Drew Barrymore And Madison Beer Open Up About Suicide
Drew Barrymore and Madison Beer recently found themselves bonding over some of the lowest points in their lives. The 24-year-old singer appeared on yesterday’s (April 26) episode of The Drew…
Drew Barrymore attends the 2023 TIME100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 26, 2023 in New York City. Madison Beer poses in the press room at Dolby Theatre on March 27, 2023 in Hollywood, California.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for TIME/Frazer Harrison/Getty ImagesDrew Barrymore and Madison Beer recently found themselves bonding over some of the lowest points in their lives. The 24-year-old singer appeared on yesterday's (April 26) episode of The Drew Barrymore Show to promote her memoir, The Half of It: A Memoir.
The singer-songwriter told the talk show host that she wrote the memoir because she was "struggling alone for so long," Beer said. "And I feel like I didn't have anyone that was being open with it. I felt like I was just by myself in this." The "Good In Goodbye" singer thought there was something "severely wrong" with her to feel like the only person in the industry to feel that way. She quickly found others were going through the same things when discussed in private.
That led the New York native to write her book. Relating to the young woman's story, Barrymore decided to share her own journey on levels that are "very difficult to talk about." She thanked her guest for discussing the topic of mental health, adding that she wants to make her feel safe because she's been there.
RELATED: Drew Barrymore Fears ‘Getting Locked Up Again’ After Past Struggles
Asking Beer about her attempts at taking her own life, the singer said things caught up with her that she never wanted to acknowledge or face. "I feel like I was putting on this facade," Madison said. Days turned into months, which turned into a year of this "suicidal ideation mindset." She described it to be "very normal" to have those thoughts at the end of every day until she went through with at least two attempts at taking her own life.
"It was, thankfully, obviously unsuccessful," she continued. "It just all became too much and that’s when I also decided, 'OK, clearly there’s something more for me to live for.' I wasn't successful and I want to do something with that. I want to be able to say I made the choice to live and, what am I gonna do now? What does that mean?"
Madison said it became so "normal that sitting on a balcony and debating jumping off was just something that I kind of did." Upon reflection and writing about it, she realized what she was doing was a "big deal." Drew said she was so desperate to "leave the Earth" because she didn't know where else to turn. Following a suicide attempt at 13, Barrymore’s mother had her hospitalized, an experience she recalled as being committed to a "full psychiatric ward" for a year and a half.
Watch the interview below:
Jennifer Coolidge, Pedro Pascal Among 2023 TIME100 Most Influential People
Time Magazine unveiled its 2023 TIME100, an annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. From actors to musicians to leaders and innovators, the people chosen on this list are those who have been well-respected in the industry for a long time. Others are starting to get their shine due to new projects and gaining recognition.
See which of your favorite entertainers made the top 100 list this year.
Drew Barrymore
Paul Morigi/Getty ImagesHer longtime friend and sometimes rom-com co-star, Jimmy Fallon had some nice words to say about Barrymore. He says, "When I say this woman can do anything in the world, I mean, this woman can do anything in the world." She has a beauty line, Flower Beauty, a kitchen appliance line, Beautiful By Drew, and of course, her daytime talk show. Fallon described Drew as someone who sees no limits and actually loves a challenge.
Ali Wong
JC Olivera/Getty ImagesWong's 'Always Be My Maybe' co-star Randall Park and her go way back -- to their college days. He says he admires the 'Beef' star's "strong sense of self." Wong is committed to her comedy craft and the people dear to her in life.
Austin Butler
Arturo Holmes/Getty ImagesAngela Bassett loved Butler's performance in 'Elvis' and knew he put in so much work into his performance. She said he offered a perspective on the musician so viewers can just see the artist's journey "through a different lens. Austin accomplished this with a brilliantly nuanced performance."
Aubrey Plaza
Frazer Harrison/Getty ImagesPlaza's 'Parks and Rec' co-star Amy Poehler called her work over the past decade "acutely truthful and always surprising." She added that Aubrey loves an outsider and roots for the underdog. "She has learned the glorious freedom that comes from not wanting your approval."
Salma Hayek
Arturo Holmes/Getty Images"Salma is a great observer and feels everything deeply," Penelope Cruz says. "She’s strong yet sensitive, and she can read people very well." The 'Bandidas' co-star is most proud of Hayek always being entirely herself. "As one of the first Latinas working in Hollywood, she’s opened so many doors for people who followed. She is a total revolutionary, and there’s still so much she will do."
Zoë Saldana
Arturo Holmes/Getty ImagesSaldaña's 'After Sex' co-star Mila Kunis calls her "the ultimate bada-- in the entertainment industry." Zoe has been a trailblazer for women and people of color in Hollywood, "advocating for greater diversity and representation," Kunis adds.
Jennifer Coolidge
Amy Sussman/Getty ImagesCoolidge's 'The Watcher' co-star Mia Farrow recalls a recent text she sent that is SO Jennifer Coolidge. “Let’s make a video where you and I are beating the sh-- out of each other… Does that seem too desperate???” Of the "national treasure's" recent recognition of her acting work, Farrow is happy people love her "eccentric mannerisms, hilarious improvisations, and, most of all, aching vulnerability."
Ke Huy Quan
Arturo Holmes/Getty ImagesBefore this year, most people remembered the actor as a boy in 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.' Between the 38-year gap, Tom Hiddleston was in awe of his "triumphant return with his soul-stirring, multiverse-jumping, Oscar-winning performance as Waymond in 'Everything Everywhere All at Once.'
Pedro Pascal
Arturo Holmes/Getty ImagesThe "mommy" to Pascal's "daddy," Sarah Paulson was the perfect person to do his feature. After all, she's known him for 30 years and has his number. She calls him "the whole motherf---ing deal." Sarah assures us that Pascal is everything we hope he is: "powerful, soulful, hilarious, goofy, capable of having the deepest conversations, willing to hold your hair back when you’re sick, and in possession of the broadest shoulders to lean on. He is no figment—he’s real."
Doja Cat
Amy Sussman/Getty ImagesDoja's at the top because she works to bring "everything she does to the highest possible level." She is "creatively plugged in" to the internet, personally connecting with her fans. Most importantly, there’s no “brand” to Doja Cat. "You never know what she’s going to do next."
Elon Musk
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/VogueTime notes that in 1999, he was just another "Silicon Valley techie with a startup." But he soon distinguished himself when he landed rockets on platforms in the ocean, pioneered the electric-vehicle revolution, and changed how we think about energy in many forms. And of course, these days he owns Twitter. Time called it "a nonstop grievance tantrum we must all endure."
Natasha Lyonne
Dia Dipasupil/Getty ImagesNot far off from her 'Poker Face' character, Taika Waititi describes Lyonne as someone who is a brilliant liar. "The more you get to know her, the more you realize that spinning tales and telling stories is in her blood."
