Drew Barrymore Got Real About Starting to Date Again After Six Years Single

Jumping back into the dating pool after the dissolution of any relationship is tough, but doing so — and navigating whatever new relationships might follow — as a single parent no doubt adds extra challenges. And if anyone knows this, it seems to be Drew Barrymore, who recently got candid about her own experiences, breaking down into tears and admitting that she doesn't "know how to date with kids."

On a recent episode of her eponymous talk show, The Drew Barrymore Show, the cast of Netflix's hit Queer Eye teamed up to help coach Barrymore through a pandemic-friendly Zoom date with chef Sam Talbot. And while the Fab Five offered Barrymore plenty of encouragement and laughs by way of holding up huge handwritten signs, the mom of two got emotional during a post-date one-on-one conversation with the group's interior design expert, Bobby Berk.(See also: I Went On First Dates Via Video Chat During COVID-19 Quarantine — Here's How It Went)

The pair began by discussing how to strike the right mood for a Zoom date, with both agreeing — sans judgment — that the bedroom feels a little "sex forward" for a first date. That is, of course, unless you're looking for a hookup and in that case, do you. Amid all the laughs, however, Barrymore started to get emotional as she went on to explain why she doesn't "want to bring people home."

"I don't know how to date with kids," she told Berk. "I'm not there yet. I have two young girls and, like, I don't want to bring people home… I think it would take me a very long time to meet someone and get to know them before I could even ever introduce them to my daughters." (ICYDK, Barrymore has two daughters, Olive, 9, and Frankie, 7, with her ex-husband, Will Kopelman.)

Berk reassured Barrymore by telling her that no one knows "how to do anything right," and that she's an "amazing mother" for considering her children's thoughts and feelings before dating. "Don't question that at all," he said, holding onto the talk show host's hand as she cried.

Although Barrymore is continuing to grapple with how to approach dating as a parent, the date itself went well. Talbot complimented Barrymore for staying authentic and relatable despite being a celebrity. "I think growing up in Hollywood too, I thought 'how could I get rid of veneers,'" she responded. "This is a job riddled with that, this is a lifestyle that wants veneers. And the more I could get rid of them and peel away at each layer throughout every year of my life and get deeper to the core that was the mission."

Prior to the episode airing on Thursday, Barrymore further opened up about her feelings on CBS Mornings with Gayle King, sharing that she broke down because she'd "never realized and said out loud that 'I don't know how to date with kids.'"

"My kids' dad is happily remarried with the most wonderful woman in the world, Ali — my children have this extraordinary stepmom — and our processes have been different, and their side of the street is so functional and whole and happening. And I think I've been on the sidelines in a beautiful, honoring purgatory," explained Barrymore. "I've been saying, 'It's me. It's my choice. I'm not ready. I want to wait.' I don't think I've said out loud that it's really because...I have these two daughters."

Barrymore went on to reveal that she's been single for six years, though she has gone on "an occasional date" over the past two years. "It took me four [years] to even step out there," she admitted, mentioning the added challenge of dating during the pandemic. "I honestly found Zoom dates really unromantic. They are a reminder to me of the state of the world we're living in." But true to her signature humor, Barrymore then joked, "I've had a few in-person dates that I would've given anything for them to be on Zoom." (

The talk show host — who, BTW, considers herself "no different than any of [Queer Eye's] other clients" as she works on her "bravery" — knows exactly what she wants and what she doesn't want when it comes to relationships. Simply put: She has zero interest in getting married again or having more children.

Having been in the public eye for the vast majority of her life, Barrymore admitted she feels extremely "protective" over her daughters and won't discuss them during early dates. "I think that we probably have to get to know each other first, although I would love to know right out of the gate if kids were a non-negotiable for them. That would be helpful," she said. "But I don't talk about [Olive and Frankie] because I'm so protective of them that it makes me feel vulnerable to discuss them. I have to know you a little bit better and have some trust in order to even discuss them." (

Of potential wedding bells in her future, Barrymore said, "Oh, God, never! Ugh! Never, nope, nope, there's no reason to be. I would maybe live with someone again, maybe, but I've had kids, and there's no way. I will never, ever, ever, ever get married again."

All in all, Barrymore ended with sage advice that anyone at any stage of the relationship game can take from: "That [it's] okay, to have patience with ourselves." Amen to that, friends.