Martha Stewart was forced to push Drew Barrymore away after the actress got a little too up close and personal during a new interview.
The 83-year-old businesswoman appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show to promote her new cookbook - her 100th book overall.
The awkward encounter occurred when the 49-year-old TV host - who is known for getting all up in her guests' personal space - asked Stewart if anything made her feel “soft and gooey” on the inside.
The businesswoman repeated the question, apparently confused, and then answered: "Treatment."
"Soft and gooey treatment?" Barrymore asked, and Stewart agreed, with the actress adding: "When you’re treated like a lady?", to which the 83-year-old responded: "Yes, that’s nice."
Watch the moment below:The Charlie's Angels star then proceeded to move closer to Stewart, as she patted the lifestyle guru’s back and stroked her arm up and down. “Yeah, it’s nice,” Stewart said, staring directly at the audience.
“Someone comes in and...”, Barrymore continued until Stewart interrupted her and playfully pushed her backward on the enormous couch, saying: "You’re the wrong gender."
"I know," the 50 First Dates actress jokingly groaned as she laid back. She also quipped: "The way it’s going with men though, Martha, I’m not so sure anymore."
Many social media users weighed in on the exchange and criticized Barrymore for her overly affectionate interviewing style.
"I love Drew Barrymore but im so glad someone finally told her to back off. There's absolutely no need to be that close to anyone you're interviewing. I would be so uncomfortable," one user on X said.
"Why is @DrewBarrymore like this with all guests it’s so weird??? like personal space PLEASE. Martha clearly wasn’t liking it learn to back off of the guest isn’t comfortable," a second blasted.
"Good!! Drew has NO concept of personal space or boundaries," a third added.
Drew has faced criticism for being overly touchy with her talk show guests.
Last year, she received complaints for caressing and holding Oprah Winfrey’s hand during an interview. She also faced backlash for being too touchy-feely in an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris in May.
According to the Scream star, she’s working on the “physical proximity” between herself and her guests.
“I don’t know if I can break the habit, either,” she explained, cited by The Independent. “I guess a lot of people say like, ‘You’re too touchy,’ about me. And I’m like, ‘Oh that’s so…’ talk about shame and embarrassment. I’m horrified when I hear that, and yet I can’t stop."
She seemed to suggest that her hands-on approach is an expression of “joy", explaining: “I think that first of all we’re always gonna be big on joy and laughter and feeling good, and that was something I always wanted to do, but I never thought we would launch in a pandemic, and trying to lean into the joy and the feel good and the comedy at that time was real weird and wacky," per The New York Post.
“I am so into working on myself as a person that I think that’s always gonna be a big part of the show: ‘How do we live a life? How do we thrive and not just survive?’” she continued. “I love listening to people. I love learning from people. I’m a student. I will never not be a student.”