Podcrushed - [Rerun] Drew Barrymore

Episode Date: February 25, 2026

[Original air date: May 24, 2022] Drew Barrymore joins the crew to share hilarious and heartfelt stories about her turbulent adolescent years in the spotlight. They marvel at the power a little discomfort has in bringing you closer to your full self.   🎧 Want more from Podcrushed? 📸 Instagram 🎵 TikTok 🐦 X / Twitter ✨ Follow Penn, Sophie & Nava Instagram Penn Sophie Nava TikTok Penn Sophie Nava See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lemonada. Hey, so today's conversation was recorded before the horrific events that took place in Duvaldi, Texas on May 24th, as well as before those in Buffalo, New York on May 14th. We mourn the loss of every life taken in every one of these senseless acts of violence. If you or someone you know is feeling despair over this or any human-caused tragedy, we encourage you to seek help. And one of the ways you can do this is to call or text

1-800-5-990. Again, that's 1-800-9-5-9-0. And you can speak to a counselor at the Disaster to Stress Helpline. And this guy was like, so what are you going to tell your kids about, like, how screwed up you were? And first I wanted to, like, you know...

Level him. Yeah, that's really good. I was like, I'm going to like, get you! And I'm so rebellious that I was just like, oh, God, damn it! I'm going to keep it together. The scar comes in here with it. This is Pod Crush. The podcast that takes the sting out of rejection, one crushing middle school story at a time.

And where guests share their teenage memories, both meaningful and mortifying. And we're your hosts. I'm Nava, a former middle school director. I'm Sophie, a former fifth grade teacher. And I'm Penn. A middle school dropout. We're just three beehis who are living in Brooklyn. Wanting to make stuff together with a particular fondness for awkward nostalgia.

Well, I struggle with nostalgia. I'm here for the therapy. Hey, pod crushers. Do not. No pod crushers. No pod crushers. No pod crushers. I think we should use all of this.

I'm going to tell you something. This is behind the scenes. I've tried to record this intro a few times and it's just too long. And it's because we have a guest who needs no introduction. So guess what? I didn't introduce her. The moment she appeared on our screens talking to us, we just, like, we just got rolling. I will say her name with reverence and levity and admiration as it deserves. Drew Barrymore graced us with her presence today.

Evidently, Drew is a real fan of my show, you and me. So basically there's just like, there's these three people, Danielle Schneider, Casey Wilson, and Drew Barrymore. and they had this back and forth where they would talk about my show you saying, I love you, and then another person being confused by it. So they have like you, not you mugs. They really have their like this running jump. I mean, I'm confused.

Right. And I wasn't aware of it, but it was a thing. It was becoming a thing that people who followed their show, like really, really know and love. So Danielle invited me on Drew's show to surprise her. So I decided I need to give you you. And by you, I mean Penn Badgley. What?

Is this where I say something? It was like, is this real? I don't know, is this real? Oh, yeah. Oh, my God. It was so fun. You had told us about it, but I didn't realize how it tends to do us.

It's you. I would stand outside my window and care about what I was thinking and behaving and feeling and I just kill me him. Kill me dead. I'm sorry. Drew and Casey are like fully in their bodies.

Like it's a full body reaction. Yeah, like they went upside down for real. And I loved it. I feel like it really reminded me of the story that we're going into on this episode. This is one of my favorite stories. I say that about a lot of them, but this really is one of my favorites. It's called The Wallflower. And it's a real life middle school story submitted by a listener and read to us by Penn.

Sophie's got about 30 favorites. But let's roll to this favorite, The Wallflower, and after that, we'll chat with Drew. Hey there, it's Julia Louis Dreyfus. I'm back with a new season of Wiser Than Me, the show where I sit down with remarkable older women and soak up their stories, their humor, and their hard-earned wisdom. Every conversation leaves me a little smarter and definitely more inspired. And yes, I'm still calling my 91-year-old. mom Judy to get her take on it all. Wiser than me from Lemonada Media is out now, wherever you get your podcasts. It's morning in New York.

Hey everybody, I'm Mandy Patinkin. And I'm Catherine Grotty. And we have a new podcast. It's called Don't Listen to Us. Many of you've asked for our advice. Tell me, what is wrong with you people? Don't listen to us. Our take it or leave a device show every Wednesday, out now. A Lemonada Media Original. In seventh grade, I transferred from a private Catholic school in Maryland to a public school in an affluent area of Houston. And the year was 1988. Crocodile Dundee was all anyone talked about, and scorts were all the rage.

I was a little chubby and a lot cute, but I had no friends. Despite all this, my mom managed to convince me that it would be a great idea to go to the middle school dance. So I went alone. And I felt so awkward, I stood around on the outskirts of the dance floor just waiting for someone, anyone. Come talk to me, please. It seemed like everybody else had their person. Then, I heard it. the greatest song of all time

Pour Some Sugar on Me by Death Leopard The music It took a hold of me And I couldn't stop myself And at some point my eyes closed My head was thrown back I'm singing at the top of my lungs I mean by the time we get to the first course

I'm fully engaged My limbs are flailing I'm head banging my feet Who knows what my feet are doing? So the song ends. I opened my eyes. The entire school surrounding me, every eye trained on the mouths agape. I believe several students may have been laughing at my expense.

Apparently, I was no longer the seventh-grade wallflower. Look, my every thought turned towards death. Please just let me pass out and ascend right here, right now. Of course, no such thing happened. Instead, I ran away dramatically to the nearest pay phone. I called my mom, bawling. I blamed her for forcing me to go and humiliate myself. To this day, at age 44, I can only dance when properly intoxicated,

and I can never listen to that sugary sweet hit without wanting to bomb. Hello. Drew. Hi. Drew, welcome. Hi. You just walked off your set, didn't you? You just walked off stage.

I would not look like this if I could have just walked right off the set. Wow, we're honored. Thank you for asking me to come on today. I am truly feeling star-struck. I know you don't know who I am, but we've done many interviews and this is the first time. And we're going to keep it that way. I'm not going to introduce them. Penn never introduces us.

Before you came on, we're like, Penn, can you please introduce us this time? Well, it's well documented that I'm not. You know, I'm learning how to be a host, Drew, as I guess you are too. But you're like killing the game. Oh, God, thank you. And it doesn't feel that way at all. But I was listening to a clip in preparation for this, you guys, from the story. And I think it's such a secret weapon and recipe of your current show, you, is your voice is so conducive to storytelling.

You have a perfect voice to do the narration and the voiceover in the show. And I was just captivated at Word 1. It's very soothing your voice. I feel like when life gets really scary, it would be a good thing to tune into your voice. But what do I do? What about when your life gets scary? What about me? I don't know if you're going to be able to do it for yourself.

But you will do it for everybody else. That's very, very kind. Penn's wife, Domino is maybe the only person who has like a sweeter, more malefluous voice than Penn. You know, she really does. I agree. It's very melifluous. One of my favorite words ever. Right?

I love you. God, sexy. The dictionary is my biggest, one of the great loves of life. And you had me at melifluous. Oh, thank you. Drew, last night I had my dad over for dinner. This is a bit of a non-secretor, but we've interviewed several guests and all amazing.

There hasn't been like a dud in the bunch, but I told him we were interviewing you. And he started crying, and he was like, I'm so happy for you. Drew Baramore. She's a national treasure. And he hasn't reacted like that to anyone. It was like the sweetest reaction.

And then I started crying. And it's like, yeah, like I'm going to interview Drew Baramore. So just wanted to say that because it was so sincere. What's your dad's name? His name is Tommy Cavillin. Hi, Tommy. He's going to die. I know he's going to love that.

He's going to leave. Oh, my God. It's funny. Okay, so here is what I went through emotionally when you just told me that story. It made me feel very excited and proud to be someone in his eyes that seemed okay. And even as someone who's just hearing about Tommy and his reaction. and his reaction, I'm like, oh, I'm so relieved not to be a hot mess or a sad case or I'm so relieved that your dad feels that way. Yay.

Okay, Drew, we actually want to get your reactions to the story. So I want to know, do you relate to this girl at all? What were you like as a teenager? Well, when the story ended, I just thought those are the best moments that can happen to somebody. they feel like the worst moments, but they're the moments that inform you of how you're going to treat other people and not make them feel like that and not let them feel like that. Like maybe you're a barrier to bad and a conduit to something better.

That is the breeding ground of empathy. So I'm sorry that that happened and I'm so glad that that happened because the end of that story is the beginning of the beauty. The moment where she's on the dance floor and she's just completely lost in it and like her body's flailing. I mean, even reading that story and hearing Penn narrated, I'm like, savor that moment. That's that those are the best moments. That's flow state. Yeah. Yeah, exactly.

I think circumstantially people might have different stories, but I'm convinced so many of the feelings are the same. Yeah, I really feel the same way. I mean, I do recall maybe telling a story about growing up in Hollywood and passing and somebody who didn't do that might marvel at the circumstances and then I say well you know but I really do feel like it's it's the same as just more extreme you for for most of your life you've been very transparent and vocal about your tribulations growing up in this industry yeah and you know I I did not have the extremity of the circumstances you did but I but I did share in a lot of that I mean you know I was I was emancipated

not legally, but I didn't need to go to school anymore once I was 13. I had the equivalent of a high school diploma. So I didn't have to work child hours. I didn't have the child labor laws. And I had a lot of friends who were in similar boats. And so there's just something about growing up in Hollywood that more and more, I mean, I don't know, I'm 35 now. And I'm still really chipping away. It's funny because I'm binging euphoria right now.

And there's so much in that that I relate to. And that was my experience that was not the Hollywood side of it. Like at a certain point, my mom was a single mom. Like we were living in the valley. And I wasn't working. So there weren't like there wasn't really income coming into the house. And I was so like out of control and like partying and just rebelling and lying to my mom. And she was doing crazy stuff.

And it was nuts. And I'm watching Euphoria going, a lot of people are looking at that show as art that they don't relate to. So they're talking about the cinematography. I'm like, oh, I've been institutionalized. I've been left in those crazy places. I have been on weird couches at weird people's houses, on drugs with like no hope in sight of like where life is going. To the point where you're like, screw it. I've got nothing to lose.

I don't even think I'm saying I want to not be on this planet, but I'm just living a very bizarre existence and the edge is fun. I'm young. I'm an idiot. I'm invincible. I'm immortal. Screw y'all. I'm doing this.

And then I'm watching as a parent just going, how do you not know that your kids are selling themselves for Bitcoin so that they can buy drugs? Like, what in the hell? Spoiler. You can buy drugs with Bitcoin? Apparently. That was originally, I think, what Bitcoin was used for. Not just drugs, though, right?

It was used for... Darker things as well. I didn't know you get... In the show, you just get cash for the Bitcoin, too. I'm like, is that a Bitcoin worth? Yeah, like, we're all getting a lesson on Bitcoin from you for. And I was wondering, Drew, because you obviously, like, you know, the... I think the tide is shifting, hopefully, in a positive way for women and, like, appropriate

treatment of children. but I can't imagine what you were subjected to in the 80s and 90s. And also knowing, obviously, to some degree, the challenging, like, home environment that you had, I feel like a lot of people could have become bitter or hard. And you're known for, like, a characteristic sweetness and kindness. And I wanted to know how did you, to the degree that you're aware, how have you been able to shield your heart from bitterness and, like, find joy and kindness? And how have you risen up like that?

I feel very positive about everything. thing. And I've always worked on myself with like my mom threw me in an institution at 13, because she just didn't know what to do with the monster she created. It was the best thing she could have ever done because it was so hardcore and such a wake-up call and such a cold water in your face freak out. They just would work us in groups and therapy and talking about everything out in front of each other. Were you with kids your age? Yeah. And it was an adult Ward too. So we saw some very colorful characters

who were older. So you kind of knew where you were headed if you didn't get it together. Wow. My goodness. But yeah, I was with kids and the institution was very deep in North Valley. So there was no Hollywood.

There was no Malibu bullshit patina. It was like... The valley can get really... Yeah, I lived in the valley. And I lived kind of deep in the valley in the beginning. And it's a It's not Hollywood. It's far from it. No, no, not at all.

All the kids that I was... It's like euphoria. Yeah. No, I'm not paying. Isn't euphoria rich kids? Or are they? I don't know. I've never seen it.

Oh my God. Buckle up. I was totally living euphoria. It's shocking. Like, there's so much I recognize in my life about that show that I'm just like, oh my God. Thank God. I survived that. But great cinematography.

There are some things that like only with my therapist will I share and things I saw or experienced that I just wouldn't want children to be around or a part of. But a lot of, you know, people will find themselves in like crazy circumstances and have to figure out how to navigate that. That's very universal. The stuff everybody knows about, I think I have. had too much access to too much stuff. But I really take responsibility for like where and how I handled everything. Like there wasn't anyone there. So maybe there's no one there to blame also.

And I screwed it all up, you know? It's like I got all this stuff put in my hands and I blew that shit up. You know, I really did. But wasn't this stuff in your hands? Okay. So I hear you. Totally hear you. And I think like your, I think your perspective is, is like, has a lot of truth to it. It's admirable. You have what I think we could call the human spirit. Like, you are resilient.

Thank you. You do have a, you do have a light that shines through. It's actually just like kind of joyous to talk to you, which is really sweet. But like, I think it's becoming abundantly clear that that sort of, quote unquote, privilege and access is not, I mean, what's it a privilege to? like people just destroying themselves like that like quicker access to to like personal dynamite like I don't know I I don't think I don't think anybody who's gone through it would wish it on anyone switching banks always felt like such a hassle fees minimum balances overdrafts so for a long time I didn't bother that's why I'm so happy I found chime chime chime offers a fee-free simpler approach to banking designed for everyday people not structured around overdraft fees monthly fees or minimum balance requirements. It's a modern alternative to traditional banks that still rely on

penalties as part of their business model. I recently switched to chime and honestly, it's one of the easiest moves I've ever made. I don't know about you all, but I definitely want my life to be as hassle-free as possible, and that's something that I'm always looking for. It only took minutes and it really feels like I upgraded to a smarter, fee-free way of managing my money. Plus, I love their features that are actually useful, like tools that help build credit and my pay, which lets me access some of my paycheck early with direct deposit. I feel more in control of my money, and I honestly just wish I'd found chime sooner. Chime makes your everyday spending work harder by delivering real rewards and financial progress. Chime is not just smarter banking. It is the most

rewarding way to bank. Join the millions who are already banking fee free today. It just takes a few minutes to sign up. Head to chime.com slash podcrush. That is chime.com.com. slash pot crushed. That can't be true? Well, I certainly do. 2025 brought us some ridiculous far-fetched health claims and some especially terrifying changes in public health. What's in store for us in 2026? I'm Chelsea Clinton, and we're back with season two of my podcast, That Can't Be True. Follow along and catch up on season one wherever you get your podcasts. You have participated in a lot of joy-inducing projects from your youngest age to now.

And just doing a bit of research before talking to you, I went back and I watched some of these interviews from when you were like seven and nine and twelve and fifteen. At that age, do you recall how you felt about all that? On the world tour of ET, a moment happened that really changed my. life forever. I just realized that I was lucky to be connected to people. And we did travel the world, went to many countries, and ET was so much about a collective experience. Yeah, it really was. I saw so many people that seemed so emotional watching it. I knew making it we were emotional. and joyful.

Were you at that age, too? Like, you were, like, you could feel this sort of this specialness of the content. Because I watched it with my stepson back when, God, he must have been probably eight or something. And my wife and I were looking over his head every now and then being like, where the hell has this movie been all our lives? This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Yeah. Like, you felt that emotion, like, at that age?

I know it's the moment that shifted everything for me. I loved the people I was around and it was like the first time I felt whole was the first time I felt so safe in the world. And everything about that experience, I believe, is what sort of formed me into the person I am. And whatever has come to bite at the heels or question or doubt just has no ability to penetrate. of that. I've always felt like Norm from Cheers, like I'm just the dude at the end of the bar, that I do feel like I'm lucky in that way of like I'm norm. I'm a fixture at this bar of life. Wow. Yeah, I felt like that film. It's funny. There's actually, I hope I don't disconnect the entire operation, but I'm actually looking at this picture. Oh, my God. That's so

We should tell the listeners what we just saw. That's a picture of you and Spielberg. He's like cradling her and she has the most tender look on her face. It's very, very, very, very tender. It's very sweet. I'm embarrassed to even say it out loud. But Stephen Spielberg, after E.T. saw kind of my home life during and kept me on and really took me into his life and under his wing.

And, you know, you're too young for red lipstick or, you know, cover yourself up. You know, I didn't want him to see some of the really difficult things I was going through. And I didn't realize it at the time. But I think the idea of wanting to make a parent who does put in the time to raise their kids, those are the people that you would like to make proud. Actually, I can tell you, so, Drew, we share, I don't want to, like, you know, make too many assumptions. But I think you and I share a certain, you know, we've had the Hollywood experience. and we know what it's like to not have as much parental influence from a young age.

My two co-hosts, who I will now introduce, Navakaflain and Sophie Rutstein. Welcome to Podcrushed. Thank you for having us. What I'm learning as I do this with them, and we've been friends for years, but as we kind of get into each other's stories growing up, they had what I'm going to call uncharacteristic or uncommonly, like, sound, positive, healthy relationship. relationships with their parents who were together, are together, and I think I've learned a lot because I too, like you, will be like, well, surely there's this, that, the other.

And then just in my conversation with them, I'll realize, wait, I'm doubting like the floor that is underneath me. Yeah, I had and still have a very close relationship with my parents. and they themselves have this beautiful friendship and they invited us in on that friendship, all their kids, but they were still able to maintain a parental role. And I think that balance is key. And I'm wondering for you, Drew, since you were a working child actor, and I'm making a lot of assumptions here, but I'm thinking that that would kind of push you into a parental

role and give you a lot of power, potentially too much power. You're 100% right. I always knew that I was filling the parent role by working. And that felt like a lot of pressure, too. Of course, yeah. Really, it's just a recipe for not respecting authority whatsoever. Which, fair enough. If you're already being treated like an adult in some of these really major ways,

and then you're told, like, you're grounded. I can imagine being furious at that. It really makes you subconsciously feel like I don't need to listen. it brought out a real inner rebellion in me. Did that happen to you, Penn? It happened for me at a little bit of a later stage. By 15, I was starring on my, I had my first, like, starring role on a show

where I was number one on the call sheet working, you know, 12 and 13 hour days and bringing home, like, truly a living. Before that, my mom did still work. And by the time I was like, yeah, 14, 15, you know, you go through long periods of not working, as you said, but you get these large chunks of money, every now and then and you go through periods of feeling like well I just got paid like at least for the

next week anything goes and I'm going to buy this guitar or something like that and but then you know months later you're like eating Taco Bell every meal because it's just what you got to do and and then and so I think over time this pattern develops where you realize when mom says something to you that tries to place a barrier in front of you and when you are making money it's actually hard for me this moment to think like what else parents really have I'm not saying that there isn't a whole lot else to parentshood I'm not saying that at all

but I'm just saying like if you remove that foundation too early it's just like hmm and I do recall one moment where I said to my mom what the F are you going to do about it wow what did she say

nothing what can you say yeah I say this having gone through and rehabilitated a lot of my relationship with her

and she actually you know I don't know if it's appropriate at all share here she's done a lot that is I think uncharacteristically sort of moral

in the world of stage moms because for me there was some real despair in the teens working in Hollywood and I think there were some essential pillars you know

to use your word drew that she sort of helped instill in me that a lot of stage parents don't So when I say that there was this one moment, it was really just this one moment that I can recall where I said very clearly, I am doing something else, you know? And at that point, I was probably 15, I think. Yeah.

I think it's such a lesson to us all to not give up that power as a parent. That's so much a part of the way our society is designed. And there are many young people out there who are forced to grow up way too fast. And I really do mean outside of Hollywood. Yeah, no, it's everywhere. There's circumstances. That's why I say so much about the feelings being so relative. There are just a lot of kids who are not able to have that structured trajectory of a societal childhood.

You will live at home by 18. You will not be working before you are 18. You will go to school. These are the threads that have unraveled for so many people from their life sweater. And that's where I relate and think feelings are quite relative. I know that it was when I was seven and on that world tour that I thought, oh, I could spend. Maybe life is about connecting with people. even when it seemed like I was going to go so far away from that at a certain point

and be that like burnout cliche, like over excess screwed up actor who, you know, went by way of so many others. It's a cliche sadly for a reason. Oh, yeah. I just don't have darkness in me. I have light and love and a genuine absolute care for other people. I think my big battle is keeping myself in the mix. I tend to leave myself last to a dangerous degree.

I don't take as good of care of myself as I should. Whenever I see wellness people, I'm like, oh, God, what am I missing? Why don't I care enough to, like, elongate this carcass to the greatest potential? Why do I treat myself like a garbage can? I don't know. But I'm just trying to, like, bite down and get through it. I'm going to go back to the positive every single time, like a magnet. Like, I cannot be pulled away from my love of the human beings and animals.

But human beings on this planet, I've made such a conscious choice not to be someone who is a part of like dark shit. I don't want it. I've made the same choice. I was like, just like fun. But no, you is not. You is amazing. There's a deliciousness and everybody's on the feeder. The purge is dark.

Yeah, fair. You is not that. You was awesome. Penn, I also think you bring a lightness to it. Absolutely. I think you very consciously bring a lightness to it. We make murder fun. A hundred percent.

Listen, everybody has a, everybody has a little bit of revenge and a dark side. Like, I could be a hippie talking about love all day long. You fuck with me. I'm going to fuck with you right back. Totally rebellion. They went from E.T. to serial killer real quick. Hey, everyone. It's Leah Greenberg. And Ezra Levin. You might know us as two of the lead organizers of the No King's protests.

We're also the co-founders of Indivisible, the grassroots movement organizing against Trump's regime. And this is What's the Plan? Your weekly guide to the state of our democracy and how we fight back. This is not canned talking points. It's a real-life discussion space for the pro-democracy movement. We wrestle with strategy together. We take your top-voted questions in real time. and we talk about the most impactful actions we can take right now. Democracy is a participatory sport. The fascist win when we sit on the sidelines. What's the plan is about how we get into the game?

What's the plan available Friday, January 23rd, wherever you get your podcasts? Subscribe, recruit, discuss, organize, and win. That's the plan. One thing I'm having a revelation about in life is extremes. And I'm realizing that I do live in the extremes. and I might have been born into extreme circumstances and extremes have been far too often on the menu. They were all that was on the menu.

I mean, when you're working as a kid in Hollywood, I'm just saying not just for you. Like, I did it too. It's basically all that's on the menu. Yeah, I am an extremist. And that might be like a beautiful and difficult aftermath and consequence of the life I've lived. Like, everything I do is in extremes.

If I season something, I'll over-season it. If I work out, I'll go all in until I injure myself. If I binge eat, like, and just sit late at night. I'll order, like, 15 things off of a takeout menu and just sit there and snack on all of it. Like, if I love my kids, I will nuzzle in their ear and bite their cheek and, like, tackle them and, like, just sniff them until... I do the same thing. Oh, that new car smell. is undeniable.

Puppy breath is a thing. It's so good. That first time when they've got like bad morning breath and you're like, oh my God. I've heard about that. I am so determined to have my kids have a different experience than I had only in the terms of like, oh God, how could I foster a life

that won't want to make them go and get into an affair? various things. That's pretty much like goal number one. Like their babies, you want to keep them alive. They're toddlers. I think you're trying. The parent is trying to stay alive. Nobody talks about how crazy toddler years are, but they're nuts.

Woo! I'm here right now. And in a pandemic, too, which is... Oh, my God. It's a lot and it's the greatest, but it's one of the trickiest times, I think, of the parenting journey I've experienced so far. And then you're like,

oh my God, it quickly becomes about behavior and processing and emotional reaction and all of this much heavier stuff. And it's a never-ending rollercoaster of awesomeness. But when you're going from like, let me just keep you alive to let me just like hold on tight into, oh my God, now we've really gotten to get into the work of how to be a human. on this planet and handle and cope and imprint and react and all of that stuff, it's so wild. I never, I'm just, I'm glad this is where my focus is now. And I hope that I'm going to have two teenage girls on my hands.

Oh my God. And I'm just really hoping that all of my life experiences will like set me up for success in some way because I know I'm going to screw it up, but God, I really want to get it as right as possible. By the way, real quick, how old are they? Frankie will be eight in April, so right around the corner next month. And Olive will be 10 in September. Okay. I am loving this stage.

It's really, really, really great. I'm having so much fun with it. Oh, yeah. 10 is the best. I used to teach fifth grade, and so they were 10 coming in and 11 going out. and I'm obsessed with that age. It's so sweet and funny, and, like, they're just starting to get the hang of sarcasm.

Yes, she would love Olive. She has wicked sarcasm and sense of humor. Do you feel, like, given your experiences, I mean, it must give you a little bit like anything they think they want to do is rebelling. You'd be like, listen, been there, been there, done that. And even well-documented, you can watch me then. I don't even have to tell you now.

You can watch me then. I mean, it's an interesting. toolkit you might have. Thank you. You're the first person that's ever said it like that, and I've always thought of it that way. Now, maybe I'm totally fooling myself. And every parent who has teenage kids and who has lived through that can roll their eyes or laugh at me. Sure, yeah. There's nothing, there's no catch-all. There's no manual and there's no preparation for what I have in store for me. But I do. You're the first person that has articulated that. I feel like I've got a great toolbox going into this.

Totally. I remember when somebody asked me, it was like a journalist. And you know Penn, you know, when you get in those rooms, journalists kind of mess with you sometimes and they think they can kind of ask you anything. And it feels sometimes like a gotcha experience. Those press events. I'm not talking on a talk show or, you know, things like that. We're a podcast. That's not at all what we do here. Well, you can try to gotcha all you want.

We're playing. I feel safe. But when you don't know someone and they're going in with kind of like this weird energy and you're like, oh, God, it's one of these situations. And this guy was like, so what are you going to tell your kids about like how screwed up you were? And first I wanted to like, you know. Level him. Yeah, I did. I was like, I'm going to like get you.

And I'm so rebellious that I was just like, oh, God, damn it. I'm going to keep it together. The scar comes in here with it. And then I was like, well, first of all, you know what I'm saying to you. And it is the middle finger in words, A, B, I'm going to be very honest with them. Like, as far as I'm not going to be giving them tutorials on my life, but if and when they come across something that I'm saying what not to do. I'm going to be like, and that actually is my reasoning because I have tried it. And I understand my lessons are not your lessons and you have to live your life.

But it's funny. I have tried those things and it made me come full circle. And I just don't. That isn't what I'm into now and why I'm probably so much more about like health, safety, pillars of appropriateness for you to be good girls as, you know, I did get to try a lot of different colors. and I found the ones that I love the most. So, you know, I do hope to not in an oversharing way,

not in a patronizing. I hate being patronized. Oh, if you want me to do something, patronize me, and I'll go right and do it. But I do hope to just bring a raw, honest vulnerability and a sense of humor and a lack of judgment and a lack of patronizing my kids and just keep it as real as possible and empathetic and understanding. I didn't listen much when I was growing up, but I didn't really have that traditional set of parents.

And I do have hope and wonder that I could be that for my kids. And then they really will have a different attitude and experience in life. Because I do think when kids have people caring and shaping and shaping and, being there for all of the good and the tough and everything in between, that has to have an effect. I don't know. It does. It does.

It does. Okay, wait, Drew, we know you have to go, but we have one final question. It can take just 30 seconds. If you could go back and say something to Drew at 12, what would you say? I would have said, I know you're not going to listen to this, so I'm not going to bother.

Wow. That's all good. Thank you, Drew. This has been a delight. Thank you, Drew. You guys so much for having me. Okay, thank you. That means so much.

It really does. And as the mother of two daughters, I hope that my girls can be sitting on a couch, talking about family and parenting and how to be in this world like you guys. You're such every mother's dream of an example of how their daughters will turn out. So thanks for all the things you said.

I will hold them in my heart. Like what? We recorded it just in case you forget. Thank God. She's just, I actually felt like a, like there was a balloon in my chest at points. I'm not kidding. It was right around the E.T. thing and E.T. kind of did have a balloon in his chest. Really, really, some special quality to that person right there, don't you think?

I felt so starstruck at the beginning and it's the first guess that I've really felt that way. She is kind of a figure in a lot of people's lives, like millions upon millions of people's lives, you know. I mean, when you say you had a balloon in your chest, that's how I feel, too. She's just like lightness and joy. I loved her. Okay. My favorite part was probably when we were talking about E.T. And she became emotional talking about Steven Spielberg.

She said at one point, like, don't mean a name drop. But they're clearly like so, so, so close. He's her godfather. Really? Yeah. Oh, my God. And there's just something about how she's been through the ringer in a sense in the industry. But at the same time, the way she makes me feel specifically about being in the business, quote, unquote,

that is very encouraging. My favorite part, I had two. One was when she showed us the picture with Steven Spielberg. It was just so tender. And the expression on her face and how she had come into that conversation was really meaningful. And when she said hi to my dad, because it was also so gracious and so generous to like ask for his name and to do it. And I know it's going to mean so much to him. So I really love that.

Yeah. I was going to say mine is way more selfish because, you know, what I was first going to say is her life-changing moment on ET. I thought that was so sweet. So you're taking mine. Well, you took mine. Okay. But, you know, my more superficial, more selfish moment was at the beginning, you all might have missed it, but I definitely didn't. She said, I love you to me.

She did. She was talking about my show, though, is the thing. Don't take this away from me. No, she did. She said, I love you to Sophie. She said, I love you because I use the word malefluous, which is probably the only large word I know. So thank God I used it. The teacher used her one big word.

You can hang out with Drew every day on the Drew Baramore show, streaming on CBS, and you can keep up with her on Instagram at Drew Baramore. Before we go, we wanted to tell you we're hosting a middle school dance-themed launch party for Podcush in New York City. Yes, you heard that right. Our launch party is a back-to-middle school dance happening on Thursday, June 2nd, in Brooklyn, New York. We'll all be there, dressed to the nines, and dancing to the best songs of the 90s and 2000s. Tickets are available now at podcrush.com. Go quick before they sell out.

That's podcrush.com. Podcrushed is hosted by Penn Badgley, Navakavalin, and Sophie Ansari. Our executive producer is Nora Richie from Stitcher. Our lead producer and editor is David Ansari. Our secondary editor is Sharaf and Twistle. Special thanks to Peter Clowny, VP of Content at Stitcher, Eric Eddings, Director of Lifestyle Programming at Stitcher, Jared O'Connell and Brendan Bryans for the tech support,

and Frutti Marante, who transcribes our tape. Podcush was created by Navakabelle. and is executive produced by Penn Badgley and Navakavalin and produced by Sophie I'm Sari. This podcast is a ninth mode production. Be sure to subscribe to Podcrush. You can find us on Stitcher, the Serious XM app, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. If you'd like to submit a middle school story, go to podcrush.com and give us every detail. And while you're online, be sure to follow us on socials, or we're telling everyone that your mom still walks you to the bus stop.

You don't want that. It's at Podcresh, spelled how it sounds. And our personals are at Penn Badgley, at Navas. That's Navajo with three ends and at Scribble by Sophie. And we're out. See you next week. She would just walk up to you and go, Are there mirrors on the ceiling when you're doing it to your honey?

Whoa. No, Lillian, no, there are not mirrors on the ceiling when I'm doing it to my honey. You paid a quarter for an orgasm. Stitcher. Want to listen to your favorite Lemonada shows without the ads? Subscribe to Lemonada Premium on Apple Podcasts. You'll get ad-free episodes and exclusive bonus content from shows like Wiser than Me with Julia Louis Dreyfus, Fail Better with David DeCovny, the Sarah Silverman podcast,

and so many more. It's a great way to support the work we do and treat yourself to a smoother, uninterrupted listening experience. Just head to any Lemonada show feed on Apple Podcasts and hit subscribe. Make Life Suck Less, with fewer ads, with Lemonada Premium. Are you looking for ways to make your everyday life happier, healthier, more productive and more creative? I'm Gretchen Rubin, the number one bestselling author of the Happiness Project, bringing you fresh insights and practical solutions in the Happier with Gretchen Rubin podcast. My co-host and Happiness Gini Pig is my sister, Elizabeth Kraft.

That's me, Elizabeth Craft, a TV writer and producer in Hollywood. Join us as we explore ideas and hacks about cultivating happiness and good habits. Check out Happier with Gretchen Rubin from Lemonaut. media.