Martha Stewart is no-nonsense as they come. She has managed to thrive and maintain relevancy to an unprecedented degree, and she's done it her way. This approach clashed in a major way, though, when Stewart appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show on November 12.
Barrymore, a famously expressive and physically intimate talk show host, did not bring the energy that Martha Stewart was looking for. Barrymore asked the businesswoman if there's anything that makes her feel "soft and gooey," which visibly perplexes her.
Martha Stewart didn't appreciate Barrymore's intimacy
Things get even more uncomfortable when Barrymore gets closer to Stewart, and proceeds to rub her arm while asking her questions. Stewart does not tolerate it for very long, and physically pushes Barrymore away from her. The businesswoman drly tells Barrymore that she's the "wrong gender" to be engaging with her so flirtatiously.
Martha Stewart is not the first guest to have this issue with Barrymore. The latter actually talked about her issues with physical boundaries during an August interview with Entertainment Tonight. She claimed it was "not her strong suit," and joked about how difficult it was for her to not be able to touch people during the 2020 pandemic.
Barrymore admits she needs to work on boundaries
Despite making light of her tendency to get touchy with guests, Drew Barrymore did get more candid about the topic during an interview with Armchair Expert host Dax Shepard, saying:
"I get in trouble for physical proximity on this show. I guess a lot of people say, like, 'You’re too touchy,' about me... I’m horrified when I hear that, and yet I can’t stop."
Barrymore told Shepard that she will make a pronounced effort to get better at setting physical boundaries between her and her guests. As evidenced by the Martha Stewart interview, though, Barrymore has more work to do.