- An unknown person tried to interrupt Drew Barrymore’s interview with Reneé Rapp in New York on Monday.
- Barrymore was interviewing the singer at the 92nd Street Y when someone tried to approach the stage.
- In a video, the person can be heard telling Barrymore that they needed to see her “at some point.”
Drew Barrymore was escorted off stage at the 92nd Street Y in New York City on Monday evening after someone attempted to interrupt her interview with actor and singer, Reneé Rapp.
A video of the incident shared on social media shows the person shouting Barrymore’s name and briskly approaching the stage while the talk show host was speaking to Rapp about her career.
The person can be heard telling Barrymore that they needed to see her, as security guards surrounded them and escorted them away from the stage.
Both the host and Rapp appeared shocked by the sudden interruption, before Rapp quickly sprang into action and put her arm around Barrymore, walking her offstage.
“At first I thought it was a planned guest because Drew was so warm and excited to see him,” someone who was at the event on Monday night, who spoke to Insider on the condition of anonymity because they feared for their safety, said.
“But then we saw Reneé kick into protective mode,” they added. “Then he said his name and started to get more aggressive so we all realized something was off.”
After a momentary pause in proceedings, the pair were all smiles as they returned to their conversation, and the “E.T.” star praised Rapp for being so vigilant.
“Well, I have a new definition of your sexiness, it’s that level of protectiveness. That went full ‘Bodyguard.’ You are my Kevin Costner,” Barrymore can be heard saying.
The anonymous eventgoer said “Thankfully he did not threaten Drew or take any physical action,” adding that they were “very nervous once I realized what was going on” and was “a bit distracted for 10 or 15 minutes, but then I calmed down.”
Rapp also praised Barrymore for keeping her cool while the situation was handled, as she told the audience that Barrymore was eager to get back on stage.
“They were like, ‘Hey, do you need anything? Just a sec?’ She was like ‘Oh no, I’ve got it, I’m good,'” Rapp said.
The person at the event also lauded both Rapp and Barrymore for staying “very calm and poised,” telling Insider that it “set the tone for the auditorium.
One person who attended the event posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that there was an “alarming hiccup” at the beginning of the event, but praised Barrymore and Rapp, who “handled it like bosses, and recovered quickly to continue an awesome conversation.”
According to the 92NY website, Barrymore and Rapp were in conversation to discuss Rapp’s debut album, “Snow Angel,” and the talk was followed by a performance by Rapp.
Representatives for Barrymore, Rapp, and the 92nd Street Y did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
