Drew Barrymore's Mother Was Already Controlling The Star's Image At 7 Years Old
If there are two lessons Hollywood's taught us, it's child stars often go through a tough time later in life, and it's a bad idea to be managed by your mom. Drew Barrymore learned both but thankfully lived to tell the tale. According to Biography, Drew's career began at 11 months old when she starred in a dog food ad. Steven Spielberg's classic "E.T." made her s star by 7 years old.
Entertainment runs in the Barrymore genes, spanning back to the 1800s when Maurice Barrymore made his stage debut. Drew's grandfather, John Barrymore, was an esteemed actor — and a renowned alcoholic. Her father, John Drew Barrymore, was an actor and alcoholic, too, while her mom, Ildiko Jaid Mako Barrymore, chose the momager route. Jaid lived vicariously through Drew, using her celebrity status to gain access to all the hottest parties and clubs — with her pre-pubescent daughter in tow.
Drew talked about their tumultuous relationship during an episode of "Norm Macdonald Has a Show" (via Today). Her parents divorced when she was nine, leaving Drew in the care of Jaid, whose momager skills make Kris Jenner look like Mother Teresa. "She was more like my best friend," Drew said, explaining that when she was nine, her mom would give her the choice of going to Studio 54 or to school. In fact, Drew Barrymore's mother was already controlling the star's image at just 7 years old.
No pain, no gain
Drew Barrymore's mother, Ildiko Jaid Mako Barrymore, kept an iron grip on her daughter. Jaid appointed herself Drew's manager when she was a child, and she placed a lot of emphasis on her young client's appearance — as evidenced in a throwback video Drew posted on Instagram.
The clip shows a seven-year-old Drew, looking cute as a button, during an appearance on the Johnny Carson show. "Tell me if you notice this," she says, explaining it'd be easier to talk "without my teeth." As a confused Carson looks on, Drew whips out a row of false teeth from her mouth and breaks out into a wide grin, showing off the huge gap where her baby teeth had fallen out, and the permanent ones were still growing in. Drew said she wore the fake gnashers for TV appearances but that "they kill."
Drew's relationship with her mother became increasingly problematic as she grew older. She was totally living a sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll lifestyle at 13, thanks to her enabling momager. Still, eventually, it all became too much for Jaid to deal with. "I think she created a monster, and she didn't know what to do with the monster," Drew admitted on "The Howard Stern Show." Her mom was at such a loss that she threw her daughter into a psychiatric ward for a year, and the singer David Crosby took in Drew for a while after she was released at 14.
Motherhood brought empathy, understanding and love
After wild and troubled teens that involved highly questionable influences, multiple trips to rehab, and brushes with the law, Drew Barrymore completely turned her life around. These days she's a single mom of two, and Drew credits being a mother for her ability to forgive and reconcile with her own mom, Ildiko Jaid Mako Barrymore.
"I feel goodness toward my mom. I feel empathy and understanding," Drew told "The Howard Stern Show," explaining that Jaid has met her daughters but that she ensures "there's real boundaries and distance and a lot of respect" involved. Drew admitted that she doesn't blame her mom for placing her in an institution. "I really was out of control, and I forgive her for making this choice. She probably felt she had nowhere to turn," she said.
Meanwhile, in 2021, Drew announced she is done with movies for now. During an interview with Andy Cohen for his Sirius XM show "Radio Andy," she said she doesn't feel any burning desire to get back in the movie saddle anytime soon and wants to put her daughters first. "I stopped doing movies when my kids were born because I've done it since I was in diapers — at 11 months old is when I started — and it was a no-brainer to me to put making movies on a back-burner so that I can be present and raise my kids myself," Drew said.