Drew Barrymore Recalls Moment She Became 'Totally Liberated' After Overcoming the 'Shame' of Her Divorce

"Divorce now, to me, I don't have shame around it," said Barrymore on Wednesday's broadcast of 'The Drew Barrymore Show'

Drew Barrymore attends the 2023 Time100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 26, 2023 in New York City.
Drew Barrymore at the 2023 TIME 100 Gala. Photo:

Arturo Holmes/WireImage

Drew Barrymore is okay with talking about her past.

The talk show host candidly discussed what she learned about divorce on Wednesday's The Drew Barrymore Show broadcast.

Barrymore, 49, was married to Jeremy Thomas from 1994 to 1995 and to Tom Green from 2001 to 2002. She married Will Kopelman in 2012, and the two welcomed two daughters together, Olive Barrymore Kopelman, 11, and Frankie Barrymore Kopelman, 9, before divorcing in 2016.

Divorce became a topic of conversation after discussing Jennifer Lopez's "Can't Get Enough" music video, in which she "pokes fun at being a four-time bride."

"I had so much shame around divorce and, for some reason, something happened, and I said, 'I'm no longer willing to feel this way.' And it just lifted from me," said Barrymore about her own experience with divorce.

The television personality said that she views divorce as a way to save "the precious commodity we have on this planet, which is only our time."

"And when you're truly in a situation that isn't functioning the way that, optimally, it hopes and wishes to be, we accept that, and we improve our quality of life by moving forward. Divorce now, to me, I don't have shame around it. I'm like totally liberated," she continued.

Drew Barrymore attends the 2023 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor presentation at The Kennedy Center on March 19, 2023
Drew Barrymore at the 2023 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor presentation.

Taylor Hill/WireImage

Barrymore shared her feelings with guest Marie Osmond, who discussed her own experience with divorce. The segment ended with Barrymore praising Lopez's music video.

"Jlo, I love you," she said. "I really appreciate, again, [for] you bringing empowerment to where most people go to shame. We've all been in it. So go Jlo."

In December 2022, Barrymore addressed her divorce from Kopelman, telling PEOPLE that "there was no scandal."

Will Kopelman and Drew Barrymore with their daughters
Will Kopelman and Drew Barrymore take a photo with their daughters.

Drew Barrymore/Instagram

"Nothing went wrong, which is cleaner but makes it harder and more confusing because there isn't the thing to point to. We tried so hard to make it work. [A friend] said to me, 'Divorce is the death of a dream.' That's exactly what it feels like, something so final you can't get it back."

She told PEOPLE that the experience made her vow to be a more present mother to their kids.

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"I know what that feels like. If I haven't learned from that, then what was it all for 'This is a family, so nobody's going anywhere.' I was determined to make it work because we all loved each other so much," said Barrymore.

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