Drew Barrymore explains why she can go 'years' without having sex

Drew Barrymore is celebrated for her refreshingly unfiltered personality, including the time she opened up about a personal aspect of her sex life.

Her candid remark about sex followed a revelation from Andrew Garfield, who had shared he abstained from sex for six months while preparing to play a Jesuit priest in the 2016 film Silence.

Set in the 17th century, Garfield fully immersed himself in the role. He explained that he adopted strict lifestyle changes, developed new spiritual rituals, and committed to celibacy for half a year to authentically portray the character.

But Barrymore wasn’t too impressed or awed by the admission, quipping that six months ‘wasn’t that long.’

Drew Barrymore shared a candid confession on her show (John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images)

Speaking about Garfield's revelations during an episode of The Drew Barrymore Show in 2022, she asked co-host Ross Matthews: "What’s wrong with me that six months doesn’t seem like a very long time? I was like, ‘Yeah so?’"

Matthews joked that he had 'abstained' from sex for his 'entire twenties.' Teasing the real takeaway from the exchange, he quipped: “We buried the lede there, that’s the headline. Drew can go six months, no big deal.”

The talk show host then raised the stakes even further, adding: “Oh, years.”

As of 2026, the Charlie’s Angels star does not have a confirmed public romantic partner. She hasn’t been in a long-term relationship since her divorce from Will Kopelman in 2016, with whom she shares two children, and has spoken openly about her cautious approach to dating and enjoying the independence single life brings.

More recently, the 50-year-old Drew Barrymore Show host said she feels ‘grossed out’ by the idea of dating a man in his 20s, even though significant age gaps in Hollywood relationships seems to be quite common.

Barrymore is currently single (Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)

Barrymore said she’s had a ‘bad run’ in her love life, but insisted she has no interest in having a younger boyfriend.

During a segment on her talk show, Ross said: “Can everybody remember that dating is supposed to be fun? You know, like, go out and just have fun.”

Barrymore quipped: “Can you tell the men I go on dates with that? Because they have lost the memo. I love to, like, date from Psychos.com. I’m not kidding. I’ve had a bad run.”

Sunny Anderson then asked if Barrymore had ‘tried [dating], like, the 20-somethings?’

But Drew quickly rejected the idea. “You know what? No. I’m totally grossed out by that. No, I have children and it seems wrong now.”