Drew Barrymore Reveals Oprah Winfrey’s Reaction To Their Controversial Interview After She Was Blasted For Being Too Touchy

Drew Barrymore kicked off the fifth season of her eponymous daytime talk show by addressing the elephant in the room: her touchy-feely interview style, which has received backlash from viewers over the years.

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Social media users previously slammed Barrymore as “cringey” and “overbearing” for caressing Oprah Winfrey ‘s arm during a Season 4 interview on The Drew Barrymore Show . But when the actress welcomed the CBS Mornings squad — including Winfrey’s best friend Gayle King — onto this morning’s broadcast , she revealed that the veteran talk show host had no problem with her getting up close and personal.

“[Winfrey] said, like, ‘I wish Stedman would touch me like that.’ She was so nice about it. And if a guest starts telling me that [they’re bothered], I will back off,” Barrymore told the audience, while King added, “It didn’t bother her.”

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Still, Barrymore admitted that the criticism was “so embarrassing.”

“It’s so funny because consistently over the last five years it’s that I’m too touchy and too close to people, which is so embarrassing,” she said, before adding, “I don’t know if I can break the habit, either. So I hear you and I’ll do my best, but it is so hard.”

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She brought the conversation up again while talking to Dax Shepard , who gave her full “consent” to touch him during their interview. As Barrymore questioned the actor about his Armchair Expert podcast, she petted his shoulders the same way she was petting her dog Douglas.

“A lot of people say, ‘You’re too touchy,’ about me. Talk about shame and embarrassment. I’m horrified when I hear that. And yet, I can’t stop,” she said, to which Shepard replied, “Right. It’s kind of who you are.”

Shepard added, “You have my permission to touch me. I consent!” as Barrymore continued to stroke his arm all while gushing over her love for his relationship with Kristen Bell .

The Drew Barrymore Show airs on weekdays on CBS. You can check the website for local airtimes.

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