Drew Barrymore’s Memoir Little Girl Lost (with Emily V. Gordon) [REPLAY]

Summary

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Glamorous Trash: Drew Barrymore’s Memoir Little Girl Lost (with Emily V. Gordon) [REPLAY]

Podcast: Glamorous Trash: A Celebrity Memoir Podcast
Host: Chelsea Devantez
Guest: Emily V. Gordon
Episode Date: January 6, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode revisits Drew Barrymore’s first memoir, Little Girl Lost (published in 1990 and written when Drew was just 14). Chelsea and guest Emily V. Gordon (writer, former therapist, and co-writer of The Big Sick) dissect the book’s wild narrative: Drew’s early stardom, rapid fall into addiction, and her deeply dysfunctional relationship with her mother, Jade Barrymore. The discussion also critiques the memoir’s controversial ghostwriter Todd Gold, examines the societal treatment of child stars, and reflects on the pain and resilience revealed in Drew’s story.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Setting the Stage: Why Little Girl Lost?

• Emily insisted on covering Little Girl Lost for its unique rawness despite its out-of-print status. The hosts discuss the thrill and outrage of tracking down rare copies (09:47–10:46).
• The memoir, written by Drew as a teenager, exposes her descent into drugs and alcohol starting at age nine, and was intended to save her reputation after multiple rehab stints (01:25–03:35).
• Both Chelsea and Emily identify with themes of growing up too soon, reflecting on their own adolescent challenges and familial hardships (04:01–05:15).

About the Book's Structure & Ghostwriting Drama

• The book alternates between Drew’s first-person accounts and third-person narrative segments by ghostwriter Todd Gold, who mainly reconstructs Jade's perspective. This leads to jarring tonal shifts and a blatant defense of Jade (12:29–15:38).
• Chelsea launches a passionate critique of Todd Gold’s choices:
  • "Never in my life have I been more angry at a ghostwriter. ... I am happy to be the first [enemy] because I need an explanation. I need a follow up article, an apology for getting this girl's story wrong." (13:36)
  • Todd’s "objective" sections frequently contradict Drew’s voice, use pompous vocabulary ("imbroglios"), and awkwardly venerate Jade, leading Chelsea to speculate about Gold’s motivations.
• Emily provides an alternative, therapist-informed empathy for Jade, suggesting that parental failure might stem from trauma and lack of tools: "It's a tough thing...oh, it's really hard to get a kid who you've made into a grownup...to go back to being a kid" (23:00–24:03).

Drew’s Hollywood Childhood – Isolation and Early Addiction

• Drew, offspring of Hollywood royalty, lands ET at seven, which launches her career—and her alienation. She befriends the ET puppet: "I knew ET wasn’t real, but, like, I also—he was also my best friend, though..." (20:14).
• The loneliness is compounded in school, where teachers and peers bully Drew for her fame and weight. Both hosts share their own adolescent “cosmic cow/hang tits/pleather pants” anecdotes (30:30–31:57).
• By age eight, Drew is drinking champagne on set, with no adult supervision, foreshadowing the consequences of unchecked stardom (29:59–30:30).

Jade Barrymore: Complicated Villain or Victim?

• Jade's own failures, addiction, ambition, and trauma are considered. While Emily strives to see Jade’s humanity, Chelsea struggles to forgive the neglect and gaslighting found throughout the memoir.
• The memoir repeatedly shifts blame from Jade to Drew for addiction and misbehavior. Jod (the blended voice of Jade and Todd Gold) rationalizes choices that placed Drew in harm's way (27:46–28:23).
• Notably, Jade’s later publication of a sex manual—Secrets of World Class Erotic Tips and Sensual Stories—is met with disbelief and grim humor (49:16–50:18).

The Club Scene & Sexualization of Child Stars

• Drew frequents L.A. clubs at age 9–13. The book attempts to sanitize this, describing club nights as “business events,” yet it's clear Drew is unsupervised and exposed to adult environments (31:57–34:39).
• An especially disturbing episode involves Emilio Estevez; hosts dissect the blurry, uncomfortable lines between childhood crush and adult male behavior (36:15–37:27).

Rehab, Relapse, and the Media Circus

• Drew cycles through rehab, with Jade pulling her out repeatedly for work commitments (51:34). When Drew relapses post-rehab, Jod blames “an abdication of willpower,” angering the hosts for its simplistic take on addiction (67:16–67:47).
• The memoir is cast as a reaction to impending tabloid exposés—fueling skepticism over how much writing agency Drew truly held (65:23–66:17).

Aftermath: Emancipation, Sorrow, and Reinvention

• The memoir’s ending tries to strike hopeful notes, but Chelsea and Emily agree it reads as heartbreakingly sad. Drew’s lack of childhood and the emotional toll of trading places with her mother dominate their takeaways (75:59–78:18).
• Chelsea uncovers post-book milestones:
  • Drew’s legal emancipation from Jade at 14—a move not detailed in the book.
  • Her continuous reinvention: party girl, businesswoman, rom-com queen, and later talk show host—each phase reflecting attempts at healing and self-definition.
  • The irony (and silence) of Drew producing a line of Barrymore Wines, despite her public struggles with addiction (80:50–81:54).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Ghostwriters:
  Chelsea (13:36): "Never in my life have I been more angry at a ghostwriter … I need an explanation. I need a follow up article, an apology for getting this girl's story wrong."
• On Child Stardom:
  Chelsea (20:49): "A dog is biting her. She doesn't cry. ... it's a metaphor for the rest of Drew's life."
• On Growing Up Too Soon:
  Emily (24:03): "It’s really hard to get a kid who you’ve made into a grownup ... to go back to being a kid."
• On Blame and Single Parenthood:
  Chelsea (61:09): "They try and blame a lot of it on single parent homes ... it fucking bothered me." Emily (61:09): "That, to me, I was like, oh, that was the mindset of 1990 ... we weren’t thinking about kid stars as people at all" (41:44).
• On Competing with a Hot Mom:
  Chelsea (78:34): "When you have a really hot mom and you're not very hot and ... you're like, why? Why won't I look like that? ... it's so, so painful."
• On Drew's Resilience:
  Chelsea (86:13): "She is a walking miracle who is constant positivity, sometimes to her own detriment ... what a gift to the world to have someone with that much light survive all this and keep her light intact."

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Important Segment Timestamps

• Choosing Little Girl Lost & Format Rant: 09:47–15:40
• Early Fame, Bullies, and Clubs: 19:09–34:39
• ET as Best Friend: 20:14–20:49
• Club Culture and Sexualization: 31:57–37:27
• Jade’s Sex Book Reveal: 49:16–50:18
• Rehab, Parental Blame, and Aftermath: 51:34–67:47
• Drew’s Emancipation and Later Life: 79:06–82:57
• Thank Yous & Closing Thoughts: 85:25–86:45

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Tone & Language

• The episode is candid, at times irreverently funny, but always fiercely protective of Drew’s child self.
• Both hosts blend empathy, personal anecdotes, and sharp cultural critique.
• The language is direct—often calling out hypocrisy, uncomfortable power dynamics, and the failures of adults tasked with “protecting” child stars.

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Final Thoughts

Chelsea and Emily conclude with heartfelt thank-yous to Drew for her honesty, weirdness, and improbable resilience. Their discussion highlights not just the exploitative machinery of Hollywood, but the lasting wounds (and strange optimism) of surviving a lost childhood. For listeners, this episode is a powerful meditation on celebrity, trauma, poor parenting, and the weird alchemy of survival.

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Guest Info:
Follow Emily V. Gordon @EmilyVGordon. Watch The Big Sick.

For More:
See Chelsea’s Instagram for book club recaps and rare memorabilia. Join the conversation on Patreon and the Facebook group.

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This summary skips all ad reads, intro, outro, and non-content sections for clarity.

Transcript

[Chelsea Devontez]

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[Emily Gordon]

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[Chelsea Devontez]

Cynthia Erivo Cheryl Hines Patty Duke One of the wildest Memoirs ever and Soon Diane Keaton's Memoir. Those are the subscriber episodes that we have dropped and are about to drop. So sign up on Patreon. It will connect right to your podcast player. The link is in the show notes or purchase on Apple Subscriptions with just one click get all of our bonus episodes which also brings you an ad free feed and you are supporting our podcast which is independent and we put a lot into it so it means a lot and we have so many bonus episodes already there and more headed your way. Plus this week on the feed for everyone we are dropping a heated rivalry discourse on the Discourse A viral article episode is coming up on Ashley Tisdale's mommy group breakup and I just finished Fran Drescher's memoir which is coming to the podcast soon. So much content is on the way and in the meantime please enjoy this replay of one of my favorite episodes about Drew Barrymore's memoir which she supposedly wrote when she was just 14 and this memoir is out of print. And this is the episode that originally made me decide that I have an enemy in ghost writing. An enemy ghostwriter. I talk about him all the time. Time. This is the origin episode and enjoy. Welcome to Glamorous trash. This is a podcast that book clubs, viral articles, celebrity memoirs, and trashy discourse to elevate your life. I'm your host, Chelsea Devontez. I'm a TV writer, comedian, filmmaker, author, and sometimes I'm in stuff too. This week we are book clubbing Drew Barrymore's very first memoir written in 1990, titled Little Girl Lost. This book was written by Drew when she was 14 years old. And it is about becoming addicted to drugs and alcohol starting when she was just nine years old. And you know, it's a book about what happens when a bunch of adults get it in their head that a 14 year old girl should write a book to save her reputation after going to rehab, which, you know, at times led me to throw my copy of the book across the room. But it was a wild read and I am so excited for this episode.

[Emily Gordon]

Part of the problem sounds like that you grew up too soon. At first I really didn't know the difference.

[Chelsea Devontez]

I was like 6 years old hanging.

[Emily Gordon]

Out with a bunch of 25 year olds. I liked being around all the people.

[Chelsea Devontez]

I felt like I could relate to them better.

[Emily Gordon]

Why? Just cause they were more experienced. You know, I didn't want to go off and play Barbies. I wanted to go out to a club and dance.

[Chelsea Devontez]

So we're gonna get into the Drew episode. Some important things to know is that again, she's writing this book at 14. It will then be Pub when she's actually 16. I'm not sure what happened in between those two years, but it's published in 1990 and it's centering around her mom, Jade and Drew's relationship. And we will dive into all of it. Some of this stuff is gonna be crazy. And that said, this is a book that will really speak to anyone out there who had to grow up too soon. And I'm definitely one of those people. My childhood was truly psychotic. And also my mom went through so much more than I did. She, like Drew, left home at 14 years old and had to survive on her own and is such an incredible woman. And I also lived on my own for short periods of time when I was 14 and 15. And now when I see a 14 and 15 year old, I'm just like, God, you're so young. But at the time when you're put in the position to be an adult in your own brain, you really think like, you know, I got this. Maybe because you have to got this, but that's how you feel. That's definitely how Drew feels. So let's dive into all of it with my amazing guest, Emily Gordon. Hi, Emily.

[Emily Gordon]

Hello, Chelsea.

[Chelsea Devontez]

I am so excited for this week's episode. But first, Emily's credits. Emily wrote the movie the Big Sick with Camille Nanjiani, and it's based on their real life. And she was nominated for an Academy Award for writing so, so good. She created and wrote Little America on Apple tv, which, if you haven't seen it, you should absolutely watch. It's so, so, so, so good. She's written on way too many shows to name. She also ran an infamous comedy show called the Meltdown, which, Emily, you don't know this, but you once wrote a long blog article teaching people how to run shows. And I read it and then searched for it later in life and couldn't find it and was devastated and then came to meet you in real life and almost asked you for the link. Actually, maybe this is me asking you for the link.

[Emily Gordon]

I took down that blog. I'm happy to give you the private collection.

[Chelsea Devontez]

I need the private collection because I went back because I was doing a show, and I was like, where's that goddamn genius post? Emily also used to be a therapist before becoming a comedy writer, which makes her, I think, the most perfect guest this podcast will ever have. And she wrote a book about getting happier and liking your life called super your. And I will say, most importantly, your most important credit is that you were once a judge on RuPaul's Drag Race. It's all of I.

[Emily Gordon]

If you notice, I've done kind of nothing since then because that was my only career goal. And now that I've reached it, I can just hang out.

[Chelsea Devontez]

It's like, what to do? Yeah, you just replay it. I replay it and watch it all the time. As your friend. I mean, it is. It's simply iconic. So I introduced all my guests with the story of how we first met, and you were one of Yasser. So I. It's funny, because I had Yassir's other close female friend on the podcast for the Gabouret episode, Aisha. But when Yassir and I first started dating, I knew we had two good girlfriends, and I loved that about him. And then he and I one time had a fight, and he walked away. You know, we took our space, and we came back, and he just had the best things to say. He'd really thought it through. He was like, da, da, da, da, da. And it was like this incredible thing. And I later found out that he had gone and called you, and you had given him this phenomenal Advice. And I was just like, oh, my God, this phenomenal woman is helping me in my relationship. And so when we first met, we went out to dinner, the four of us, and I was in love with you before the dinner started. So that's how I remember it.

[Emily Gordon]

How do you remember it? I had heard a lot about you as well, and I had known Yastro for a few years, but then we got really close, and we worked on a show together, and he just kind of kept talking about you and how, oh, God, he's gonna hate me for this. Didn't wanna mess it up. How he was like, this girl is so cool, and she's, like, awesome. And, I don't know, he kind of was a little nervous about how great you were. Cause that's what guys do when they get a good thing. They get frightened immediately and try to throw it into the air. Men are very smart. I just remember being like. I kind of was just like, you got this. The guys will have this lovely instinct. And then they just go, I need to cover that up with whatever game I'm running. I need to figure out the right thing to say.

[Chelsea Devontez]

And I was like, just say the.

[Emily Gordon]

Thing you said to me to her. I bet that'll be cool. I bet that'll be fine. And you don't have to concoct another thing. This is the thing that my husband is still trying to figure out in our relationship. And so I remember that dinner, and I just remember being.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Well, I remember that was part of it, too. He was like, you know, Emily had dealt with this fight in her relationship, and this is what she wished her husband had done. So this is what I'm gonna do with you. And I was like, this is amazing.

[Emily Gordon]

I just want all of my guy friends to be, like, good boyfriends. I think guys think that somehow being a boyfriend and being a friend are like two different things. It's like, no, it's just one is the other with, like, a little deeper. Like, don't. Yeah, be like a good dude. Just be the good dude. You are.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Totally. No, I. Well, and I was. Yeah, I was. So that was great advice. And you played a part in this love also. I love that I brought you on, and now I have it recorded forever. The wonderful things Yatzer said. Okay, so when I sent out the list of books to read, I mistakenly had Drew's newest memoir, Wildflower, on the list. And you wrote me back and you said, no, I wanna do Drew Barrymore, but it has to be Little Girl Lost, which is out of print. This book is out of print. So we each had to track down a copy of the book. It was a million dollars. And I will say, I am so happy you made us do this book, but what on earth made you do.

[Emily Gordon]

Here's the thing. I read the list of books. I saw Drew Barrymore's name and I went, oh, Little Girl Lost. I read that in middle school. Oh my God, I would love to read that again. And I. No part of me thought that a woman that is still famous to this day would have written a second memoir. It just didn't enter into my. I just had no concept. I thought, I thought you were suggesting Little Girl Lost. That's how I read it. That's how I read the email.

[Chelsea Devontez]

That's so funny.

[Emily Gordon]

So I went, oh, absolutely. And before I even finished, the email had already gone and started tracking it down. It was quite hard to find. I spent quite a bit of money on mine. I was really happy that you were willing to go on that journey because I could have read Wildflower. It would have been fine. I would imagine that's a. And maybe we should do a sequel at some point. But I would imagine that's a very different book than this one.

[Chelsea Devontez]

I absolutely think we should do a sequel. And I think this was the best thing that ever happened to me, is one of the most intense, intensely infuriating, but also I'm so happy I read it. And I had a visceral, out of body experience. Every page I turned. And I don't know what I would have done if we had just read the more buttoned up newer memoir, sanitized.

[Emily Gordon]

Because in 1990 we were pulling no punches with being honest about pulling no punches. Where we were, what we were doing with our time.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Yes. And what is interesting, and I can't quite figure it out, is that Drew consistently references that she writes this book when she's 13 and 14 years old. It's published in 1990, which is when she is 16. And it's almost crazier to me because I'm like, why would you sit on it for two years and then when you put it out, not change all this shit, you know, or not give it a different ending or not update. I don't know what happened there.

[Emily Gordon]

Also, her at 16, just girls were walking around looking like grown women in their 40s back then. Yes.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Okay. Well, I should say, like in the book and now I'm skipping ahead. But in the book she's constantly like, I was 10, but I looked 20 and I was like, no, you didn't. No, you didn't. And that's impossible. And then sometimes you see pictures of her and you're like, okay, you did.

[Emily Gordon]

Look very old, except for, like, the baby fat on her face. She looked like a grown woman.

[Chelsea Devontez]

I will say she looked like a grown woman at 13, but sometimes she's like, When I was 9, I looked 18. And you're like, no, you did not. You didn't.

[Emily Gordon]

Yeah.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Okay. Before we can get into the book recap, I feel like we need to discuss the format and the ghostwriter. Todd Gold. Oh, Todd. So half the book. Oh, God, Todd. Okay, half the book is written by drew when she's 14. And for the most part, not fully. It does sound like a 14 year old is writing it and that someone kind of came in and cleaned it up. Todd. But she provided the base. It does feel like that the other half of the book is Todd and he's writing in third person and filling in the story. He's like popping in in weird moments, but really it becomes clear that he's writing Dru's mom's side of the story and that all the information interviews were from her mom, Jade. And so Todd's parts are infuriating, full of misinformation. They don't match Dru's side, even though they're in the same goddamn book. They are one giant defense of Drew's mom. It often sounds like he wants to fuck her or is fucking her. And never in my life have I been more angry at a ghostwriter. I feel bad at how mad I am because he's still an Al. There's a chance I could run into him. I've researched him a lot. He seems like a quiet guy who doesn't have a lot of enemies. And I am happy to be the first because I need an explanation. I need a follow up article, an apology for getting this girl's story wrong. Are you mad at him or am I alone?

[Emily Gordon]

It's interesting. I hadn't thought about how much he does. He's favoring Jade. Absolutely. I hadn't really considered that. To me, it felt like they got the book and then they were like, oh, most of this is without context. We don't understand. We don't hear from the mom. And then in my head, I figured that they went to Jade and were like, hey, would you want to write up? And hers were like, I'm great. I'm a perfect mom. I can't believe what happened. What a bonkers day.

[Chelsea Devontez]

This is not my fault.

[Emily Gordon]

So to me, it almost felt like he was like the middleman of, like, well, it's not Jade, but it's also not Drew.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Because.

[Emily Gordon]

That'S the bummer part, is that it treats it like it's an objective account, but it is not at all objective. It is a very objective account.

[Chelsea Devontez]

And also, Drew's a child. So even though stuff is Drew's fault, it is the adult's fault. And then his whole thing is how it's not. And it's Drew's book. And then, yeah, he does this objective account that's not objective. And it's not from Drew's side, It's from her mom's. And I think what really made me mad is that it's clear he's a snobby. Like, he uses words like, they got into imbroglios. And it's like, fuck you. This is a 14 year old's book. Like, how dare you?

[Emily Gordon]

Nobody thinks reading this. This is not getting a Pulitzer Prize. Yeah.

[Chelsea Devontez]

And also, it's just not. You're not in the tone of the book. Like, a ghostwriter's job is to embody this, to be a ghost. And instead he's like this dickhole. And even his. When I opened it up, his bio's on the front page. And I immediately was like, oh, no, I hate him. Cause he's like, todd lives an anti Hollywood life. And it's like, okay, well then don'. Then don't write about Hollywood. I didn't like, you know what I mean? Then maybe you're not the person to guide this 14 year old girl. Oh, it might be just in my cockpit. That's gross.

[Emily Gordon]

Yeah, that's super gross. I did not realize that. What else has he written?

[Chelsea Devontez]

Okay, so here's what's infuriating. Drew's memoir was his first ghostwriting job. He went on to write 20 more memoirs, including Valerie Bertinelli, Melissa Gilbert, Richard Pryor, and Donny Osmond's dog. But it's like. But it's like one of those things where you can tell somehow he did Drew's book and then it gave him a career. Even though every page I read, I'm like, how did you work again? How did anyone ever let you work again? I'm so mad. He, like, makes dickish grammar choices. He wrote the sentence Jade's face became a billboard of sadness. Like, whatever. Okay.

[Emily Gordon]

I read this book for the first time when I was in middle school. I was 11 when this book came out. I probably read it. I was like, obsessed with. I Thought she was the coolest. I still have her hair, so obviously.

[Chelsea Devontez]

I love that. You do.

[Emily Gordon]

I thought she was, like, scandalous and cool. So when I read the book the first time, I ignored the Jade parts. I only read Drew's account.

[Chelsea Devontez]

That's why you had a good experience. Yeah.

[Emily Gordon]

So I was like, oh, God, everybody's getting Drew down. She's got a. And I kind of just skipped over the, like, grown up, objective, quote unquote parts. And I kind of, a little bit when reading this was like, reconnecting to those parts. I read when I was a kid and getting very angry at the amount of parental. But it almost felt like they were like, we need to protect Jade. Like, somehow they were like, this book can't come out until Jade says it's okay for it to come out. So I almost read it. Like, this was Jade's version of like, I gotta make this okay to come out. But still have it be kind of Drew's book. I don't know. Kind of.

[Chelsea Devontez]

But that makes me mad because. Okay, we'll get into it. Okay. So I also should say there is so much in the book. There's so, so, so much that there. It's a. We would have to do 10 podcasts to cover this book, so we will be skipping a lot, but there's a ton still. Okay, so let's read the very first page of the book. I want to read the first paragraph and then the last paragraph of the prologue. Over the past year and a half, numerous stories about my battle against drug and alcohol addiction have appeared in magazines, newspapers, and tabloids. None of them was flattering. A few of them were kind in the way that someone who needs it might appreciate. More important, none of them offered a complete picture of how I lived the past 14 years. And that by itself is an important part of understanding the problems I had to face. As of this writing, I'm in the final weeks of rehab. My last time in the hospital, I hope. And I'm just looking ahead to the start of school, making movies, and just being honest with myself, which is like, you're like, oh, no, you pour, sweet thing.

[Emily Gordon]

You poor. Of course we. That's a big. What is so kind of cool about the book is that she's kind of writing this whole thing of like, oh, everything's great. I had some problems, but everything's cool. And then she's like, actually, guys.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Actually, guys, I'm in rehab again.

[Emily Gordon]

I am in rehab right now. I've been lying to everybody, including you guys. That was Kind of my favorite part of it as a kid and also as an adult was like, yeah, that's right. This is not, like, a thing where you beat it and you're like, I killed the dragon. Look how cool I am. It's kind of a pretty honest account of addiction, I think.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Yes, Drew's account is honest, for sure.

[Emily Gordon]

Drew's account is honest. You're correct.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Okay, so Drew's dad is John Barrymore, who comes from a long line of famous Barrymores, all Hollywood royalty. Jade is her mom. She was trying to be an actress and never really made it. She and Drew's dad split up early. And Drew says her dad is in the book. She says he's out of his mind. He's also an addict. He abuses both her and her mom. And Jade leaves him when he punches her in the stomach when she's pregnant. So. So let's quickly honor how much abuse Jade has suffered.

[Emily Gordon]

What a crazy. What a terrible. Like, he not a great guy. Not a great guy.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Not a great guy. Not a great guy. And what's hard is that Jade is so infuriating in this book. She's a true villain. But then you also remember that, like, Dru's dad isn't there at all, or else he would be the bigger villain because he abused these women. And, yeah, he just splits.

[Emily Gordon]

By the way, that's a very good point. Is that often we heap like, it's your fault on the parent who's there, but they're the parent who is there. Like, they're the ones. At least they're there. Yeah.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Yes, exactly. Which is so tough, especially with single moms where, you know, you're so mad at them. But it's like, well, dad's not even there, so what can we do? So, Drew, her first big thing that she books is E.T. that's what really blows up her star as a kid. And then in the book, it's so heartbreaking. She's like, I knew ET Wasn't real, but, like, I also. He was also my best friend, though. And I ate lunch with him, and I talked to him. And so you're like, I don't think you know, he's not real. And she's sobbing when the movie is over. Cause she's like, I can't sit and have lunch with ET And I'm thinking like, oh, Steven Spielberg is about to make her an ET to take with her. And they're just like, you can come visit if you want. See ya. Well, you know, he's gone. So Sad.

[Emily Gordon]

She's disintegrating. You know what I mean? And that was gonna be spooky. You don't want a kid to take a thing home that she thinks is her friend, and then it's just, like, kind of falling apart slowly.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Oh, God.

[Emily Gordon]

Okay.

[Chelsea Devontez]

I guess you're right. I guess you're right. I mean, the fact that that thing was her best friend. My heart shattered.

[Emily Gordon]

We don't need to get into it, but I saw ET at way too young of an age, and it fostered a lifelong fear of aliens in me.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Oh, of course.

[Emily Gordon]

Like, terror. And I thought I was over my fear of E.T. specifically E.T. more than anything. And then Camille and I went on the ride, the ET Experience ride in Orlando. Like, I guess, like, six or seven years ago, full grown up, sobbing. Sobbing, like, on the ride.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Because you were so scared.

[Emily Gordon]

I was so scared. I was next to, like, children, and they're all like, who's E.T. and I'm just, like, crying, like, trying to, like, stop it and being, like, embarrassed about it. But, like, I'm not. I'm over it enough that I can, like, think about them or whatever.

[Chelsea Devontez]

No, don't lie, Emily. You're not over E.T.

[Emily Gordon]

I'M not gonna watch a movie ever again in my whole, like, I can't. I can't. It just, like, scares me.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Yeah, it's an intense movie, and that's how you felt watching it.

[Emily Gordon]

Drew's in it.

[Chelsea Devontez]

She's in the movie and came away being like, this monster alien is my only friend in life.

[Emily Gordon]

This wrinkly penis body with the glowing finger is my best friend.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Is my best friend. Okay, so then we get into a bunch of it's not Jade's fault and stories like that, and a bunch of spin, like, paragraphs about how Jade didn't want to put Dru into acting. Drew's headshot was taken behind Jade's back by a friend, and then a casting director forced them to come to the audition, and Jade had to go. And then Drew gets the part for her first commercial when a dog bit her and she didn't cry, and everyone looked at her, and Jade was like, she didn't cry, and she got the part. Yay. Which is like a metaphor for the rest of Drew's life. A dog is biting her. She doesn't cry here.

[Emily Gordon]

And I'm gonna take a controversial stance here. I will say I don't know that I feel I kind of empathize with Jade in this book, and I think in a way that you don't Even this very subjective view of it. And possibly because I was a family therapist for a while and I worked often with parents who were not great parents. But I saw as I was reading that I was like, she's frustrated as an actor. She's kind of living out some of her dreams. You were a kid. That's not the coolest thing. But it's not like you get it. You understand why that happened? Yeah, I mean, it's like a tough thing of like, well, that's what she wants, so that's what I'm gonna give her, and I think that's what she wants. But now she's kind of a grown up and. Oh, it's really hard to get a kid who you've made into a grownup in some areas to go back to being a kid the rest of the time. Like, that's impossible. And I worked with a lot of kids who were, like, told by their moms, you're the man of the house when you're 10. And then, like, why can't the man of the house have a couple of beers then, like, if he's 10? So I totally get it. But I also, like a little bit. I'm like, jade, like, yeah, you didn't know what. You didn't know what you were doing, man.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Like, man. Okay, so this is good. I'm so glad you have that point of view because, yeah, I tried to be like this. Yeah. Jade's also an abused woman who failed as an actress. But it just gets so hard sometimes to still have heart for her. So keep it up. Because I did. It was hard for me. Cause you're right about those decisions. Except I get especially angry when she's trying to be like, I don't even want her to be an actress. And it's like, you're lying. You're lying. No one took your baby's headshot behind your back and forced you to walk to the audition. And then also, Drew will say things like, oh, my mom didn't do this. A grown up gave. Her friend gave me weed for the first time.

[Emily Gordon]

There's a lot of friends giving people drugs.

[Chelsea Devontez]

A lot of friends. And that's where you're like, okay, either the friend's name is Jade and we've changed it to friend, or she has all these people around her kid that chuck the kid out.

[Emily Gordon]

Which is a really. Yeah. And I'm sure we'll get into it. But like, the nightclub that they would just go and hang out in, there's a lot of really bad Decisions being made. But. And I've been told sometimes I over empathize with people who don't deserve it. And it is a result of my training as a therapist. But I do. It is hard. I'm like, I feel for Jade sometimes, too. Like, even this version of Jade I feel for sometimes.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Okay, good. I mean, that's fair. That's fair. She went through a lot, too. Okay, so Drew has huge issues with her dad, who physically and emotionally abuses both of them. He hits Drew. He one time puts her hand in the fire of a candle, being like, never be afraid of fire. And I was like, wow, I know you're her real dad, but this is huge stepdad energy. Like, big stepdad energy, even though you're her biological dad.

[Emily Gordon]

It's like bad dad in a movie energy. Like, it's like. It's almost too written. Do you know what I mean?

[Chelsea Devontez]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Almost too perfect because then she's like. And my dad was really into karate. You're like, oh, no. And then. And you're like, ha, ha. And then she's like, yeah, he would practice his kicks, but then also sometimes hit me. And so again, big stepdad energy here. And then he just disappears from the book because he splits with, I don't know, a kick and a spin, and he's like, gone.

[Emily Gordon]

You don't need a license to have children.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Turns out, you know what?

[Emily Gordon]

You don't have to get any training. You don't have to do any. You just get to do it. If you want to do it, you.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Just get to do it.

[Emily Gordon]

And they did.

[Chelsea Devontez]

So Drew makes $75,000 to. When she is in ET and I just quickly want to call out that Drew is not the star of E.T. this is 19. Like, 82. 82, yeah. And Drew made $75,000 to cross this over to the Gabouret Sedibe book. 30 years later, Gabouret was the star of Precious, and she made $30,000 for the movie.

[Emily Gordon]

I'm so sorry, what did you just say?

[Chelsea Devontez]

Yeah, yeah. And I covered that in the podcast, and I was trying to find a way to explain, like, $30,000 is so much money, but, like. But this woman got fucked, and it's no money.

[Emily Gordon]

She made a thousand dollars. This is not part of the story.

[Chelsea Devontez]

That is criminal. It's truly criminal. I mean, they fucked her so bad. And in her book, she's so classy, she just kind of states it and doesn't and moves on and I guess leaves it for people like us to be like, oh, My God. But yeah. So to compare, 30 years later, she made four. $45,000 less than a child who was a supporting actor. Yes. And just to call out how black women are treated in this business versus white women, it's just egregious. Okay, so Jade is like, so Todd and Jade, I'm gonna call them Jod when they have little things. I'm gonna call it Jod because it's Jade, but it's Jod.

[Emily Gordon]

What's Jodin.

[Chelsea Devontez]

What's Jod got going on? So Jod then walks us into kind of what you were talking about, Emily. They're like, Drew wanted to act. So Jade had a big decision to quit her life and her dreams and stop working. And she had to become her manager and live on that $75,000. But it was Drew's decision. And it's like, I'm sure it was. She's nine. That's a decision a nine year old makes. How about my mom who's mistreating me becomes my manager? And that's that thing where people are. Because that happened to me too. But they're like, you decide and you do. And then you're like, oh, I was a child.

[Emily Gordon]

I was not equipped to make this decision whatsoever. And it's weird to give children. I think it's a terrify. Even when it comes to. And people debate this all the time, like, your kid. Like, I'm gonna let my kid pick their religion. We're gonna take them to a bunch of churches and see what happens. And it's like, that is a lot to put on a kid to be like, oh, I'm supposed to know how to make. This is a lot.

[Chelsea Devontez]

That is literally what I was just talking about when I said that. When I was little, my wonderful mom told me I could choose my own religion. But that's a really hard decision to make when you're a kid. And I ended up going to so churches all my life to, like, dabble and try and figure out, you know, which one I wanted to be. And I ended up picking nothing. Because, you know, church is also a lot about community. So when you're just like a weird solo kid walking in, you know, I sometimes was not welcomed except for with my best friend when I lived in Utah and went to the LDS Church. They are very welcoming. But I ended up, yeah, I ended up choosing nothing. And it comes from such a good place of a parent, like not wanting to force religion on you. But I don't know anyone who was allowed to choose their own Religion as a kid who then chose one like they either chose nothing or like they joined a cult. Yeah.

[Emily Gordon]

Kids need a. And I. This is the therapist talking. Kids need a box that has safe walls, and within that box, they can do whatever they want. But when they try to move out of the box, they learn, oh, good, I'm safe. I've got this box. And I wish every kid could have a box. I know that sounds restrictive and abusive, but that's what kids need. They need a box.

[Chelsea Devontez]

I think that sounds right. Yeah. And Drew. Not only does Drew not have a box, they have turned the box into confetti, and they sprinkle it on her every now and then. At 8 years old, she's on set, and she has two glasses of champagne that she gets from crew members, and they're like, sure, chug it, little girl. She loves the feeling. And that's just kind of also indicating a set is filled with hundreds of people. Five of those people's job are to watch the kid, including her manager. And no one's watching her.

[Emily Gordon]

No one's watching her.

[Chelsea Devontez]

No one's watching her. She's just very alone. And so when she returns to school, she's kind of famous now, and everyone hates her. And also, this is the 80s, so not just kids hate her. Teachers hate her, and they're jealous of her, and they make fun of her, and they call her Miss Piggy and fat, and she's tormented, like, day in and day out. And she had this story about how she has these. She wants to fit in, so she gets surfer shorts, and they just happen to have this space design on them. And then kids call her Cosmic Cow, and it reminded me of when I wore a shirt to school that I thought was so cool, and it said hang 10 on it. And then I got called Hang Tits for the rest of my life at that school. But it's just like these simple little childlike things, like something that shouldn't matter. And kids have the ability to take these tiny phrases and then just. Just beat you to death with it.

[Emily Gordon]

I wore some pleather pants, like, fake leather pants to school. And a kid in the mall. Not even a kid I went to school with. Oh, God. He said.

[Chelsea Devontez]

He went.

[Emily Gordon]

I think he said fat girl in a garbage bag. No. And I was just crushed. I mean. Yeah, crushed. And it's like I took a swing. I took a small swing, and I got beaten all the way back down to where I belong. Yeah.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Yes. Yes, yes. I took a small swing, and then they took that bat and Beat me with it.

[Emily Gordon]

They beat me to death with it.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Yes, exactly. I think it happens to a lot, and I think it happens to a lot of kids. So this, at least the narrative in this book, is that Drew is so horribly bullied at school that she gets really into clubbing and going to parties. Keep in mind, she is 9 to 13 years old for this. So the book is like, Jade didn't like that she was having such a bad time in school. And, you know, they were business parts. Jot is always like, they went to a business event at Studio 54. And you're like, okay. And, you know, Jade is being treated like a famous person. Cause she's the mom of a famous person. So she's living out her fantasy. And sometimes Drew's like, yeah, we went out five nights a week. And then, yeah, talk about that friends club. Like, she was like, it was my friend's club.

[Emily Gordon]

And it sounded like. I do believe they're referring to MJ's, which is the club that is where Tenants of the Trees is now, which is a Los Angeles institution. A bit of a cursed location.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Okay.

[Emily Gordon]

Because for a while, tenants had a problem of bartenders drugging drinks. That had been, like, an issue.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Oh, my God.

[Emily Gordon]

And this is not just, like. This was, like, a thing that was, like, widely reported.

[Chelsea Devontez]

They.

[Emily Gordon]

They kind of did their best to clean it up. But before that, it was just. It had been a very popular club. It was like a club in Silverlake that, like, Madonna hung out at in the 80s.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Oh, wow. Yeah. I mean, Drew calls it her haunt.

[Emily Gordon]

Yeah.

[Chelsea Devontez]

And I'm like, is haunt your word?

[Emily Gordon]

I'm 41, and I don't have a haunt. I mean, Pre.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Covid never said, yeah, wish I had a haunt. Don't have a haunt.

[Emily Gordon]

I felt. And I have seen. When I have gone to, like, big, like, Hollywood events, I have seen a young actor who is. I think was 8, 7 or 8. I have seen him walking around parties way too late. Like, midnight, 1am Parents are there, but not. He's just, like, wandering around perfectly. Charming kid. Seemed fine. Everything's. But I just kept being like, are you tired? Like, are you okay? What's happening?

[Chelsea Devontez]

And now I'll think of Drew. Cause before you're like, well, that's an actor. They're here. Now you're like, that's a child. Yeah, they're working. Except, okay, so they love to blend this line in the book where they'd be like, oh, well, she was at the Academy Awards. And everyone loved that. So why are you so mad. She's at this club, and you're like, very different. But Jade is like, well, my friend owns the club. And then Drew describes, At 10 years old, they would go to bars and clubs, and they would go their separate ways. And her mom would literally say, have fun and be good. And Drew would run off into the night, and her mom would go do her thing. And then it is at Rob Lowe's 20th birthday.

[Emily Gordon]

There's so many references to, like, whoa, that's the guy we're gonna talk about here.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Yes. Yes. We're like, what? Yeah. Rob Lowe's 20th birthday party is when Drew gets her drinking problem. So what a thing. I hope he heard about that. So Drew is 10. She lists the guests, which include Emilio Estevez and our girl Demi Moore. And Drew loves boys way too young. Like, at nine years old, she's like, I love men.

[Emily Gordon]

And Pierce, that's something that's not addressed in this book at all. Like, not touched. Like, where are. Yeah, yeah. And I don't know if there's another book to be told. I don't wish it upon her. I can't imagine that there haven't been some very troubling experiences with her with adult men, just given the environment she was in. Yeah, well.

[Chelsea Devontez]

And I will say, these are places where I decided Todd was my enemy, because he, in his parts, would be like, well, Drew, of course Drew wasn't sleeping with him. And then in Drew's parts, she'd be like, yeah, so sex is a big issue for me. I'm thinking about sex a lot. And you're like, are you not reading both parts of the book? You know, and, like, why are you trying to.

[Emily Gordon]

I'm a conscious decision to be like, I'm not. And I want to believe it was Drew. Like, in my head, it was Drew being like, I'm not talking about this part at all. Like, we're not touching this. I'm not doing it. But I'm thinking about it could be a legal standpoint where they're like, hey, we're not going to be able to get. Like, you say that this guy did this to you. Now that's a whole thing. Like, now it's a different kind of.

[Chelsea Devontez]

And yet. And yet, at this party, she writes a horrifying Emilio Estevez interaction, and I almost don't even want to repeat it, because I'm not. I'm not sure if it was from her point of view that made it so horrible or if it really was fucked up, but it's like, it's like her dancing with him and wrapping her legs around him. And then he.

[Emily Gordon]

Like.

[Chelsea Devontez]

She's like. Then he gave me a pat on the tush, and I loved him. And you're like, was this a guy being nice to a child, or is this as sexual as it's written? Cause that would be pretty crazy.

[Emily Gordon]

It's pretty bonkers. And written from her point of view. I'm like. I'm like, let's leave some. I wanna leave room for Emilio to have been a good guy. Cause it's like I had a crush on a friend of my dad's when I was, like, nine. And I remember sitting next to him at the pizza restaurant and just being like, I love your mustache. Can I touch it? Like, I remember being weird to, like, grow well.

[Chelsea Devontez]

And that's kind of what I got from it, that Drew was like, I'm in love with this grown man. And this grown man just thought he was being nice to her. But it reads as if. It's a hard line. It's a hard line. And I was like, I don't know how to walk. This is how she wrapped her legs.

[Emily Gordon]

Around him on the dance floor. I was like, oh.

[Chelsea Devontez]

And he's like, you wanna. And she's like, I don't know. I've never done it before, but they're talking about slow dancing. I know. My butthole was so tight, it crawled inside my body and was like, yes. That was tough. And so then Jad has the audacity to say that Jade was one of the stricter parents she knew. I was like, okay, great. Sure, sure, Drew. Then books, more movies. And the narrative becomes that Drew is so horrible to her mom, that this is all her fault. And that Dru is such an amazing actress that that is why Jade didn't know that Drew was an alcoholic and a drug addict, because she was covering it up. And so Jade didn't know. And Jod says this, like, four times. Well, she was just such a good actress that she could hide it from Jade, and. But then she would write things of like, yeah, I made out with this boy in my mom's car with a coat over our heads. My mom had no idea. And you're like, well, a car's not that big.

[Emily Gordon]

It's not that big. And if there's a coat over two people, what do you think's going on? What do you think's going on?

[Chelsea Devontez]

But then she's like, 10, and. Oh, boy, oh, boy. Okay, so one of the. Oh, yeah. One of the boys she Makes out with. It's misspelled in the book. Where, again, Todd says he's a journalist. Literally, one of his bio is like, I'm a journalist. But then Breckin Meyer's name is misspelled in the book.

[Emily Gordon]

Do you think it's Breckin Meyer? Is it Breckin Meyer?

[Chelsea Devontez]

So, yes, when I was recapping this. Cause I recapped the books on my Instagram stories before we do this. So people do this little digital book club with me, and 10 people track down that it is him for sure. He did an interview that I posted where he's like, yeah, I was Drew Barrymore's boyfriend. And she gave everyone fake names in the book except for me. And she, like, outed me as being like, you know, them having this, like, crazy sexual interaction.

[Emily Gordon]

Well, also, Chelsea, she did change his name to Brecken spelled differently.

[Chelsea Devontez]

To Brecken spelled. Yeah, but it's like one letter off.

[Emily Gordon]

Yeah, that's.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Is this a choice or not? And she misspells Corey, like, Corey Feldman later, too. But it's also a caption under his photo.

[Emily Gordon]

Yeah. So you're like, what an odd thing.

[Chelsea Devontez]

I didn't.

[Emily Gordon]

When I read it, I thought, could that be Breckin Meyer? But I did not look into it.

[Chelsea Devontez]

If there was not an interview, I would give it room. But yeah, he was like, that's true. That's me for sure.

[Emily Gordon]

Okay.

[Chelsea Devontez]

And he was an actor in Clueless. Yes. He was 12.

[Emily Gordon]

Yes.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Who? Thank God. Oh, yeah. Because the story is like, the crowds parted and I, as a 10 year old, got it on with this 12 year old named Brecken. And my mom was like, drew, is something going on? And Drew was like, no, mom. And her mom was like, okay, cool. But you just saw it. You just saw it. Okay, so Drew is being blamed for being an alcoholic, and she's blamed for getting into drugs, and she's blamed for all this bad behavior, which, like, while is hers. She's just. She's also still a child. And then it's very clear in the book that Jade puts Drew down a lot because Dru is just constantly referencing, like, my mom's putting me down. My mom fights with words. My mom's mean to me. And so then we get to a story where Drew slaps her mom. And I was like, I think it's okay.

[Emily Gordon]

Get her dinner, Jade.

[Chelsea Devontez]

I know.

[Emily Gordon]

I was like, that's okay.

[Chelsea Devontez]

I'm not mad. Like, I think this was a story to be like, oh, she hit her mom. And I was like, yeah.

[Emily Gordon]

Good. Is that a bad take?

[Chelsea Devontez]

And so then Drew stops wanting to work, and I swear to God, Jawed writes that she didn't want to work, but her manager and agent decided she was taking this movie and it was for the best. Like, Jade is the manager. Like you just told us, Jade is the manager.

[Emily Gordon]

Say that name. If that's who is doing this.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Absolutely.

[Emily Gordon]

Say that name.

[Chelsea Devontez]

I think perhaps the way books were written back then, they were like, we'll just say her manager did it and they'll forget. There's two chapters that this is Jade. This is Jade. Like her mom forced her to keep acting despite in previous chapters saying she never forced her to do anything. And it was always Dru's decision. Now this book is like her manager forced her. The manager is Jade, which is also true.

[Emily Gordon]

This book is written what? I guess that's 30. Oh, my God. This book was written 30 years ago.

[Chelsea Devontez]

And things were like.

[Emily Gordon]

We weren't thinking about how parents were treating kids stars. We weren't thinking about kids stars as people at all.

[Chelsea Devontez]

At all. Yes, absolutely. And that shows up in interviews. Drew does at this time.

[Emily Gordon]

Yeah.

[Chelsea Devontez]

So we are gonna take a little break, but when we come back, Drew is going to more clubs, partying with Apollonia and going nuts in New York City. When I went on the book tour, people were always surprised at how tall I was. Even though on this podcast they say that I'm tall, but I'm 5 8, and Quince's wide leg pants are perfect for me. So if you are a tall gal and you're looking for a wide leg pant, that's not gonna look so weird because it's like an inch and a half too short skirt. You get to choose a longer inseam on Quince. I love their wide leg pants. I have three pairs at this point. Quince has all the staples covered from soft Mongolian cashmere sweaters that feel like designer pieces without the markup to a hundred percent silk tops and skirts for easy dressing up. And like everything from Quince, each piece is made with premium materials and ethical trusted factories, then priced far below what other luxury brands charge. And I got my husband this cool corduroy shirt jacket that that he's loving. There's only a few places where I can order something for him and something for me, and Quints is one of them. Refresh your wardrobe with Quince. Don't wait. Go to Quince.comGlamorous for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns now available in Canada. Too that's Q-U-I-N C E.comGlamorous to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.comGlamorous okay. A very fancy, cool actress taught me this trick, which is that when you're getting on a Zoom, but you're so tired and you didn't shower and maybe you didn't wash your face. Okay. We all have tough mornings. All you have to do is put on a bold lip. And the way the Zoom video works, it makes you look like you have a full face of makeup on. I can't tell you how many times this has worked. Show your confidence in lipstick form and use Empower Matte Precision Lipstick Crayon front from Thrive. The crayon is so smooth and buildable. It's like a thick lip liner, but also a lipstick. I love it so much. I am extremely lazy. But also like to look nice. Hence the name glamorous trash. And so the Precision Lipstick crayon is my favorite thing in the morning. To slap it on, go into a meeting, pretend I've been awake the whole morning. Amplify your everyday. Go to thrivecosmetics.com glamorous for an exclusive offer of 20 off your first order. That's Thrive Cosmetics. C-A U S E M E T I C S.com glamorous and it's cosmetics because every purchase donates to a very important cause. So you can be sure that where you're spending your money is going to great places, including your lipstick shade.

[Emily Gordon]

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[Chelsea Devontez]

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[Emily Gordon]

And get everything you need, from tubs to tile, delivered fast and priced right. The Home Depot Dream Baths built here.

[Chelsea Devontez]

All right, welcome back. So Drew and Jade have gone to New York City to film more movies. And Drew is going to clubs constantly and fighting with her mom. And she's out every night of the week and literally and physically getting thrown out of clubs and onto the curb. And then you'll realize, like, oh, she's 11. Yeah, she's like, this bouncer threw me on the curb and was like. And never come back. It's like, you're 11.

[Emily Gordon]

You're 11 years old. Yeah, I could have thrown her out on the curb probably. You know what I mean? She's very small.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Yeah, she's tiny.

[Emily Gordon]

Well.

[Chelsea Devontez]

And so then Drew gets roller skates which was quite a turn. And it's like she's got to skate to these clubs and save money. And she's an on the go city gal. And I mean, is this the bird scooter of 1986? Like, I was. So I had to sit with the image of 11 year old drew roller skating to clubs for like an hour before I could move on.

[Emily Gordon]

Listen, in the movie, the biopic of Drew Barrymore, that will happen one day. That's gonna be such a great moment. There's gonna be a great needle drop.

[Chelsea Devontez]

It's gonna be a beautiful, like, hair.

[Emily Gordon]

Going, just streaming back. Just two kids having fun. Cause you think about it, that's a very childlike way of getting around. It's like, that is what a kid would do. That's what she should have been doing is roller skating.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Yeah, but like in a rink, maybe not too much.

[Emily Gordon]

Not to the limelight or whatever the fuck was happening back then.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Also, wow, this just hit me. She later directs the movie Whip it.

[Emily Gordon]

That's right.

[Chelsea Devontez]

I wonder if that's from this moment in her life.

[Emily Gordon]

She's loving roller skates. It must be just loving roller skating so much and being like, it's not.

[Chelsea Devontez]

And I'm sure to get through the New York City sidewalk, she had to push some people out of her way. It's the movie. Okay, so a bunch of shit happens. But then Drew finds cocaine. And this is what Jod has to say. Quote. At this point, Jade was feebly resigned to the helpless position of worried parent. She sat, bit her nails and imagined her hair turning white and her wrinkles turning her face into a billboard of angst.

[Emily Gordon]

That's right, the billboard of angst. That's what it was.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Angst. I mean.

[Emily Gordon]

That is some. That is gross. That is a gross turn of phrase and a gross way to describe what that is. I definitely have seen parents, little by little, kind of like losing control of their kids. And then it goes from like, don't smoke pot, to like, please don't smoke pot in the house. To like, please don't smoke pot in the house while I'm home. It's just like this ever moving. And I can see Drew pushing boundaries and Jade not being strong enough to stand up to them, also being like, this is how we make money. So I kind of have to keep this person happy. And then it just slowly getting away from her in a way that is really horrifying and should not be glorified as like, oh, poor Jade.

[Chelsea Devontez]

But also it's like she's imagining if you were like, Jade was so worried her hair turned white, you'd be like, yeah, she's under duress. Yeah. She imagined her hair turning white. She imagined the wrinkles getting to her, and you're like, okay, that doesn't sound that bad.

[Emily Gordon]

None of that actually happened. She remained hot, but she remained.

[Chelsea Devontez]

She imagined the amount of times Todd describes how tiny and diminutive Jade is in the book. That's so funny.

[Emily Gordon]

I hadn't even picked up on that. You're so right.

[Chelsea Devontez]

And I was just like, are you sleeping with her?

[Emily Gordon]

You know, ghostwriters fall in love with the people that they're working with quite frequently.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Wait, is that true?

[Emily Gordon]

I know of one other case for sure.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Okay, then that's enough for me. That sounds like science. I mean, and, you know, now I am painting an unfair portrait of Jade. But I will say that after this book, Jade writes her own book. Oh, really? Yes. And it's titled. This is close to the title. It's like, Secrets of Incredible and Erotic Lovemaking.

[Emily Gordon]

I'm so sorry. What the fuck are you saying right now?

[Chelsea Devontez]

Yeah, you know what? Let me just look it up right now so I can get the title.

[Emily Gordon]

So it's not a book about raising Drew Barrymore or being, like, the mom of. But it's a sexual book.

[Chelsea Devontez]

It's a sexual book, and she goes on Howard Stern to talk about it.

[Emily Gordon]

Oh, she's interesting. That does color some things for me, for sure.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Okay, here's the title. Secrets of World Class Erotic Tips and Sensual Stories. Erotic Tips and Sensual Stories for a Lifetime of Sexual Fulfillment by Jade Barrymore.

[Emily Gordon]

I'm definitely going to.

[Chelsea Devontez]

I wonder if Todd ghost wrote this as well.

[Emily Gordon]

He ghost dicked it.

[Chelsea Devontez]

How dare you? That was incredible. In talking about Jade, could we have picked a better name for this woman? It is Jade with an I. J. A I D. Like, be careful what you name your kids, because it's possibly.

[Emily Gordon]

You could be creating that person.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Yeah, you could be creating this person. You sure were when they named her Jade.

[Emily Gordon]

The only Jade I know is that Jade from America's Next Top Model, who is like, like, very famously, like, I'm an undiscovered supermodel and was real bonkers and fun and one of my favorites.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Well, hey, there's that. It's got a type. It's got a type to it. So, okay, so then Drew's kind of so out of control that she goes to rehab for the first time. First off, it's called asap, which is quite the name for rehab. It's a Hollywood rehab called asap. So you're like, feels like that defeats the purpose of rehab, but whatever. So Drew's old friend and her friend's mom, who she used to get high with, went to this rehab while they were in New York. And so when they get back to LA and Drew's doing cocaine, Drew and her mom talk to her old friend and they're like, you should go this rehab. And they check her in. And then there's a ton of passages about Jade being overwhelmed and all the paperwork and she's just trying to understand. And it's almost written like a pre defense for the decision. But then it never pays off. Except after 12 days, Jade pulls Drew out of the rehab to go do a movie. Then upon return, she goes back in for a week. And then Jade pulls her out to go back to New York, not for a movie, but for dialogue looping.

[Emily Gordon]

For dialogue looping. And then there was one. Oh, they needed to see.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Audition for a play.

[Emily Gordon]

I think they were auditioning for a play in that.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Wonderful.

[Emily Gordon]

That seems important.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Yes. And here's what's crazy. Drew writes in the book, I didn't want to go. She was starting to like this rehab and her mom makes her. So then they go to New York. Drew meets up with her old friend Stacy. There's a bunch of incredible Stacy stories that we just had to skip her time. But she meets up with Stacy. They immediately go out all night. And this is how it's. It's written for us as like. Well, Drew would tell her mom that she's going to her friend's house. And this was done a lot in the 90s. They went to their friends houses. But then it's like, you just got out of rehab. She gets to New York. She's like, I'm going to my friend's house. And then she obviously stays out all night going to clubs and doing cocaine. So she steals her mom's credit card and they're like, we're gonna go. We're gonna go shopping on this credit card. They do. Then they're doing more cocaine and they're like, you know what? Drew's like, I don't wanna be here. Let me. Let's buy plane tickets and fly to LA.

[Emily Gordon]

By the way, a pre 911 sentiment if I ever heard one. Let's just go.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Truly, let's just go. Yeah. You're also like, where's your id? Where's your parent? But because she's famous and because she's. I think she's 12 or 13 here. They let her get on the plane to LA with her friend, by the way. She's calling her mom and being like, I'll be home soon. And Jade's like, sounds good. Flies to la. Then her mom's like, drew, where are you? And she's like, I'll be home soon, Mom. And I guess Jade starts to get worried, and she's like, that sounds like.

[Emily Gordon]

Palm trees in the background. Are you in la? And she's like, no. Yeah.

[Chelsea Devontez]

And then they're like, oh, we should go to Hawaii. Let's buy plane tickets to Hawaii. So they buy plane tickets to Hawaii. Now they're crashing cars, they're on coke, they're packing for Hawaii. And then all of a sudden, two adults appear in the doorway and. And Drew turns to him and is like, who the fuck are you? And they're like, we're good friends of your mom's. And they are not the police, but they have handcuffs and they handcuff Drew, handcuff her and kidnap her and drive her to the rehab.

[Emily Gordon]

She hired a private security firm to go get her kid because she, I guess, didn't want to involve the police. I think that was the mindset, which is something I've heard of parents doing. I know parents that have done this.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Yes. Well, what's interesting is that in Drew's current talk show, which we'll get to later, she had Paris Hilton. Come on. Paris Hilton has done a documentary talking about how she was sent away to institutions that traumatized her. And they were institutions for children to get sober. But they put you in solitary confinement, they put you in handcuffs, they put you in restraints. And the Paris Hilton documentary is complex. I do recommend it because it's fascinating, not because it's like a great documentary. But Drew, in this interview with Paris was like, I've been kidnapped before. I've been put into an institution before. She's talking about this place, and I think this is the kidnapping. And so her.

[Emily Gordon]

That's interesting. So her take on it as she's gotten older is more accurate. It seems of like, oh, this is what actually happened to me.

[Chelsea Devontez]

That's interesting. But she's still positive. So in the Paris interview, she's like, the people at my place were really great. They saved my life. Or she would say, my mom put me in an institution, but boo hoo, I needed it. And you're like, whoa. But here it's like, it's this sweet rehab, and then later in life, she starts calling it an institution. And then there are some interviews Where Drew says it's a mental institution.

[Emily Gordon]

That's very interesting.

[Chelsea Devontez]

And I don't know if it's a different place than this. I don't know if they're pretending she's still at asap, but she went to a mental institution. I don't know. I've tried finding it, and I can't find it. If you find the answers, please go to the Facebook group and put them in there, because I need them.

[Emily Gordon]

Well, you know, I worked as a therapist in a residential therapeutic facility when I was younger for young men. It was a facility for young men who were court ordered to be there. And so we didn't use handcuffs. We didn't use any of that stuff. But I worked with kids who did not want to be in a treatment facility and were in a treatment facility. And some of the terms can get. Some kids called it rehab. Cause they had drug problems, but they actually. You're kind of not treating the drug problem. You're just treating the problems that caused the drug problem. So it kind of is an institution also.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Interesting.

[Emily Gordon]

Yeah. So it could have been that it's all the same thing. But I think the problem I always dealt with is that the parents, what they wanted to do was drop their kid off and pick them up a year later fixed and be like, everything's gonna be fine now that you fixed my kid. And my job was to be like, you are also broken, and you've gotta make some changes, and we gotta start right here. And this is how you're gonna do it. And you're gonna. And it was a real struggle, I think, for the parents to admit that they had made mistakes that had led to this. They really wanted it to be all the kids fault.

[Chelsea Devontez]

That is this book.

[Emily Gordon]

That is this book.

[Chelsea Devontez]

That's this book. Jade is like, it's not my fault. It's Drew's fault. And spoiler alert, at some point they'll be like, jade, maybe it is your little. A little bit your fault. And she's like, I guess, a little bit. Yeah, that totally makes sense. It's so funny. I volunteered at one of those places as well. But it is the line between what is punishment, but also you're a teenager, so it's actually rehab to help you, but then it's still punishment. Tricky places. And the ones Paris Hilton went to sound like torture centers. Okay, so these people kidnapped Drew. Despite kidnapping her, she's handcuffed in their, I don't know, their Civic, their normal prison car. They get to the place and ask for her Autograph. Yeah.

[Emily Gordon]

That was so tacky. I felt so bad for her in that moment.

[Chelsea Devontez]

And that was Drew writing, can you believe they asked for my autograph? You're like, oh, my God. Okay. So then the women running the rehab, Betty and Laurie. Tell Jade that she can no longer remove Drew from the rehab for movies anymore. And the crowd goes wild. Thank you. Thank you so much. So, yeah. Okay. So then we get into more Jade stuff. She really reminds me of Lynn Spears. I got into a Britney hole this summer, and Britney doesn't have a memoir. So I read Lynn Spears memoir. Actually, Lynn Spears memoir is more infuriating than this book.

[Emily Gordon]

Really?

[Chelsea Devontez]

Yes. Yeah. Because that one's, like, all jawed.

[Emily Gordon]

Yeah, you get.

[Chelsea Devontez]

And this at least has Drew. But Lynn would end every chapter. And, like, I just had no idea. I just had no idea. And then midway through the book, she's like, I had no idea. And then we did it to Jamie Lynn. But I had no idea. Whatever.

[Emily Gordon]

So if we'd had any other kids, we would have done it to him too.

[Chelsea Devontez]

We would have done it to them, too. I'm just a poor, sweet woman. And that's what Jade is doing. She then insinuates Drew only opened up to her rehab therapist cause she had a crush on him. I was like, rude. Stop doing that. She knows Drew thinks she is fat and had booked her in a movie with a ton of bikini scenes in it when she's 13 years old. And this is part of why Drew doesn't want to work again. And then when she's in the rehab, Jade brings her scripts. Will bring her scripts. And Drew finally loses it on her and is like, the other kids get gifts because their parents love them. And she gives her a pair of slippers, and Drew cries because it's the nicest thing ever. And that's when you're like, have you ever gotten a gift from Jade?

[Emily Gordon]

I think that's a really lovely moment, though. And again, this is just me kind of being the fucking therapist of, like, to me, I kept seeing that as, like, mom being like, well, that's a thing we connect on. I've had a similar thing. I've had a similar thing in relationships. And with my parents were like, oh, I thought you liked this. Like, you used to like this. And this was our means of connection. So here's this thing, and me being like, is this all you want from me? I've got so much more. I just want to be loved. And I get that. I get that. Jade not understanding, oh, this isn't how we connect. This is her job, and it's not our little hobby. In my head, I'm like, jade thought this was their little hobby.

[Chelsea Devontez]

I want so badly for you to be right, but there are so many interactions in the book where Drew's like, you just want me for my money. You just want me to work. And Jade's like, no, I don't. And then on the 10th time, she's like, I know you're in rehab. A script. And it's like, I'm pretty sure Drew made it clear that she's really upset that you're managing her and that you quit your job to do this, and so now you force her to work.

[Emily Gordon]

Yeah, you're 100% right. I think I. It's me trying to, like, make sense out of what this woman's doing. But I think at least that slippers moment was, like, a slightly teachable moment for Jade to learn. Like, oh, me doing this. Whatever my reasons are for doing this, me giving her scripts is not what she needs right now.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Yes, yes. And they did frame it as, like, Jade really got it. Spoiler alert. She didn't get it, and she's gonna fuck up some more. But whatever, she did get it in that moment. So rehab starts to work for Dru. There's a bunch of time where Dru's trying to escape and trying to make out with gross dudes there. But then once she's past that, rehab starts to work, and. And she talks about how they care for her and they're present for her. And I think she needed that box that you were talking about. And she starts family therapy with Jade, where those therapists can be there saying, can you see how what you're doing is contributing? And again, she's like, you're mean to me. You take all my money. You only love me because I work and I get you into parties. And then the jod paragraph will be like, well, Drew's a bitch. She's really mean. She's no angel, I'll tell you that. And then. And then they try and blame a lot of it on single parent homes.

[Emily Gordon]

Isn't that interesting?

[Chelsea Devontez]

Fucking bothered me.

[Emily Gordon]

It was great. It was not. And I think that. That, to me, I was like, oh, that was the mindset of 1990. Was like, oh, it's awful.

[Chelsea Devontez]

The broken home does it to you.

[Emily Gordon]

The broken home. How dare you? And I think we've evolved since then. But, yeah, that was ugly. That was not good.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Well, and they just keep trying to be like, well, it's A single parent home. And then they'll try and say, like, well, Jade was gone. Cause someone had to pay the bills. And you're like, well, it's Drew.

[Emily Gordon]

What's she doing? Drew was paying the bills. Your job. What are you, E and Entourage? Your only job is to be there for Vinnie. You have no other job.

[Chelsea Devontez]

I love that comparison. Yeah, it's. And I will say someone in the Instagram book club, they were like, I'm in social work. And it has proven that feeling abandoned by your parent has nothing to do with one parent. Two parents, heterosexual parents, obviously, it can be anyone in your life. And if they care for you, you are healthy. And if they don't care for you, you are not healthy. No matter who it is, what it is, where it is, stop blaming it on these, like, these other things that aren't real.

[Emily Gordon]

Also demonizing. And not the case here, but when we're demonizing a single parent for having to go out and work to pay the bills, I don't dig on that either. I think that's lame too, because that parent is doing their best to provide a house and a home for a child when they are not a international superstar. And I don't like that we demonize that either. And, like, we should be. Absolutely not. You need to work.

[Chelsea Devontez]

We are doing our best. And when they are there, when they do care and love their kid, it goes great. So that's really just the only part.

[Emily Gordon]

You can have two bio parents who are married to each other and feel like the loneliest creature on the planet. It can easily happen.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Sing it. Easily. Sing it. Yeah. Sing it. Yes, completely. Okay. So speaking of parents, Betty, the woman at the clinic, introduces Drew to David Crosby. As in Crosby Stills. In Nash and Young, it is like, the most la.

[Emily Gordon]

Like, can we not have a single person who is not famous and 50 years older than this girl helping her out?

[Chelsea Devontez]

Yes, but you can tell she's drawn to male older figures because she's craving her dad in this book. So. Yes. So she loves these father figures. And then the reason she introduces her is because Betty, the woman who runs the rehab, married Dallas Taylor, who used to be in Crosby, Stills, and Nash and Young, and then got kicked out because of his drug and alcohol use, went to the inpatient center, fell in love with Betty, and Betty married her patient.

[Emily Gordon]

That is unethical.

[Chelsea Devontez]

I was like, this doesn't seem okay.

[Emily Gordon]

But, I mean, clearly, I guess they found a way to make it work. Also, that poor guy, of course he was having problems. They never officially put him in the band enough to include his name. That's not nice.

[Chelsea Devontez]

You're right. I don't know the story behind that. But I think crazier is that then Betty is like, well, you know what? Let's get you to let go of your dad. David once knew your father again, so la. He knows what he's like. He's gonna play your dad in a scene. Cause you're an actress, you're gonna let go of your dad. And David's like, I don't think it should be mean. She's like, you're right. It should be my husband, Dallas Taylor, who also knew Drew's dad. And then Dallas plays Drew's dad in a scene exercise for her to yell at her dad. It's a lot. It's a lot. It's a lot.

[Emily Gordon]

This is a real technique. It is most often better done with the therapist playing the part of the parent or whatever, because the other person, trained professional.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Interesting, interesting.

[Emily Gordon]

You want a wild card? Yeah, you don't want a wild card in the that scenario. Also true. It doesn't really matter what he has.

[Chelsea Devontez]

To say to her.

[Emily Gordon]

It's just what she needs to say to him.

[Chelsea Devontez]

So often.

[Emily Gordon]

It's called the empty chair technique. And you're literally just saying everything you need to say to an empty chair. Getting a third person involved is a little bonkers, but, you know, bonkers also.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Is that what Robert Redford did when he yelled at that empty chair?

[Emily Gordon]

It was Clint Eastwood. F E G O P. And yeah, that's his version of the empty chair technique, I guess.

[Chelsea Devontez]

I gotta tell you, Clint Eastwood came into my mind first and then Robert, and then they just really worked out to be the same person for a second in my head.

[Emily Gordon]

You know who doesn't love that? Robert Redford.

[Chelsea Devontez]

No, no, no. Robert Redford a much better guy.

[Emily Gordon]

It's a bummer.

[Chelsea Devontez]

I did that. So Drew is in rehab. It's going well. She's finally about to get out of the rehab. Stuff is going well for her. And then it gets crazier. So National Enquirer gets word that that child star Drew is in this rehab. There's a story where Jade is like, yes, here's my daughter Drew. Oh, I had no idea it was a reporter. Whatever. The idea in this book is that National Enquirer is going to run this story, therefore Dru needs to tell her own story. And then there's a bunch of weird shit of like, this is Drew's decision. And then later, things that don't match that and it's like, well, she's been writing it the whole time. But then you said she just started, and then she had to it.

[Emily Gordon]

When I also said that the National Enquirer thing was like, two reporters came. Jade said, you can't come in. And they said, we're going to get revenge on Drew for not talking to us. And then the story came out. Like, I don't think that's how it works.

[Chelsea Devontez]

I don't believe any of that.

[Emily Gordon]

I don't think that's how it works.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Yeah. And I feel like. Yeah, I don't know what happened, but it feels like a bunch of adults decided she should write this book and then tried to pretend it was her decision and that the National Enquirer had a part. I don't know. So Drew gets out of rehab. She's like, I'll tell People magazine my story from my point of view, which this podcast really believes in. That so good for her. So she does the People article. They get lots of letters. Jade is like, of course people try to blame me and choose me to be a scapegoat. That's natural, but it's not my fault. And then Jod writes that Drew relapses, and it's so infuriating. Here's the sentence. Quote, little more than 12 weeks out of rehab, Drew suffered a gross error of judgment and responsibility, as well as an abdication of willpower. Like, don't talk about sobriety and alcoholism in terms of willpower, you dumb fuck. You said you were a journalist. Like, look up the goddamn issue and do some research. Because it's. Is she still a kid?

[Emily Gordon]

She's still a kid. And I'm like. But when I read that, I was like, are they trying to. Like, are they saying this to the kids that are reading it in 1990 to be like, don't do drugs, kids?

[Chelsea Devontez]

What she did was bad.

[Emily Gordon]

I don't. It just was like, it felt really. That was cruel. And also that entire section. So basically, she finishes the book, and then there's, like, two chapters at the end that are like, I fucked up. Whoopsie. Those felt incredibly rushed to me.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Incredibly rushed. Yeah. Which again, is weird. The book's not gonna be published for two more years past this point. Like, something happened here and why it's out of pr. I hope we find the answers one day. But those last two chapters, while rushed, get even crazier. So Drew is 14 at this point. She gets a boyfriend named Peter, who is 22. So let's remember, she just got out of rehab. She is 14. She starts dating this 22 year old. Then he starts, quote, pulling away from her and becomes best friends with Jade. And there are stories where it's like, and then Jade is going out with Peter and there's. I'm not invited. And then Jade takes Peter on a trip to New York and doesn't invite Drew. And she's constantly calling them good friends and good friends with a healthy relationship that I'm not capable of. And you're like, oh, God, she's fucking Peter. She has to be. Is there any chance, Emily, is there any chance that she and Peter.

[Emily Gordon]

Are you talking about Jade? Are you talking about Drew? Who are you even talking about?

[Chelsea Devontez]

No, Drew and Peter. Definitely.

[Emily Gordon]

Definitely. Yeah.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Jade. World class lover, secrets and tips to a fulfilling sexual lifestyle. Did she. Again, I know I'm being so rude, but did she have sex with Peter? 100%.

[Emily Gordon]

They definitely were dating. Like, there's no world. And that is crushing to a young woman.

[Chelsea Devontez]

And you want to believe, like, okay, well, they kept it from Drew and she genuinely believes they're friends. But what I believe is that Drew wrote Jade and Peter are boyfriend and girlfriend, and then jod copy pasted friends and then publish the book.

[Emily Gordon]

Yeah, just replace all.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Yes, replace all friends. It's just insane.

[Emily Gordon]

And I'm a little shocked that Jade wasn't like, well, I was trying to get the 22 year old away from my daughter and the only way to do that was with my vagina.

[Chelsea Devontez]

But listen, Emily, that would have been great spin. That would have been what Todd should have suggested as the narrative of that. Yeah, that's a great job. You just did a great job there.

[Emily Gordon]

I did a great job.

[Chelsea Devontez]

So then at 14 years old, fresh out of rehab, Drew moves out. She moves out to live on her own because she and her mom are doing so badly. And she says she feels bad because, quote, she's giving the house to my mom and Peter. Again, good friends. Mom and Peter. What does it mean? And then Jade later says, I only let her move out because I knew she and her friend Edie were too competitive and they would fight all the time and she'd come back and you're like, like, she just got out of rehab. What are you talking about? What are you talking about?

[Emily Gordon]

When is your responsibility to be a parent to a small child rather than, I guess, shacking up with her boyfriend who's a grownup? There's a couple of instances letting her leave rehab twice where I was like, ab, I would destroy you as a therapist. I would Destroy you in my office. I would not let you leave that office alive because that's egregious past the point of. I convinced myself everything was okay. That is an absolute decision you made that is harmful to your child.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Yes, Emily, I wish you'd been working at asap.

[Emily Gordon]

So then Drew, I think Lori and whoever. Lori and Betty, they were great for the most part. I think they were really good for her.

[Chelsea Devontez]

I'm glad you. Yeah, Because I tried to look Betty up and couldn't even find a photo. But I did find that she was on Britney Spears sobriety team. I like this.

[Emily Gordon]

I like this for her. She was given to a groove, career wise.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Seriously, you know, you find your niche. So I'm glad she was good. And they do sound like they really helped her. At least they were like a force of. And telling Drew, like, sorry, telling Jade that what she was doing was not okay.

[Emily Gordon]

Absolutely. Setting limits, doing all that good stuff. Absolutely.

[Chelsea Devontez]

But they're not around anymore because Drew is, what, out of rehab on her own? She is supporting herself by, get this, working at clubs. She's working at clubs. I don't know how this works. She and her roommate named Edie, who is someone she met in rehab, live in this shithole in West Hollywood, which. That's probably where I lived. I lived in West Hollywood when I got here. Might have lived in that same shithole. And they do end up fighting. And then one day, Drew slits her wrists as what is written as like a cry for help. Like she was kind of like threatening to commit suicide, but then actually slices her wrist.

[Emily Gordon]

This.

[Chelsea Devontez]

It's kind of like she didn't mean to, but, you know, who knows?

[Emily Gordon]

But also self harm, you know, it didn't.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Self harm. Is self harm.

[Emily Gordon]

Vague for a few years. But, like, I saw that as like a parasuicidal gesture of, like, someone who is desperate for, like, relief in some regard. So I was like, okay, yeah, that doesn't. I agreed that it didn't feel like a suicidal. An actual suicidal attempt, but who knows?

[Chelsea Devontez]

Yeah. Who knows? Maybe it was spin. But, yeah, it didn't seem like it was. But it was. She was going through something.

[Emily Gordon]

I mean, it was awful. Yeah.

[Chelsea Devontez]

So then she goes back to rehab after this. And also because she broke her sobriety for what they say is smoking weed twice, but that feels like a lie. But whatever.

[Emily Gordon]

Yep.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Then Jade goes to rehab for codependence. She goes to rehab for six hours and then is like, no, thanks. Then Drew has to be like, I am 14 years old. I have been in rehab for a year. Get your ass back to rehab, mom, or you don't love me.

[Emily Gordon]

So Jade goes, slap emojis. Every other word.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Yeah.

[Emily Gordon]

You're like, thanks.

[Chelsea Devontez]

And then Jade is like, oh, fine, if I contributed negatively to this relationship, then I'll go to rehab too. For co dependence. And codependence is heavily misunderstood. I myself do not fully understand it. However, I do think, especially 30 years ago, codependence was a word that people look at with some positivity. So I think Jade feels okay saying, like, I had a problem with codependence.

[Emily Gordon]

Well, that's interesting. Yeah, you're right, I think.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Yeah. And. And so I almost wonder if she actually went to rehab for something else. And I don't know. I don't know enough about it, but she feels okay admitting she's codependent and that that's what she's trying to work through. Cause I think it has a victimization association with it.

[Emily Gordon]

That's a very good point. Yeah.

[Chelsea Devontez]

And again, I don't know if enough about it, but I think when this was written, Jade liked that narrative.

[Emily Gordon]

It's also like, there isn't. And I think that's what. When people. Like when celebrities fuck up now, it's like, oh, just go to rehab. And it's like half the time it's just like. Like, they have money. We'll just invent a rehab for whatever.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Your specific thing is.

[Emily Gordon]

Like, you're a racist asshole.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Yeah, sure.

[Emily Gordon]

Rehab. We got a rehab program.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Racist rehab.

[Emily Gordon]

Yeah. I think if you need intensive therapy, you shouldn't need to be in a residential program. Unless you're, like, kind of unsafe in the world or you have a lot of money. If you have a lot of money, you can go away to get yourself help. And I'm not besmirching that. I think that's perfectly fine if you do. But I don't know that that's like the best way to handle a codependent parent child relationship is to go to a rehab away from that kid. I don't know that that's the best way to handle it.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Yeah. And when she's gone, Drew's alone, doesn't have access to her mom. Great, great, Great point. I was wondering about that. Okay, so then again, these are rushed chapters. So now we're at the end. The wrap up is about how Drew thinks she and her mom are gonna make it and they're gonna be okay and she's gonna move back in, and it's all lies. And so let's Read the last page because it really sums it up. And then we have to talk more about what happened right after the book came out.

[Emily Gordon]

Cause I desperately. Cause I didn't look up anything. I'm very curious.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Oh, so much. Okay. And that's me, Drew Barrymore, age 14. Today, I have to accept this person, frailties and all, for who she is and not try to be someone else. I can't obsess about my weight. I can't compete with my mother. I can't find love where there isn't any love to be found. I can't go on beating myself up emotionally and physically, or else I'll have the miserable life I've been trying so desperately to escape. And then at the end, I am not a miracle worker. I'm not someone special. Whatever I've accomplished has been through hard work, tears, pain, love, and more hard work. My goals are simple. To stay sober and to live a good life. All I can do is the best I can. Which I know it was supposed to be uplifting, but I found that to be the saddest page in the whole book.

[Emily Gordon]

You sweet baby. I just wanted to, like. Oh. I just wanted to take her into my arms. And when I read this the first time, she was two years older than me. I guess she still is durable.

[Chelsea Devontez]

But I just.

[Emily Gordon]

I felt a real.

[Chelsea Devontez]

I felt sad for her.

[Emily Gordon]

I felt very sad for her. I remember reading it for the salaciousness and, like, coming away from it. I could even. I'll retcon this and be like, I got the idea to be a family therapist from reading this. That's not true.

[Chelsea Devontez]

But it might be. It might be a little bit.

[Emily Gordon]

I will say I didn't remember the family therapy struck me as being really accurate. Those scenes. I was like, yeah, this is kind of what it feels like when I. You do multifamily therapy, which I've done a bunch.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Oh, that's incredible to hear.

[Emily Gordon]

I just remember coming away from it feeling very sad for her.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Yes. And it came away from it this time feeling extremely sad for her. And there's not spin in the Drew parts. She is really honest. And what I actually didn't pull out when reading this, but did just now, is that when I looked Drew and Jada, and I'll put photos on my Instagram story if you want to go see, but Jade's a very tiny, and she's a very, like, thin, like, naturally thin, kind of bonier, sharper looking woman, which, as we know, very in. In the 90s and super hot And Drew's rounder, Drew has more of her. The Barrymore side. And when I looked it up, I immediately had this hit, because this is how I relate is when you have a really hot mom and you're not very hot and your mom very, very thin and you are not thin, it's extremely painful, and it creates really vicious emotions between you two that I will say. My mom was just living her life, and I was like, I want to kill myself. You're so hot, I can't fit into your clothes. And I'm the teenager, and it's so, so painful. And Drew has a lot of weight issues. And just then, in that last chapter, she was like, I can't compete with my mom. And this whole time, I was like, jade's competing with her. Jade wants to be an actress. Da, da, da, da. But I forgot that Drew's also competing back and comparing herself to her mom, and that's why she feels so fat and ugly.

[Emily Gordon]

And that's what's interesting, because when you look at photos of Drew, never in any of the photos, so thin and tiny. Is that a fat person?

[Chelsea Devontez]

And never, ever.

[Emily Gordon]

And poison Ivy. Oh, my Lord. She's like, the hottest creature on the planet Earth.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Yeah.

[Emily Gordon]

The idea. And you're right. I don't know what that's like. My mom's a real host beast. No, I just don't have a mom. I'm bigger than my mom in a lot of ways. I'm much taller than her. But I never. I don't know that experience of, like, having to feel like you're competing with your mom. I bet it's miserable.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Oh, it's miserable. Yeah. It's so miserable because you're looking at, like, not only do you compare yourself to the world, but you have someone next to you whose genes you have, and you're like, why? Why won't I look like that? You know? But. So, okay. So she's like, me and my mom are gonna be okay. Drew immediately goes to court and gets emancipated from Jade. And Jade supported it. And I know she wrote about this in the book wildflower, and at 14, she becomes a legal adult and starts living alone.

[Emily Gordon]

So before this book even comes out.

[Chelsea Devontez]

She has done this. So here's the thing. I've been on the case, and I haven't been able to fully crack it, but I have a theory that Drew was emancipated already, and Jod kept it out of the book. Interesting, because in the book, she's writing about living with Edie and how she had to move out from her mom and what Edie's like in West Hollywood and da, da, da. Then in Wildflower, she tells a story about moving in with her friend Justine in West Hollywood. And there's boyfriend details that match up. And the place they're living in sounds like the same. And the Justine story in Wildflower, the timeline would match up with. They were already emancipated when the book was written. But it all kind of comes down. My theory comes down to, was Edie and Justine, are they both fake names because she met this girl in rehab for the same person. And if they are, I think she was emancipated and Jod removed it from the book. Or there's a chance she lived alone, immediately writes the book, gets emancipated, all within the year of 14. And I don't know which it is, but that's interesting.

[Emily Gordon]

It feels like, yeah, if they. Because they're really trying hard in that book to a both sides thing, and then hearing about an emancipation would really shift that. So I can see them leaving that out of the book.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Yeah, no, absolutely. And I think they were still trying this idea of, like, well, Drew needs to keep working as an actress, so this needs to be sold to teenagers to get their life right, and they didn't wanna sell some of these harsher truths. Again, this is my crazy theory. This is my conspiracy game. I don't know what's right.

[Emily Gordon]

This is great detective work is what it is.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Thank you. Thank you so much. But I. So then one of the craziest things that came out of book club is that someone was like, you know, Drew Barrymore has a line of wine. Right.

[Emily Gordon]

Flower Wine. Right.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Barrymore Wines.

[Emily Gordon]

Oh, sorry. So sorry. Yeah, that's right.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Flower is her company.

[Emily Gordon]

Flower Films. That's right.

[Chelsea Devontez]

So really something to think about. Wrote a book about being an alcoholic. Gets a line of wine, like, in. And I looked for articles being like, what the fuck? Isn't her whole thing sobriety? She has a line of wines. I only found one tiny blog that included it at all.

[Emily Gordon]

So she's never referenced the idea that she's sober and has a line of wines?

[Chelsea Devontez]

No, no. And I think purposefully, I think she was like, that was a long time ago. I have wine now. And I'm not. I don't live a sober life anymore. But also doesn't address it. I haven't been able to find it. I tried to track down the wine, Emily. It has gone so out of business. I Could not find a single bottle of Pinot Grigio, but I found one. I tried to order two. I found one bottle of Barrymore Rose. And I'm gonna bring it to you to thank you for being on the podcast. But please know, it is possibly the last bottle in the world. I don't know.

[Emily Gordon]

We should do my best.

[Chelsea Devontez]

I should save it.

[Emily Gordon]

It'll be our nest egg.

[Chelsea Devontez]

It'll be our nest. Yeah, Right. Yeah, save it. Do what you want with it. Drink it, but it's coming for you. And so I just want to track. This is what really got me. Drew had four big faces in life. She was this childhood star and the drunken party club Hopper. Then she has this phase at 19 where she poses for Playboy and she's flashing Letterman, and she's like this wild child. But also, that same year that she poses for Playboy, she forms her company. I was like, I fucking love this. I love that. Then a little time passes. She comes back with a vengeance. That's the Wedding Singer. Never Been Kissed ever. After riding in cars with boys, like, just this slew of films. And then comes back again for her next phase with more power. She's producing Charlie's Angels. She's directing Whippet. She's marrying Tom Green, which now makes a lot of sense. Yeah.

[Emily Gordon]

And didn't their house burn down? I don't. Did it.

[Chelsea Devontez]

It did. So it's a very famous video.

[Emily Gordon]

You can look up, their house burnt down, and there's a video of the two of them in a car and a reporter being like, what happened? And they're like, our house burnt down. That's it.

[Chelsea Devontez]

I have to find that. When I heard about this in the news, I was like, this is psychotic. How did she marry Tom Green? Now I realize that she has that case of yearning for someone to love you. And so it feels like to pick someone with walls up, a weirdo who won't love you, who's a psycho, and get them to love you. And that battle recreates all those emotions you wanted with your parents. It feels so good. It's addictive.

[Emily Gordon]

Just Sisyphean is hell. Push that boulder up that hill, you're never gonna get enough fun.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Slinking in her chair, like, oh, God. I mean, I have surely done it. Yeah.

[Emily Gordon]

Oh, not me. I've been great the whole time.

[Chelsea Devontez]

I'm really good. Yeah. No, seriously, it hit a. A little too close to home. There was just, you know, to say I have daddy issues is understatement. I've had multiple dads reject me. And so I was so addicted to dating guys who didn't like me and being like, I can change their mind. And it just felt it was a cycle, and I'm out of it. Oh, God, Thank God. I'm out of it. So. So, okay, so then Drew now has her own talk show. And I mean, my first jobs in TV writing were for late night shows, and Drew really didn't strike me as a late night host. And now, having read her book, I totally get it. She's always been this kid bouncing around Hollywood, knows everyone, this source of positivity and light, and, like, has so much love to give. And watching her show through that lens, I love it. I love it so much. And I will say, when I was doing this on my Instagram, I found her People magazine when she's like, 14, being like, yes. And then I found incredible People magazine covers throughout Drew's life. And I realized we watched her go to rehab. We've known her forever. We've known her forever, go to rehab, and then Steven Spielberg becomes her godfather. And then, you know, she. She gets in a good relationship, she gets healthy, she gets married, she has kids, she divorces, and it's like her life in People magazines. And I'll post it all. So there's that. Okay, I think we're at the closing, and I close every podcast with a thank you to the author.

[Emily Gordon]

Are you gonna do Todd or.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Yeah. Am I gonna think. Hmm? Yes. Oh, God. So for Drew, I'll say I was neutral on Drew Barrymore before this. I didn't have any really, thoughts other than that's a woman who exists. And now I feel like she is a walking miracle who is constant positivity, sometimes to her own detriment, and yet still chooses positivity. And what a gift to the world to have someone with that much light survive all this and keep her light intact. And also, she's weird. She's a fucking weirdo. And I'm weird. Like, I'm a weird, weird girl, and I love weird girl energy, and I love that she's, like, putting that shit out there. So that is my thank you to Drew.

[Emily Gordon]

That's a very good thank you. It's gonna be very hard to compete with.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Please compete with me. Like, I am Jade and you are Drew.

[Emily Gordon]

Oh, Mom, I'm sorry you can't get work. I'm sorry. I have always been grateful to her. I have always seen her as someone who doesn't half ass anything, and I always really respected that about her. I think she. What I loved about her. Cause I grew up kind of a bad kid, but I wasn't like a surly bad kid. I was like a super positive bad kid.

[Chelsea Devontez]

That's true. Yeah.

[Emily Gordon]

And I violently happy. I was always a little violently kind of excited. And I have always appreciated that in her. And I think learning that she when I was a young woman, learning that she was fucked up really was wonderful to hear and like a deeply kind of moving thing to hear. And then watching what she's kind of been able to do with it and seeing like the older she gets, the more she kind of seems to be like just a weird, genuine weirdo is I couldn't be more grateful for it. So I thank her for being similar to you. I thank her for being a violently weird, bad kid who is positive.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Emily, where can people find you?

[Emily Gordon]

I'm at Emily v. Gordon most places and I'd love to plug washing your hands and wearing a mask.

[Chelsea Devontez]

Oh great plugs. Huge hit. Sexy film if I ever heard of one. Yeah. So find Emily and go watch the big sick for just if you haven't seen it. Incredible watch a gift for your quarantine viewing. Emily, thank you so much for coming on the podcast. I adore you and you gave me the gift of this horrifying book and I'll never forget. So bless you. Bless you.

[Emily Gordon]

You're the best. I miss you terribly. I can't wait to hang out with you guys again one day.

[Chelsea Devontez]

One day.

[Emily Gordon]

One day.

[Chelsea Devontez]

That's all for this week's episode. I could not do this show without our incredible production team, Executive producer Daisy Rosario, producer Brandon Nix, and associate producer Corrine Wallace. A big thank you to our senior managing producer, Christina Lopez, our executive producer Jordan Moncada, our sound engineer Marcus Hamm, and our amazing associate producer, Jaron Padre. I also want to give a huge thank you to our incredible partners over at Thrive Cosmetics and every plate. We will link to those brands in the show notes. Go check them out. Everything else we discussed is also linked in the show notes. And if you have questions, thoughts, comments, go to the Patreon sign up. There's a free tier you can join. Leave a comment, chat with your fellow cookies. We will keep the book club continuing over there.

[Emily Gordon]

It's okay not to be perfect with finances. Experian is your big financial friend and here to help. Did you know you can get matched with credit cards on the app?

[Chelsea Devontez]

Some cards are labeled no ding decline.

[Emily Gordon]

Which means if you're not approved they won't hurt your credit scores. Download the Experian app for free today. Applying for no Ding decline cards won't hurt your credit scores if you aren't initially approved. Initial approval will result in a hard inquiry which may impact your credit scores. Experian.