Drew Barrymore is setting the record straight on comments she made about her mother, Jaid Barrymore.
In a wide ranging interview for New York magazine published on Monday, Drew spoke candidly about her strained relationship with Jaid, from whom she was legally emancipated at 14.
As I’m sure you’re familiar, Drew’s emancipation came after a yearslong struggle with alcohol and drug use as a child star. She had her first glass of champagne at 8 years old, at 12 she was using cocaine as a means to “soar above” her “depression and sadness,” and by 13, she found herself at the start of an 18-month stint in rehab.
Her father, John Drew Barrymore, was absent for much of her childhood, and so Drew was raised solely by Jaid.
Her exposure to drugs and alcohol at a young age was as a result of being taken to industry parties and nightclubs by her mother, who — as it is described by New York magazine — treated Drew more “like a friend and client,” than a daughter.
Since she legally cut ties with her mom, Drew and Jaid have never fully reconciled, although it is revealed in her new interview that the ET actor still financially supports her.
Opening up about the complicated emotions she feels about her parents, Drew reflected on her father’s death in 2004, noting that her feelings towards him softened as she grew older and realized “what an incapable human being he was.”
Comparing this to her feelings about Jaid, Drew said: “I know that must be so hard for my mom. It’s like she gets all the heartache and he gets given a free ticket.”
After this, she alluded to thoughts of jealousy towards friends and colleagues whose moms have already died, making it easier for them to process their troubled relationships.
“All their moms are gone, and my mom’s not. And I’m like, Well, I don’t have that luxury. But I cannot wait,” she said.
She continued: “I don’t want to live in a state where I wish someone to be gone sooner than they’re meant to be so I can grow. I actually want her to be happy and thrive and be healthy. But I have to fucking grow in spite of her being on this planet.”
It is noted in the interview that about an hour after Drew made these comments, she started to regret suggesting “any ill will toward her mom” and decided to backtrack.
“I dared to say it, and I didn’t feel good,” she added later. “I do care. I’ll never not care. I don’t know if I’ve ever known how to fully guard, close off, not feel, build the wall up.”
Needless to say, it wasn’t long before the first set of quotes were heavily circulated online, with many outlets reporting that Drew wished death upon her mother.
However, she is now keen to emphasize that that was absolutely not her intention, and in an emotional video message shared to Instagram on Monday, the actor slammed the publications that misconstrued her words.
“To all you tabloids out there, you have been fucking with my life since I was 13 years old,” the video begins. “I have never said that I wished my mother was dead. How dare you put those words in my mouth.”
“I have been vulnerable and tried to figure out a very difficult, painful relationship while admitting it is difficult to do while a parent is alive. And, for those of us who have to figure that out in real time cannot wait, as in they cannot wait for the time, not that the parent is dead,” Drew clarifies, visibly hurt by the accusations.
“Don’t twist my words around or ever say that I wish my mother was dead. I have never said that. I never would,” she adds.
The video finishes as Drew highlights the original quote from the interview where she says she hopes to “never have to live an existence where I would wish that on someone because that is sick.”
