While most people go on talk shows to promote products, movies, books, and the like, sometimes the conversation turns to other topics as well. For example, it’s not uncommon for celebrities to mention their family or a recent vacation or experience.
One thing that is not very common on talk shows is for celebrities to feel safe enough to be very open and honest about struggles they are having, but recently, there was a major exception on actress Drew Barrymore‘s talk show, The Drew Barrymore Show.
Barrymore was a guest on CBS This Morning, and she discussed an interview she recently had on her talk show. She explained that she’s a fan of Machine Gun Kelly and had been trying to get him to do an interview, but he doesn’t do a lot of interviews. She ended up being able to get him to come on her show to promote his new unisex nail polish line. That’s all it was supposed to be – promoting nail polish. The interview took a very surprising turn.
Kelly admitted to Barrymore that he doesn’t always feel happy but feels pressure to smile and pretend to be happy for his fans. While he gave Barrymore a manicure, he explained, “I kind of am sick of smiling on days when I don’t feel like smiling, and I feel like this odd pressure because I don’t want my fans to think that I’m taking something for granted.” He added, “A lot of what I do is for other people, and I haven’t given myself the time to just accept that it’s ok to not be ok.”
Instead of ignoring what Kelly said and turning to a more cheerful topic, Barrymore decided to make an admission of her own. She explained that after a “painful divorce” she wasn’t doing well, so she went to Utah to “talk to some people about how to pull myself out of a hole. And I had these two kids that I had to fight for and I needed help.”
After talking about her interview with Kelly on CBS This Morning, Barrymore decided to make another admission. On the show, she said, “I’m going to say something for the first time in a long time. I have not had a drink of alcohol in two and a half years.” She went on to explain, “It was something that I realized just did not serve me in my life.” She added, “When you are stuck in a pattern or if you are going through things and you not only admit them out loud, but you force yourself to say, ‘I’m willing to make big changes’—I think we all think we’re very weak when we don’t make those changes.” She continued, “When you break that cycle, the empowerment that comes out of it. I’m not weak. I’m actually strong. I’ve proven to myself that I am capable of change. I believe people are capable of big changes.”
Her journey to sobriety was done “quietly and privately.” She didn’t get professional help. She decided to do it on her own. She explained, “Now it’s been long enough that I’m in a lifestyle where I know is really working on a high road for my little journey. And there’s so much peace finally being had where there were demons.”
It seems that Barrymore is hopeful for more honest and vulnerable conversations. She asked, “Can we get to conversations that are funny and full of insight, but take back the layers so we can get to the humanity of what we’re all going through and help each other through it?”
Do you think there should be more open and honest conversations on talk shows?