Shocking moment ‘stalker’ rushes the stage while Drew Barrymore is giving talk

50 First Dates star Drew Barrymore had to be escorted away from an event in New York after a man rushed the stage while she was giving a talk.

Barrymore appeared alongside actor and musician Reneé Rapp at 92nd Street Y in New York yesterday (21 August), when the two women got together for a chat about Rapp's music before she performed songs from her debut LP, Snow Angel.

Footage from the event shows the women deep in conversation before a member of the crowd suddenly shouted 'Drew Barrymore' at the stage, causing the actor to look up in shock.

"Oh my god, yes? Hi!," she said, looking over at the side of the stage where the man was approaching.

The man went on to identify himself as 'Chad Michael Busto', adding: "You know who I am. I need to see you at some point while you're in New York."

TikTok/@vidsofcelebs

Rapp was clearly concerned as the man approached, moving forward in her seat before jumping up and grabbing Barrymore around the waist.

A member of security rushed out on the stage to attempt to block the man as he walked along the front of the crowd, while Barrymore and Rapp made a swift exit away from the stunned, silent crowd.

The video was later shared online with a caption which claimed the man was a 'stalker', and that he'd been escorted out of the venue after the incident took place.

Posts shared by The 92nd Street Y indicate the event continued on as planned after the man was removed from the building, with Rapp performing tracks from her album as promised.

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Barrymore has not spoken out on the incident since it happened, but it thankfully didn't appear to ruin the mood as fans later shared posts describing the event as 'amazing'.

"Tonight changed my life," one fan wrote. "Thank you Renee and Drew for inspiring me I love you both so much."

Fans were left shocked by the man's brazen approach during the event, with one Twitter user writing: "LEAVE CELEBRITIES ALONE! They’re just people."

Another added: "There needs to be way better laws that deal with stalking," while a third said: "Omg? Poor drew!! She doesn’t deserve this!! Sending lots of love her way!! Hopefully people stop stalking her!!"

Back in 2006, another Barrymore fan was charged with sending threatening letters laced with fake anthrax to the actor because she wasn't responding to his letters.

The letters also contained photographs of Barrymore.

Topics: Celebrity, Drew Barrymore, New York, Crime

Emily Brown

Emily Brown is UNILAD Editorial Lead at LADbible Group. She first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route - before graduating with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University. Emily joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features. She went on to become Community Desk Lead, commissioning and writing human interest stories from across the globe, before moving to the role of Editorial Lead. Emily now works alongside the UNILAD Editor to ensure the page delivers accurate, interesting and high quality content.