Oprah Winfrey has spoken out about the moment during her Drew Barrymore interview that had some fans reeling.
The daytime talk show icon was a guest on The Drew Barrymore Show with the actress-turned-TV host going viral for caressing Winfrey’s arm and using Winfrey’s hand to stroke her own face.
A preview of their chat, shared on social media, became a viral video for all the wrong reasons, with fans labelling Barrymore “cringey” but Winfrey says she quite enjoyed it.
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“Not a bit. I was actually comforted by the stroking of the arm,” she replied when asked by TMZ if the overzealous PDA made her feel uncomfortable.
The Colour Purple musical producer then doubled down, adding: “I went home and told Stedman, ‘You gotta stroke my arm. Stedman, I need to be stroked on the arm’. It’s so comforting.
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“No, I was not uncomfortable at all. I’ve never seen her do that but I thought it was endearing.
“She’s terrific and I love that she is always herself.”
Winfrey thanked Barrymore for being such a “kind and welcoming” host as she did the promo rounds for the new film.
The pair have known each other for decades, with Barrymore recalling her first interview on The Oprah Winfrey Show at the age of 14.
While Winfrey might have been OK with all the hand-holding, Barrymore had a number of fans feeling less complimentary about it in their comments on the show’s clips.
“Drew is too overbearing and cringey & it doesn’t seem genuine the way she fawns all over her guests!!” one person wrote.
Another agreed, writing: “The hand hold and the arm being caressed is past my boundary.”
“Oprahs (sic) body language was so clear she wanted her hand back,” another said.
It’s not the first time the ET star has been called out for getting personal during chats with her celebrity guests – some of which have become memes.
Keenly aware of the memes, Barrymore went in on the joke in a skit alongside her Drew’s News co-host, Ross Matthews, before she interviewed former first lady Michelle Obama last year.
Matthews jokingly duct taped Barrymore to her chair, telling her: “Hey Drew, these are my friends from the Secret Service.
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“They saw the memes about how close you get to people you’re interviewing, and they just want to make sure you don’t pounce on our special guest today.”
Nodding in agreement, Barrymore replied: “Oh gosh, I get it. Look, I’m in on the joke … I know that I get too close to people and I’m too much, but what do you expect with the guest we have coming out?
“But I’ll tell you one thing,” Barrymore said, preparing to break free from her restraints. “I have to be myself.”
– Reported with CNN
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