Valerie Bertinelli’s advice to Drew Barrymore sparks disagreement among fans

Barrymore is known for holding hands or hugging guests on her television show, and it has drawn a mixture of compliments and criticism.

However, Bertinelli believes Barrymore shouldn’t change the way she is because of the criticism she received.

Barrymore and her Drew Crew members, Ross Mathews and Bertinelli, reacted to a Wired article from 2017 during the January 31 episode of “The Drew Barrymore Show.”

The article, titled, “The science of touch: why physical contact can make you happier and more successful,” explored studies that highlighted the benefits of human touch on an individual.

Afterward, Barrymore confessed per Entertainment Weekly, “I may or may not have brought this story to the news desk because I’m known to glom on to other humans.”

Bertinelli hugged Barrymore as she spoke, after which the latter hugged Mathews, before adding, “I also just may not be your cup of tea and you may not want at all to be touched. And I’m so sorry for that.”

While Barrymore was remorseful for being overly touchy, Bertinelli felt the TV show host was being too hard on herself.

Bertinelli told Barrymore, “Do not apologize for being so authentic,” and grabbed her hand afterward.

She continued, “I mean, touch is what keeps us connected. Communication is what keeps us in. You are communicating and touching. You are doing your job. That’s what you’re here on this Earth to do.”

Mathews shared similar sentiments with Bertinelli and told Barrymore she didn’t have to apologize for expressing herself in a way that felt natural to her.

He added, “It’s so authentically you. This is how you are. You couldn’t change you if you tried.”

Eventually, Barrymore accepted that it is in her nature to be touchy. However, she clarified, “But I also know it’s not everybody’s cup of tea. I was just happy to find out that there is scientific, neurological benefits.”

Despite Bertinelli’s best efforts to make Barrymore feel comfortable about expressing herself the way she feels most comfortable, several fans slammed her on the internet.

A Redditor reposted the story on the Fauxmoi subreddit, and many others took turns sharing their thoughts.

One person said Barrymore should ask her guests if they are “comfortable with being touched beforehand in the pre-interview process.”

The fan added, “If they say no then absolute hands off, keep your distance. If yes, allow them to signal to you to tap out if they’re no longer comfortable and respect that boundary.”

They continued, “Or you know, just be professional. But realistically I don’t think Drew wants to stop this style of interview.”

Another Redditor shared, “As someone with cptsd from SA from a woman, I always shared that women feel like we can be very touchy with one another and it’s fine. Drew does a lot!! I’d be definitely triggered.”

A third Redditor said they understood Bertinelli’s sentiment, but added, “there are definitely a lot of guests who don’t like to be physically touched.”

Another person who disagreed with Bertinelli commented, “Nope. If this was a male host grabbing women, it would be a completely different conversation and I’m pretty sure Valerie knows that.”

They added, “All Drew needs to do is ask before the segment, and if the guest is comfortable with it, then fine. Respect that people have boundaries, especially with someone they don’t know.”

A fifth Redditor expressed their disagreement by writing, “Girl please. It’s great that ‘touch is what keeps us connected.’ But you don’t have to make people uncomfortable and then act like you are the victim.”

The fan added, “Love Drew and she’s had it rough but it’s not some radical thing to not have any boundaries around personal space, come on.”

Another person said, “It’s infuriating to see a grown human not understand the concept of consent. Grow up.”

Amid the mixed reactions to her warm and affectionate interview style, Barrymore’s warm has acknowledged that she’s working on it and recently shared that she’s trying to maintain more physical distance moving forward.

Last month, she told Cynthia Erivo that people had advised her to “back off a little bit” due to her touchy nature.

However, like Bertinelli, Erivo saw things differently, saying people often fear physical connection, assuming it must be romantic. She emphasized that touch is an important way to communicate, even among friends.