AARP The Magazine EXCLUSIVE: Drew Barrymore, Moved to Tears, Finally Finds Peace at 50 and Embraces Happiness

The talk show host opens up about staying positive, her current attitude on dating, and growing up in front of the cameras.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- After decades of being in the spotlight, Drew Barrymore couldn't be happier about where her long-lasting career has taken her in life. In the February/March 2025 issue of AARP The Magazine (ATM), the actor-turned-talk show host discusses growing up in front of the cameras, staying positive, and celebrating her 50th birthday.

With her sudden rise to fame after her 1982 breakout role in E.T., Barrymore's teen years proved to be tumultuous. She continued to feel "worried and stressed" throughout adulthood, she tells AARP in a digital exclusive video. However, Barrymore tearfully confesses her life has improved with aging: "I would have never guessed that I would feel peace. Thank you 50. Thank you, AARP."

She also opens up about her family, and her decision to swear off men, alcohol, and acting – in an effort to continue being present for her daughters. Working on the fifth season of her Emmy-winning talk show The Drew Barrymore Show, she tells ATM, "I date occasionally, but no way am I ready to open that door." 

The following are excerpts from ATM's February/March 2025 cover story featuring Drew Barrymore. The issue is available in homes starting in February and online now at www.aarp.org/magazine/.

On her upcoming 50th birthday:
"It can't come soon enough. I feel like Frodo [in The Lord of the Rings]. I see that brass ring and I'm so excited! I have no issues with aging—this is the happiest I've been in my life."

On being open about PMS and menopause, both on and off-camera:
"In one day, we covered gynecology, hot flashes, pooping in your pants, PMS—and we weren't even doing a medical show! Sometimes when I'm waiting to walk out, I'll have a lot of stuff on my plate—I'm worried about my parent-teacher conference meeting that didn't go perfectly. Or I just fell 3 feet and hurt my ankle, and I've got to go to an MRI that afternoon. But then I limp out and say, "Can we just be real about this? Let's put it all out there. Let's cheer each other on. Let's laugh.""

On dating:
"My girls say I should go on dates, but I also know how I felt when men were around when I was little—it didn't feel safe to me, so I'm probably overcautious from those experiences."

On prevailing over negativity while hosting The Drew Barrymore Show:
"I'm so sick of the guilt and sadness. It's the greatest habit I will ever break in my life. When I talk about beating myself up, I see heads nodding and I'm like, "We can't do this to ourselves anymore. I've seen the light." It doesn't mean I've got it mastered, but I see the light enough to know that this isn't good."

On enduring her divorce with Will Kopelman in 2016:
"My dream family was falling apart and I didn't know how to put one foot in front of the other. And I had grown up so fast but now I didn't know what age to feel—I just knew that my life was heavy, and painful and sad—and I sat in that for a while. Eventually, thank goodness, I lifted myself out of it. I had two kids and I had to figure it out."

On taking a step back from acting to focus on parenthood:
"I was in my early 40s, and not learning how to be my own healthy, independent individual, how to be the parent I dream to be. Being other people doesn't help me figure that out right now. And the long hours of doing films were hours I wouldn't have with my kids. I wasn't going to do that."

About AARP:
AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering Americans 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to the more than 100 million Americans 50-plus and their families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also works for individuals in the marketplace by sparking new solutions and allowing carefully chosen, high-quality products and services to carry the AARP name. As a trusted source for news and information, AARP produces the nation's largest circulation publications, AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org/about-aarp/, www.aarp.org/español or follow @AARP, @AARPenEspañol and @AARPadvocates on social media.

SOURCE AARP