy, Barrymore said it was her kids “that made me feel like it’s game time,” before adding that her daytime talk show also “gave me something to focus on and pour myself into. It gave me something to believe in.”

Despite the series having a rocky start during the height of the pandemic, Barrymore, who also serves as an executive producer, has restructured The Drew Barrymore Show, contributing to its 70% increase in ratings during its currently-airing third season.

“Since I was 19, I’ve had to listen to criticism and studio heads and executives. I’ve always been at the table hearing all the hard stuff,” she explained. “I’ve built an ability to be objective and listen to it. There’s just an amount that you’re allowed to boohoo and take personally … If you really love something, fight for it.”

The Drew Barrymore Show airs on weekdays at 9:30 a.m. ET on CBS.