Drew Barrymore Praises Reneé Rapp Months After Stalker Tried To “Attack” Her Onstage: “You’re My Protector”

There’s nothing more fetch than the time Mean Girls star Reneé Rapp heroically saved Drew Barrymore from her alleged stalker.

On this morning’s episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, the host praised Rapp for rushing her off the stage when a man, later identified as Chad Michael Busto, accosted them in the middle of a live event this past summer.

“You and I, by the way, you’re my protector,” Barrymore said as she embraced the actress. “Reneé and I had an incident recently where this guy came to, like, attack me on a stage that I was [on] with Reneé. And she mama-beared out and protected me so well. “

Barrymore continued, “If there was one takeaway from that moment it’s like how protective and amazing you are.”

The incident took place in August 2023 when the star’s conversation with Rapp at the 92nd Street Y in New York City was interrupted by a man who approached the stage, telling Barrymore, “You know who I am. I need to see you at some point while you’re in New York,” before getting escorted out by security guards.

Without much hesitation, Rapp swiftly escorted Barrymore off the stage until it was deemed safe enough for the two to return.

“I have a new definition of your sexiness,” Barrymore told Rapp when they resumed the event. “It’s that level of protectiveness. That went full Bodyguard. You are my Kevin Costner!”

While Busto was not arrested for rushing the stage, he was later detained by law enforcement for allegedly going door-to-door in Barrymore’s lofty Hamptons neighborhood in search of the actress. Days later, a warrant was issued for his arrest after he failed to show up for his GPS ankle monitor fitting.

Aside from addressing her scary experience from last summer, Barrymore — who kicked off the episode by reprising her iconic Never Been Kissed character Josie Grossie — also gushed over the Mean Girls movie musical, in which Rapp plays Regina George.

“I’m freaking out about your movie. I sat there really tripping out as someone who’s made films their whole life,” she said. “It is so intelligent. It is so interesting — the modernization of social media and technology.”

She continued, “This taps into something that we all need to talk about but it’s done through this fantastic lens. It has so much depth and realness of what we’re all feeling and going through right now in the world because of the lens of social media.”

The Drew Barrymore Show airs on weekdays on CBS. You can check the website for local airtimes.