logo
GettyImages
GettyImages

Jaid Barrymore's Daughter Drew Barrymore Emancipated from Her at 14 — inside the Turbulent Period

Aby Rivas
Jul 04, 2020
12:30 P.M.

Drew Barrymore's life as a child star went wrong in every possible way it could have. She started drinking at 9, and by age 14, she had been in rehab twice and was emancipated from her mother, Jaid Barrymore.

Advertisement

Drew Barrymore comes from a long lineage of thespians on her father's side. Her grandfather, John Barrymore, was a Shakespearean actor who drank himself to death, and her father, John Drew Barrymore, was a renowned film star in the '50s and '60s.

Drew Barrymore at the Building a Brand in a Mobile-First World panel on the Times Center Stage on September 27, 2016 | Photo: Getty Images

Drew Barrymore at the Building a Brand in a Mobile-First World panel on the Times Center Stage on September 27, 2016 | Photo: Getty Images

She inherited her family's passion and talent for acting, but also their story of alcoholism and drug addiction.

However, unlike some of her ancestors, Drew Barrymore managed to come up clean on the other side, although not without facing many struggles in life and ruining the relationship with her mother, Ildiko Jaid Barrymore.

Drew Barrymore with mother Jaid Barrymore. File photo promoting the motion picture "E.T." in 1982 | Photo: GettyImages

Drew Barrymore with mother Jaid Barrymore. File photo promoting the motion picture "E.T." in 1982 | Photo: GettyImages

Advertisement

DREW BARRYMORE'S BEGINNINGS

Drew Barrymore landed her first audition in a puppy food commercial at 11 months old. It was her mother's friend's idea to have her audition in the first place.

Barrymore decided with the help of her caretakers that if she was to take on the world again, she needed to do it alone.

Drew Barrymore and mother Jaid Barrymore attend the Young Musicians Foundation's Second Annual Celebrity Mother/Daughter Fashion Show on March 10, 1983 | Photo: GettyImages

Drew Barrymore and mother Jaid Barrymore attend the Young Musicians Foundation's Second Annual Celebrity Mother/Daughter Fashion Show on March 10, 1983 | Photo: GettyImages

Barrymore was four years old when she told her mother she wanted to be an actress, Five when she made her film debut in "Altered States," and seven when she had her big break as Gertie in Steven Spielberg's "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial."

Barrymore's mother, Jaid, was also an aspiring actress at the time. She never wanted her daughter to start working so young, mainly because taking the girl to auditions and shoots got in the way of Jaid pursuing her own dreams.

Advertisement

"I thought, what about me?" Jaid told the NY Post about the time she started managing her daughter's career. "I wanted to be able to focus on my own career. But I wanted to be a good mother and give her [a] chance."

Drew Barrymore poses for a photograph June 8, 1982 with her mother Jaid Barrymore in New York City | Photo: Getty Images

Drew Barrymore poses for a photograph June 8, 1982 with her mother Jaid Barrymore in New York City | Photo: Getty Images

THE DERAIL OF A CHILD STAR

By the time Barrymore was 9, she and her mother were regulars at Hollywood parties, and although it wasn't a place for a child, Barrymore could often be found at the lewd nightclub Studio 54.

She started drinking alcohol then, and she was often hanging out with people that were older than her for many years.

On the other hand, Jaid once told Oprah Winfrey that although she and Barrymore arrived together at the parties, they would later go their separate ways because she wanted to give her daughter some space.

Advertisement
Drew Barrymore and Mother Ildiko Jaid outside China Club in New York City, July 17, 1985 | Photo: Getty Images

Drew Barrymore and Mother Ildiko Jaid outside China Club in New York City, July 17, 1985 | Photo: Getty Images

"I had a mom, but she was more like my best friend," Barrymore recently told Norm Macdonald in 2018, adding:

“She was like, ‘Do you want to go to school and get bullied all day, or do you want to go to Studio 54?’ And I was like, ‘Yes, absolutely!'”

Jaid Barrymore, mother of Drew Barrymore, poses for photographers, 1995 | Photo by The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images

Jaid Barrymore, mother of Drew Barrymore, poses for photographers, 1995 | Photo by The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images

Advertisement

INSTITUTIONALIZED AT 13

Barrymore entered rehab at age 12 for the first time. She spent a few months getting clean, got out, and relapsed. Desperate, and not knowing how to help, Jaid decided to lock Barrymore in an institution for the mentally ill.

Barrymore spent 18 months in the facility, and although she claimed her mother blindsided her to take her there in the first place, she soon realized she needed to get her life back on track.

Drew Barrymore attends the Ninth Annual Youth in Film/Young Artist Awards on December 5, 1987 at Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood, California | Photo: Getty Images

Drew Barrymore attends the Ninth Annual Youth in Film/Young Artist Awards on December 5, 1987 at Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood, California | Photo: Getty Images

"It was like serious recruitment training and boot camp, and it was horrible and dark and very long-lived, a year and a half, but I needed it," Barrymore told The Guardian. "I needed that whole insane discipline. My life was not normal."

Advertisement

When she finished her treatment, renewed and ready to start a new life, Barrymore decided with the help of her caretakers that if she was to take on the world again, she needed to do it alone. Jaid agreed with the decision.

Drew Barrymore attends the Poetry in Motion Special Performance to Benefit The Children's AIDS Foundation on June 25, 1989 | Photo: Getty Images

Drew Barrymore attends the Poetry in Motion Special Performance to Benefit The Children's AIDS Foundation on June 25, 1989 | Photo: Getty Images

THE EMANCIPATION OF DREW BARRYMORE

Drew Barrymore emancipated from her mother at age 14. In an excerpt from her memoir, "Wildflower," shared by The Guardian, Barrymore recalled that day vividly.

She explained that after hearing testimonies from everyone involved, and before dictating a verdict over whether or not she would walk out of the court as an adult under the law, the judge in charge told her first:

Advertisement

“I can turn the clock forward, but I can never turn it back. Are you ready for that?”

Drew Barrymore on the street outside Sally Jessy Raphael's show, where she plugged her book, "Little Girl Lost." | Photo: Getty Images

Drew Barrymore on the street outside Sally Jessy Raphael's show, where she plugged her book, "Little Girl Lost." | Photo: Getty Images

She thought she was ready but soon would discover that living alone while being a pariah in Hollywood wasn't that easy.

Barrymore would go on to work at restaurants and coffee shops, and although she went to auditions, she had gained a bad reputation among directors and producers.

It took her a while to return to Hollywood, but when she did, Barrymore managed to restart her career — even though she still exhibited erratic behavior sometimes.

Advertisement

RELATIONSHIP WITH MOM

Inevitably, Barrymore and Jaid's relationship deteriorated after the actress became independent. They didn't talk for long periods, and according to Jaid, there wasn't exactly one thing that caused the estrangement, as she explained:

“It was like a series of dominos one after the other after the other.”

Drew Barrymore attends the 2014 Women's Leadership Award Honoring Stella McCartney at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center on November 13, 2014 in New York City. | Photo: GettyImages

Drew Barrymore attends the 2014 Women's Leadership Award Honoring Stella McCartney at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center on November 13, 2014 in New York City. | Photo: GettyImages

Still, Barrymore made sure to keep helping her mother financially, mostly as a thank you for the woman who brought her into the world.

Now married to Will Kopelman and herself a mother of two, Barrymore described her relationship with Jaid as "complicated" in an interview with Marie Claire a few years ago.

Advertisement

The "Charlie's Angels" star admitted that she always had sympathy for her mom, but she came to understand Jaid better after becoming a mom herself.

The pair looked close in a Mother's Day pic Barrymore shared in 2017. However, Jaid Barrymore seems to lead a private life away from social media these days.

"I've never just been angry with her," Barrymore said about her mom. "I've always felt guilt and empathy and utter sensitivity."

Advertisement
info
Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories!
By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy
Advertisement
Related posts

Jane Seymour 'Nearly Died' Having Twins — Pics of Ginger-Headed Boys Who Tower over Mom Now

November 24, 2023

Mom Sees Daughter Crying behind Daycare Door, Finds Out Employees Locked Her inside Alone

November 19, 2023

Boubacar Kone Was a Museum Curator and CCH Pounder's Late Husband

November 21, 2023

Judi Dench’s ‘Strict’ Grandson Moved in with Her & Helped Save Her Life – Meet the Ginger Man Who Is a Copy of Her Husband

February 01, 2024

Laura Char Carson Is Sofia Carson's Mother and the Actress's 'Entire World'

November 06, 2023

This Girl Slept in the Underground Yet Became a Famous Actress Who, at 90, Is Happy with Her Younger Husband

December 01, 2023

David Soul Eloped with Pregnant Girlfriend as a Teen, Yet Found True Love Only After Fathering 6 Kids

January 06, 2024

5 Amazing Stories of Celebrities Who Found the Love of Their Life after 40

January 25, 2024

Pamela Anderson’s ‘Miracle’ Sons, One of Whom ‘Looks like Johnny Depp,’ Saved Her — Pics of Her Young Men Now

November 21, 2023

This Woman Provided for Famous Actor - During Their Marriage, He Met His 2nd Wife Who He Nursed Back to Health

February 26, 2024

Hardworking Boy, 12, Earns Money All Summer – His Mother Steals It and Accuses Him of Lying

December 10, 2023

‘Grease’ Star Stockard Channing Changed after Moving to Another Country & Her Partner’s Death – What Happened to Her

February 15, 2024

‘Grease’ Star Stockard Channing Changed after Moving to Another Country & Her Partner’s Death – What Happened to Her

February 14, 2024

Mom Gets a Photo of Her 2-Year-Old Son from Day Care, Sees Him Restrained in Blankets

November 10, 2023