The consensus on social media is: Don’t come for Drew.
Drew Barrymore and transgender TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney had a vulnerable moment on TV as they discussed how to deal with online hate. In response, the actress turned talk show host got a wave of online hate — but Barrymore’s fans weren’t having it.
“There’s so much hate and drama and things get complicated, but meeting my role models, even you today — that’s the best part,” Mulvaney said on Monday’s The Drew Barrymore Show.
Mulvaney, a Hollywood-based comedian and musical theater actress with a resume that includes “Book of Mormon” and “Spring Awakening,” shares her journey of transition over the past year in the episode of TikTok series “Days of Girlhood.” She has more than 10 million followers on the app and sat down for a high-profile talk with President Biden in October.
“Let me ask you about the negativity, how did you deal with it?” asked Barrymore.
“I’m still reading the comments,” Mulvaney said. “But right now there’s so much hatred directed against the trans community, it’s everywhere. And I think the biggest weapon I can bring is trans joy and comedy and talking about tough issues and really complicated moments of transition and [I] I’m trying to show everyone that I’m not a monster, I’m not someone who tries to do anything but be myself and be happy.”
Mulvaney then told Barrymore, “I’m looking at someone like you and I can’t imagine anyone not liking you.”
As the exchange fizzled out, the two moved their candid conversation from the show’s pink satin armchairs to the carpet on the set of “The Drew Barrymore Show.” In a recent For Real With Amy Kaufman profile from Barrymore, the ET star told the Times that kneeling or sitting on the floor next to her guests is a personal preference.
“Oh please,” Barrymore said on her show, getting down on one knee next to Mulvaney and holding her hand. “Ironically, you want to know who likes me the most sometimes? … Me myself.”
“Oh, me too,” Mulvaney sighed, before sitting on the floor in front of the chairs next to Barrymore. “You asked me what I would do to fight the hate, but what are you doing? You’ve been doing this longer than I have.”
Barrymore compared receiving hate through social media to reading movie reviews. She said that no matter what movie gets criticized, there’s a 50-50 guarantee that some will like it and others won’t. “So you have to be willing to step forward and be prepared for that,” she said.
“Sometimes I think maybe the biggest response is the next happy video,” Mulvaney said. “Or the next win you have because it just shows that you keep going, and whatever these people are projecting onto you, it’s not really pervasive.”
Mulvaney then turned to the audience and exclaimed, “I just realized I’m on the floor with Drew! That’s crazy!”
“Thanks for coming on the floor with me,” Barrymore said. “The ground always feels safer.”
But the increased intimacy, especially sitting on the floor instead of staying in her chair, infuriated some social media users, who put their own spin on it. Allegations have been made that Barrymore “kneeled” at Mulvaney’s feet.
When tweets calling for Barrymore to “worship” Mulvaney began flooding Twitter, her fans quickly followed suit and the negative comments fizzled out.
User @HeyDsLady posted a photo of Barrymore kneeling on the floor next to the seats of many of the previous guests, including Brendan Fraser and Tyler Perry the caption“Drew Barrymore is an icon of empathy and compassion, let alone an iconic Hollywood darling. Haters will spew ignorant, judgmental emails — no matter what. More people should be like #DrewBarrymore.”
“Drew Barrymore and Dylan Mulvaney had a tender bonding moment on television. The criticism says everything about the small minds of transphobes and nothing about the big hearts of Drew and Dylan,” said multimedia journalist Alex Berg tweeted.
And author Brian Krassenstein tweeted“No one will ever look back 50 years from now and say, ‘How dare Drew Barrymore hug that transgender woman.’ They will point to all the big tweets about it.”
Source: LA Times