Few people would be interested in interviewing their exes—much less on camera for hundreds of thousands of people to witness. But Emmy-nominated host and actress Drew Barrymore didn’t shy away from interviewing her ex-boyfriend, actor Justin Long.
Barrymore told “CBS Mornings” that the interview “organically happened.” She selected Long to be her season three premier guest for “The Drew Barrymore Show” because their relationship had a meaningful impact on her life.
“I think there is something taking the opportunity of this show to make it a personal journey,” she said.
Barrymore and Long dated on and off in the early 2000s. The pair remained friendly over the years but during her interview with Long, the interview got emotional with Barrymore breaking down in tears.
“The tears came midway through the interview. It was not the initial, we were just laughing and then he said something that really triggered the emotion to come on,” said Barrymore. “I said in the beginning of the show in the cold open, like never miss an opportunity to champion your ex.”
“The Drew Barrymore show” is produced by CBS Media Ventures, a division of Paramount Global. The show was recently picked up for a third season. It launched in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, which makes Barrymore even more grateful for the show’s success.
“We’ve never been a show who has had a tremendous amount of confidence for how long it will last and I like admitting that. I am so sick of ‘Yeah, this was easy, we got this.’ No, these are big hurdles to figure out. Let’s do it together,” she said.
“The Drew Barrymore Show” returns for an all-new season on Sept. 12 on CBS local stations.
