As the Blended star held tightly onto Winfrey’s hand, she said: “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. And one thing that I’ve done is spend time with the audience every day. And I had felt guilty for it.”
Winfrey then seemed to shift back on the seat, trying to release her hand from Barrymore’s grip, while saying: “My crew used to be like, ‘Oh my God, how much time is she going to spend talking to that audience?! Would she please let the audience go so we can let the next audience in’?!”
Viewers flooded social media with comments slamming Barrymore for making Winfrey look openly uncomfortable.
“Oprah’s body language was so clear she wanted her hand back,” said one person, adding that Barrymore didn’t pick up on “clear” social cues from the chat show icon.
“Oprah’s body language says it all. Drew is holding on too much. Oprah is trying to release her hand from Drew’s grip. Drew is just too creepy and needy,” another viewer ranted, while another chimed in, saying: “The hand hold and the arm being caressed is past my boundary.”
Another said: “She’s really creeping me out now. It’s just too weird!”
In the past, Barrymore has defended her unique style of hosting, saying on The Tonight Show: “I feel this magnetic pull … I’m on my knees, I’m hugging. I actually am really into this. At first, I was like, ‘Oh is this a good thing? I can’t tell’ And then I was like, ‘No, this is awesome! It’s so much fun’!”
