What did Drew Barrymore do? Actress called out for allegedly caressing Oprah Winfrey on The Drew Barrymore Show

Drew Barrymore, the American actress and talk show host was recently criticized for holding onto Oprah Winfrey’s hand and allegedly uncomfortably caressing her in a preview of Tuesday, December 12's episode of The Drew Barrymore Show.

In the small snippet of the show, the pair were seen sitting on the white couch from Barrymore's set, talking about the importance of interacting with the studio audience, as per The New York Post.

Oprah was sitting next to the actress as the latter tightly held onto her hand while reportedly running her other hand up and down the legendary media mogul’s arm. The gesture and Winfrey's attempt to reportedly distance herself while answering Barrymore's questions led to netizens blasting her online.

---

Netizens baffled by Drew Barrymore allegedly caressing Oprah Winfrey during an interview on her show

The latest episode of The Drew Barrymore Show has stirred up some controversy. Oprah Winfrey, the media proprietor and television producer made a guest appearance on an episode of the show, which aired on December 12, 2023.

Drew Barrymore was previously seen holding hands with Brooke Shields and kneeling with Chloe Bailey in other episodes from her show. In the latest preview, posted on Instagram, she tightly held Oprah’s hand close to her chin, as per Page Six.

Both celebrities have been talk show hosts in their career and the pair were discussing interactions with the studio audience, when Drew Barrymore said:

"Something that I learned about you, because I didn’t know this detail, was that you would spend time with the audience outside of the show you were filming."

Winfrey confirmed her knowledge, deeming crowd interaction to be "necessary." The billionaire elaborated while gesturing with her hands - one of which was still held on to by Barrymore:

"My crew used to be like, ‘Oh my God, how much time you should go spend talking to that audience?'"

Eagle-eyed fans claimed that Winfrey tried to free her hand from Barrymore as she adjusted her seating position while responding. The Charlie's Angels actress finally let go of her guest amid her enthusiasm over Winfrey’s answer, as per The Today Show. Oprah then continued by applauding Drew Barrymore for running the daytime talk show without an audience during the COVID-19 pandemic:

"That’s why this is so hard to do without an audience, and I was complimenting you on the fact that you got through it without an audience because it’s almost — because you’re not getting their energy. It’s their energy. It’s their feedback. It’s understanding whether whatever you’re saying is connecting. Look at lady in red. See? she’s nodding. She’s like the Amen choir. So to do it, without anybody, applause to you."

Netizens seemed ticked off by Barrymore's behavior and took to social media to slam the latter for holding on to Winfrey's hand.

Barrymore appeared on The Tonight Show in April, where host Jimmy Fallon pointed out her physical proximity to her guests. He showed a picture of her and Brooke Shields during an interview and quipped, "You guys are basically spooning."

Drew explained that her years of being interviewed as an actor herself helped her understand how she wanted to interact with her guests. She added:

"I feel this magnetic pull. I just wanted to try and sort of think about what I felt my whole life and how I’d be so excited if someone asked me a different question, or there was good energy in the room, or if it didn’t feel like, ‘I’m sitting here asking you a question but I’m not gonna reveal anything about myself.'"

Drew Barrymore and Oprah have not addressed the allegedly awkward encounter.