Drew Barrymore and Brett Goldstein are making headlines for their closeness during Tuesday’s episode of her talk show, The Drew Barrymore Show. Goldstein, aware of Barrymore’s friendly habit of getting cozier with her guests, challenged her to a couch chicken game. The rule was simple: if one guest moved closer, the other had to do the same.
Brett Goldstein gets really close to Drew Barrymore during interview
Brett Goldstein appeared on the September 23 episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, where he and the host, as a part of the challenge, got incredibly close. The Ted Lasso star revealed that he’s aware of Barrymore’s friendly gestures toward her guests, which have received mixed reactions from the audience. He challenges her to be involved in a game – couch chicken.
As he moved closer to her, Goldstein said, “Drew, I have made a deal with myself. 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, okay?” Accepting his challenge sportingly, she replied, “Wow, someone’s gonna give me a run for my money? Okay, I’ll take it.”
During their conversation, she spoke about her struggles to maintain physical proximity. She said, “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. None of this is fake. If anything, I really do have to restrain myself.” Goldstein further teased, “This is a daytime show, right? So there’s limits.” To this, she replied with “Eh.” After the challenge, they continued their discussion and maintained their professional distance. Several fans took to the comment section and praised the duo for their chemistry.
Earlier, during a conversation on the Armchair Expert podcast, Barrymore addressed the backlash she received for not maintaining a physical distance from her guests. She said, “I get in trouble for physical proximity on this show. I guess a lot of people say, like, ‘You’re too touchy,’ about me. And I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s so…’ talk about shame and embarrassment. I’m horrified when I hear that, and yet I can’t stop.” (via Entertainment Weekly)
The podcast host, Dax Shepherd, understood Barrymore’s point, noting that being friendly around her guests is a part of her personality, and explained how things would have been different if he were in her place. “It’s kind of who you are,” he said. “It is helpful that you’re an average-sized lady. If you were my size, man-handling everyone, it might be a little different. So you might have a freedom I don’t,” he added.
