Goldstein told Barrymore that he’d watched her show before, and was all too familiar with her touchy tactics ― which he planned to employ himself.
“Drew, I have made a deal with myself,” the comedian said as he got closer to Barrymore. “I’ve seen your show, and every time you move nearer me, I’m gonna move nearer you. So this is now a game of chicken, OK?”
Barrymore joked that she was game, saying, “Wow, someone’s gonna give me a run for my money, OK! I’ll take it.”
The “E.T.” actor also shared that her penchant for being touchy-feely isn’t an act.
“If you see me walking down the street with someone, I will be holding their hand, I’ll be arm in arm, I’ll be hugging them. Like, none of this is fake,” she insisted. “If anything, I really do have to restrain myself.”
“This is a daytime show, right?” Goldstein asked. “So there’s limits.”
“Ehhhh,” Barrymore said, shrugging off the suggestion.
The two remained within a comfortable distance of each other until Barrymore got to a question about her 2004 film “50 First Dates.”
Watch the action between the two unfold below:
Fans have expressed discomfort over the way Barrymore has gotten close to some of her guests, including Martha Stewart and Oprah Winfrey.
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But never fear; Winfrey defended Barrymore after the host stroked her arm during their interview. Afterward, Winfrey insisted she was “not uncomfortable at all” during her appearance on the talk show.
The “Charlie’s Angel” star is also aware of her habit of getting too tactile with guests, and said in an interview last year that she’s working on it.
“I’ll try to practice physical distance, which is not my strong point,” she told Entertainment Tonight at the time.