Drew Barrymore Shares How the 'Queer Eye' Guys Helped Her Prepare to Re-Enter the Dating World (Exclusive)
ET spoke with the actress turned talk show host about getting back into the dating game with the help of the Fab 5.
Drew Barrymore has never shied away from talking about her dating life, even if getting back into the dating scene has been difficult for the actress turned talk show host.
ET's Nischelle Turner spoke with Barrymore about dating as a mother of two daughters and what it was like to have the Queer Eye guys help her get back out there.
"Things do not magically fall out of the sky onto your lap. We all got to get proactive in our lives and I have been apprehensive to ever do anything virtual, the dating apps. It has been as hard for me as it has been as hard for most people, but I am ready to have realizations about what is it that is going on in me and my life," Barrymore told ET. "Because maybe it's not about the apps or the state of the world. I would like to figure out my side of the street and things will fall into place after that."
Figuring that out has been emotional for Barrymore, who said she's had an inner dialogue about being single that made her feel like there was something "wrong" with her.
"A lot of us out there who stay single for a really long time can start to get an inner dialogue of, 'Maybe there is something wrong with me,' rather than realizing it can be an empowered choice," she shared. "And in my case, I really wanted to honor raising two daughters, and their dad is now happily remarried. It has been six years, I have a great sense of peace of what is happening on that side of the street."
"So, it's given me the room now to sort of take a look at what is happening on my side of the street and the longer you are single, the more you can start to think, 'Is it me?' And what I realize here, is that I don't know how to date with daughters," she continued. "They are my central focus and romance has really been in the back seat, and when your kids are young, they really need you and it's hard to figure out how to balance it out and that was my revelation with Bobby [Berk], that so much of this is really about for me and my little journey, is I don't know how to date with kids, I don't want to bring men around, I am very protective, and this is really me putting my toe in the water to say I am learning things about myself which is going to help me and my approach moving forward."
It was a nod of approval from the show's resident designer and architect that gave Barrymore "one of the most healing moments" she's had in the last decade.
"What Bobby said to me, which honestly was one of the most healing moments I have had in the last decade, is he said, 'Your apprehension and cautiousness is what helps make you a good parent.' These are my choices, to introduce people to your children, this is not a wrong choice, this is just my process, and I am not shut down or dysfunctional, it's that I am very cautious and I put my parenting first," The Drew Barrymore Show host said of the monumental moment. "To have him say that to me, was something that I really think I needed to hear. It was a real gift for me to to get that nod of approval that yeah, my parenting comes first."
With the help of Burke and the rest of the Fab 5, Barrymore re-entered the dating world and learned more about what she wants out of a potential partner in the process.
"It was like The Drew Barrymore Show x Queer Eye x New York Times' Modern Love. I feel like this episode is sort of a love letter to what it is like to date in the modern world," Barrymore said of the guys getting her ready for her Zoom date with Top Chef's Sam Talbot.
"It was a Zoom date that takes place on the show because Sam is in Los Angeles and is unable to fly, and I am in New York and unable to fly, and I thought, 'Wow, that doesn't feel very romantic,' the 46-year-old Charlie's Angels actress explained. "And then I thought, 'Wow, this is exactly what most people are having to do,' because that is what is on the menu for most people."
While the process was healing for Barrymore, working with the Fab 5 was also fun.
"It was so fun," she gushed. "I had Jonathan [Van Ness] holding up, like, silly questions and naughty signs making me giggle. I had Tan [France] saying, 'Hey, I notice something over there,' like, ask him about that. I had Antoni [Porowski] tell me, 'You are doing a good job and I had Bobby going, 'Hey, I see plants and dogs, see how he is a caretaker,' it was, like, every person. I do feel like I was on their show."
It looks like the group's efforts paid off too, with Barrymore telling ET that she and Talbot have been communicating and have even talked about potentially meeting IRL.
"We have been texting," Barrymore revealed. "So, I mean, this just happened. We were bold enough to say, 'Should we meet in another forum?' And so, we're keeping communication alive, which is really exciting and that is perfectly enough for the moment, and I think we will figure out what our next step is."
Tune in to Entertainment Tonight on Wednesday for more of ET's interview with Barrymore and to The Drew Barrymore Show Thursday to see her team up with guys of Queer Eye for her date. Check here for local listings.
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