Even with a literal ray of sunshine like Drew Barrymore, lightning has to strike once in a while. Especially when it comes to words being twisted by the media.
In a recent interview with “New York Magazine,” Barrymore offered some heartfelt honesty regarding the complicated relationship with her mother and former manager, Jaid Barrymore, as she has done several times before.
After the interview came out, certain news outlets extrapolated a statement by Barrymore to create salacious headlines, presumably for clicks, that claimed the “50 First Dates” star “admitted” that she “wished her mom was dead.”
Barrymore, who has already had more than her fair share of exploitation by the media, was simply not having it.
In a heated Instagram post, Barrymore held no punches as she was quick to remind the tabloids that the tumultuous details of her childhood have been a source of news fodder. Then she proceeded to tear them a new one.
“To all you tabloids out there, you have been fucking with my life since I was 13 years old. I have never said that I wish my mother was dead. How dare you put those words in my mouth!”
What Barrymore actually said was that she didn’t have the “luxury” that many other previous child actors who went through similar tumultuous childhoods had—of being able to cleanly process that trauma after a parent had passed. Instead, she has to process while maintaining a relationship with her mother, who is still alive.
Her words were: “All their moms are gone, and my mom’s not. And I’m like, ‘Well, I don’t have that luxury.’ But I cannot wait. I don’t want to live in a state where I wish someone to be gone sooner than they’re meant to be so I can grow. I actually want her to be happy and thrive and be healthy. But I have to fucking grow in spite of her being on this planet.”
Knowing this, her anger certainly seems justified. It’s clear that Barrymore in no way meant that she was “excited” to see her mother die.
“I have been vulnerable and tried to figure out a very difficult, painful relationship while admitting it is difficult to do while a parent is alive,” she said in the Instagram video. “Don’t twist my words around or ever say that I wish my mother was dead. I have never said that. I never would.”
It’s no secret that humans are quicker to pay attention to stimuli that is negative, and news sources vying for said attention often use that to their advantage with eye-catching, emotion-inducing headlines. And look, no one knows the importance of compelling headlines like the writers at Upworthy—without them, readers will simply keep scrolling, and valuable stories won’t get read.
However, intriguing a potential reader to engage with a story we find worth sharing and falsifying information for the sake of clicks are two completely different things. And in this case, it not only feeds off of someone’s trauma, it can damage their character in the process.
Luckily, Barrymore handled the situation like a champ and was quick to get support after sending her video—both from fans and fellow celebs alike.
Jennifer Garner, a long-time friend of Barrymore, wrote, “You’re brave and real and I adore you xxx”
“Yes, let them have it!” Jennifer Hewitt chimed in.
Model and host Padma Laksmi also wrote, “Ugh. So sorry. We all knew what you meant. Thank you for your vulnerability always ❤️”
It’s great that Barrymore had the fortitude to respond the way she did. But in all reality, she shouldn’t have to respond to something like this in the first place.