How Cameron Diaz Supported BFF Drew Barrymore Through "Difficult" Alcohol Struggle

Hard times will always reveal true friends.

For more than 30 years, Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz have called each other friends. But before starting The Drew Barrymore Show in 2019, the talk-show host found herself struggling with alcohol.

Instead of distancing herself from the situation, Cameron stayed loyal to the actress. 

"I knew that if we all stuck with her and gave her the support she needed, she would find her way," Cameron told the Los Angeles Times in an interview published March 5. "I have absolute faith in her. You can't even comprehend how hard it was to be her as a child, and then she shot out the other end with the ability to save herself."

But how bad did things get?

As Drew filed for divorce from husband Will Kopelman in 2016, she also packed her bags in Los Angeles and moved to New York. According to the LA Times, her depression worsened, which intensified her drinking.

Another curveball came when celebrity psychoanalyst Barry Michels quit on Drew after 10 years of working together.

"He just said, ‘I can't do this anymore,'" Drew recalled to the publication. "It was really about my drinking. I said, ‘I get it. I've never respected you more. You see I'm not getting better. And I hope, one day, that I can earn your trust back.'"

The entire process, Cameron said, was "difficult to watch."

Fortunately, things took a turn when Drew was approached with the chance to host her own talk show. "I think the opportunity at a show like this really hit me," she said. "I was like, ‘I can't handle this unless I'm in a really clear place.'"

While Drew doesn't call herself sober and doesn't participate in a program like Alcoholic Anonymous, she realized booze was not her friend and decided to give it up.

"I kept thinking, ‘I'll master this. I'll figure it out,'" she said. "And finally, I just realized: ‘You've never mastered this, and you never will.'" 

Now, The Drew Barrymore Show is in its third season. Her relationship with Cameron appears stronger than ever, especially after the pair appeared together on the show's series premiere in September 2020. And yes, she's back working with Barry too. 

As Drew said, "I don't stay stuck."