Drew Barrymore and Martha Stewart Address Alleged ‘Beef’ After Viral Talk Show Moment

While appearing on The Drew Barrymore Show on Monday, Barrymore and Stewart addressed their viral moment that made headlines in 2024.

“People thought that we had beef — or that you had beef with me over that — and I didn’t get it,” Barrymore began. “I was so surprised.”

In November last year, Stewart playfully pushed Barrymore off for petting her shoulder during another interview between the pair, and the clip went viral.

“Oh, I just don’t like to be petted on television,” Stewart declared which caused Barrymore to coyly reply, “Understood, Martha. I won’t pet you again.”

Stewart added that was well aware of Barrymore’s habit of petting her guests.

“You pet a lot of people,” Stewart said.

She then turned to the audience: “She’s a very cozy girl, don’t you think? I’m not so cozy.”

Barrymore — well aware of her tendencies to get close to her guests — joked that Stewart’s attitude toward not being touched isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“It’s certainly not putting anyone off or turning them away because we’re all on the Martha Stewart feeder,” she said.

“It’s true, and I think you’ve given people a lot of confidence in life through maintaining being true to yourself. That’s been a very guiding light for us,” the actress added.

At one point during Stewart and Barrymore’s conversation during the November 2024 episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, the latter — who was already sitting close to the former — further leaned into Stewart’s space and asked her what makes her feel “soft and gooey.”

Barrymore bit her finger with a flirty smile, to which Stewart asked, “What makes me soft and gooey? Soft and gooey treatment.”

“When you’re treated like a lady,” Barrymore added, petting Stewart’s back, before the TV personality seemingly playfully pushed the daytime talk show post away.

“You’re the wrong gender,” she joked, as Barrymore dramatically fell back on the couch.

Meanwhile, during her appearance on WWHL following the moment, Barrymore set the record straight on her now-known interview style, sharing why she gets into her guests’ personal space on the couch when she interviews them.

According to the actress, it’s just in her nature.

“I don’t know. I can’t actually control it,” she admitted, before revealing that there was a focus group for The Drew Barrymore Show when the show premiered in 2020.

“I got focus-grouped when we launched and it was not good,” she said. “It was awful.”

Fellow WWHL guest and CBS Mornings host Nate Burleson brought up how Barrymore previously vowed that she planned on trying to maintain some more distance with her guests in the new year.

“How’s that going?” Burleson asked, to which Barrymore replied, “Not good!”

The Drew Barrymore Show airs weekdays on CBS.