Drew Barrymore clutched Oprah Winfrey’s arm and forcibly caressed it during what can only be described as a cringey interview.
Winfrey had the guest spot on “The Drew Barrymore Show” Monday, and it’s likely to be an appearance she won’t soon forget. She couldn’t evade Barrymore’s bizarre grip on her arm, and was visibly uncomfortable as the talk show host continued to accost her by invading her personal space.
View this post on Instagram
Winfrey began the interview by praising Barrymore for her ability to launch her show amid the pandemic. As the conversation evolved, Barrymore cozied up to Winfrey and held her hand tightly against her chin in the most bizarre way possible.
The weirdness continued with Barrymore laying on her adoration for Winfrey in a series of compliments.
“Something that I learned about you, because I didn’t know this detail, was that you would spend time with the audience outside of the show you were filming,” Barrymore said.
The handholding continued and Barrymore ran her fingers up and down Winfrey’s arm, refusing to let go as she continued to caress her.
“My crew used to be like, ‘Oh my God, how much time you should go spend talking to that audience?” Winfrey said. She seemed to make adjustments to her position in an effort to break her hand free from Barrymore, to no avail.
Barrymore even switched hands and grabbed Winfrey with her petting hand when she shifted positions. She absolutely refused to let go. Eventually she became overly excited during the interview, and her grip slipped off Winfrey’s wrist, but she still continued to graze her arm relentlessly.
View this post on Instagram
Winfrey attempted to create physical distance by shifting her position and scooting around on the couch, but the incessant petting continued. Finally, she spoke emphatically and began gesturing with both hands as if to demonstrate the expression within her story — and she was able to break free of Barrymore’s grip. Winfrey kept gesturing with her hands to keep them free.
“That’s why this is so hard to do without an audience, and I was complimenting you on the fact that you got through it without an audience because it’s almost — because you’re not getting their energy. It’s their energy,” Winfrey said.
Winfrey then used her hand to gesture to an audience member, and took charge of the situation by squeezing Barrymore’s hands in a weird, low key power struggle. (RELATED: Drew Barrymore Reveals The Surprising Thing Her Ex Did That Made Her ‘Sick To’ Her ‘Stomach’)
Social media erupted with fan reaction to the awkward exchange, with one person writing, “Oprah’s body language was so clear she wanted her hand back.”
Another person said, “the hand hold and the arm being caressed is past my boundary.”