Drew Barrymore praises Reneé Rapp on talk show after alleged stalker encounter: 'My protector'

Drew Barrymore is taking a moment to celebrate her "protector" Reneé Rapp.

The daytime television host, who was visited by the cast of the new movie musical Mean Girls on Friday's episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, paused their discussion of the film to pull Rapp into a hug and commend her for escorting her offstage when an alleged stalker approached the pair during a speaking event last year.

"You and I, by the way, you're my protector," Barrymore said as Rapp leaned in closer. "Reneé and I had an incident recently where this guy came to attack me on a stage that I was [on] with Reneé, and she mama-beared out and protected me so well."

The Charlie's Angels star noted that if there was "one takeaway from that moment," it was how "protective and amazing" Rapp was throughout the whole situation. When Rapp thanked her, Barrymore replied, "No, it's true."

Last August, Barrymore was leading a discussion about Rapp's debut album, Snow Angel, at the 92nd Street Y in New York City when a man charged the stage. As multiple security guards stepped forward to apprehend him, Rapp jumped out of her chair, grabbed Barrymore, and quickly led her off the stage to safety.

The pair later returned to finish their conversation, with Barrymore noting that Rapp went "full Bodyguard" — a reference to the 1992 Whitney Houston film — during the ordeal. She jokingly added, "You are my Kevin Costner."

Days after the incident, the same man was temporarily detained outside Barrymore's New York home. "It was reported to us that he was on the property — we did not see him on the property," Southampton Town Police Lt. Todd Spencer told EW at the time, confirming that officers "located him in the vicinity" of the actress' home after receiving a phone call from a member of her team.

Mean Girls is in theaters now.

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