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Drew Barrymore
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Drew Barrymore Tries to Calm Eric Andre’s Latest Prank Victim: “I’m Here to Help… I’m an Empath!”
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Drew Barrymore Asked Steven Spielberg to Be Her Dad While Filming ‘E.T.’: “Only Person in My Life” That “Ever Was a Parental Figure”
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Drew Barrymore Rips Tabloids Claiming She “Cannot Wait” Until Her Mother Dies: “Do Not Twist My Words”
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Drew Barrymore Says She “F***ing Spiraled” After Interviewing Jennifer Garner and Battled “Negative Voices” in Her Head
If 2023 has taught us anything so far it’s that the talk show hosts are not okay.
Daytime talk shows have evolved well past the lifestyle recommendations and vapid celebrity interviews of the 2000s. Now, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos are candidly talking about their married life on ABC, while Drew Barrymore is coaxing major celebrity confessions over on CBS. The genre has become extremely ripe for fun, ridiculousness, and, of course, drama, depending on how far talk show hosts are willing to go for ratings.
It might be too early to say but Barrymore has certainly cemented herself as the breakout star of daytime television this year. While some have tired of seeing celebrities interviewing other celebrities, something can certainly be said about Barrymore’s ability to disarm her subjects and share moments of genuine honesty with them on national television.
Considering talk show programming has only gotten bigger in recent years, with new additions such as Jennifer Hudson and Kelly Clarkson, there’s much more to look forward to now outside of The Today Show. And this year featured some major talk show shake-ups, starting with Ryan Seacrest’s unexpected exit from Live With Kelly and Ryan as he moves onto greener (and more lucrative) pastures.
From blow-out arguments on The View to emotional – and ridiculous – celebrity interviews, these are the wildest talk show moments of 2023.
Ryan Seacrest Left Live With Kelly And Ryan After Six Years
Ryan Seacrest announced the shocking news he was leaving Live earlier this year, stating he would be focusing on his other endeavors. While some thought he was just talking about one of the hundreds of other jobs he had at the time – such as hosting American Idol or his Sirius XM radio show – what he likely meant was that he would be taking over for Pat freaking Sajak as host of Wheel of Fortune. His farewell episode, which was pre-recorded but aired in April, showed him sharing a tearful moment with his co-host and close friend, Kelly Ripa, who said she was “so grateful that our success together on this show has led to us developing an even closer, yet co-dependent relationship.” Ripa’s husband, Mark Consuelos, has since replaced Seacrest, ushering in a new, sexier era on the daytime talk show.
Alyssa Farah Griffin and Sunny Hostin Got Into A Heated Argument On ‘The View’
Former White House staffer Alyssa Farah Griffin and her fellow View co-host Sunny Hostin did not hold back when the conversation turned to the 2024 Republican presidential hopefuls, Chris Christie and Mike Pence. After Griffin said she wanted to “hear more” about Pence — though she previously worked for him — Hostin accused her of being “incapable” of defending the man she worked for as she listed off the reasons why she doesn’t like his politics. This left Griffin fuming, saying, “Sunny likes to make it personal with me,” possibly hinting at something even deeper troubling their personal relationship. This may not have been that infamous Rosie O’Donnell/Elisabeth Hasselback feud from 2007, but it’s certainly emblematic of the classic arguments and backstage problems The View has become known for.
Jane Fonda Suggested “Murder” As A Way To Combat Anti-Abortion Laws
Just girly things. Activist and actress Jane Fonda had an unsettling answer when The View hosts asked her what women should do about the recent anti-abortion legislation that’s been passed. “Well, I’ve thought of murder,” she said, then she repeated her answer so the audience could hear her. Joy Behar tried to recover the interview by clarifying she was kidding, but Fonda’s blank stare tells us she really wasn’t. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene later accused the actress of “calling for us to be assassinated.” Of course, she later shared a statement saying she was “obviously” joking and made the comment “in jest.” For those who are aware of Fonda’s decades of activism, her answer may not have been much of a surprise – but hearing her say it on national, daytime television to the ladies of The View certainly was.
Jon Hamm Used His Award-Winning Acting Skills For His Greatest Role Yet: James Kennedy from ‘Vanderpump Rules’
Jon Hamm and his Mad Men co-star John Slattery teamed up on Watch What Happens Live to put their acting skills to the test by parodying the Vanderpump Rules Season 10 Reunion. In this unbelievable skit, Hamm played James Kennedy, while Slattery played Kennedy’s disgraced co-star Tom Sandoval, who faced a huge amount of criticism this year after it was revealed that he had been cheating on his longtime girlfriend Ariana Madix with their close friend and co-star Raquel Leviss. Hearing Hamm hurl Kennedy’s insults at Slattery – where he called him a “worm with a mustache” and a “backstabbing hoe,” – really highlighted Kennedy’s ridiculous behavior at the reunion and his knack for colorful language.
Melanie Lynskey and Jason Ritter Held Back Tears As They Discussed His Struggles With Alcoholism on ‘The Drew Barrymore Show’
Drew Barrymore went viral multiple times this year, namely for her unique ability to get celebrities to open up about their personal lives on national television. One especially moving moment from The Drew Barrymore Show was when Yellowjackets star Melanie Lynskey and her husband Jason Ritter opened up about his struggles with alcoholism during the start of their relationship. “I knew how amazing she was and I thought she would be incredible for someone who deserved her, basically, and I didn’t feel like I was that person,” he said as he began to get choked up. Lynskey told him through tears that she was “so proud of him,” while Barrymore commiserated and spoke on her own journey to sobriety.
Sherri Shepherd Told Recovering Alcoholic Elizabeth Vargas They Should “Get Drunk” Together
Comedian Sherri Shepherd has successfully been forging her own path in daytime television with her new talk show Sherri since stepping away from The View in 2014. But the comedian found herself in some hot water in early June when she pressed former ABC anchor Elizabeth Vargas, who is a recovering alcoholic, to join her for a drink. Vargas later confirmed that Shepherd privately apologized to her for the mishap and stated that it was “not a big deal,” but that interview was still painful to watch. At one point in the interview after Shepherd joked about having a drink together, Vargas replied she would just have her “classic club soda with cranberry juice” but encouraged Shepherd to “pound some shots.” Shepherd later issued a statement about the incident, saying “Sometimes when you’re doing live TV, you make mistakes. Today that happened during my Elizabeth Vargas interview and I’m sorry for that.”
Drew Barrymore Dressed Up As M3GAN And Scared The Crap Out Of Allison Williams
One of the most surprising pop culture phenomena to break out in 2023 was M3GAN, the killer dancing robot who eliminated anyone that got in between her and the young girl she was made to play with. But even more surprising was seeing Drew Barrymore dress up in a full M3GAN costume – complete with the creepy blue contacts – to greet M3GAN star Allison Williams on her talk show. Barrymore’s impression was so uncanny that Williams is visually unsettled throughout the entire interview, enough that she had to be the first one to break character and admit she’s trying her best to adjust to the weird interview “in real time.” Despite the grody moments of watching Barrymore’s blue eye contacts shift on her eyes throughout the interview, Williams still felt this was “the greatest thing that’s ever happened” to her.
Drew Barrymore Lived Out Her ‘You’ Fantasy Of Getting Trapped In A Glass Box by Penn Badgley
The Drew Barrymore Show proved in 2023 that it’s possibly the only show capable of giving some of the most candid and funniest interviews on daytime television, and this one takes the cake as the #1 wildest talk show interview moment of the year. Seeing Barrymore’s face drop in shock as she realizes they got You star Penn Badgley to appear as part of her birthday surprise is lovely, but seeing Badgley struggle with how much she’s enjoying herself in the glass cage is just priceless. “You’re not supposed to want this!” he tells her exasperatedly. He even threatens to leave when Barrymore said she felt like she was “living every woman’s fantasy.” But the interview takes an even more unhinged turn when she tells him it would be “really epic” if he off-ed her on national television, as per his character’s usual M.O. The interview just goes to show how Barrymore is reinvigorating daytime television with her effusiveness in a way that other hosts aren’t.
