Oprah Winfrey has spoken out about that viral moment between her and Drew Barrymore when the star appeared on a recent episode of her talk show.
On Tuesday, Barrymore welcomed the entertainer to her eponymous talk show where the pair discussed various topics, including the importance of quality time, the beauty of romance, and the film industry.
In one particular segment, the pair delved into how Winfrey values spending time with her audience outside of filming time on her shows.
All the while, Barrymore held onto her hands and caressed her arm while saying: "Something that I learned about you, because I didn't know this detail was that you would spend time with the audience outside of the show you were filming. And one thing that I've done is spend time with the audience every day. And I had felt guilty for it."
Oprah Winfrey appeared on Tuesday's episode of The Drew Barrymore Show. Credit: Arturo Holmes/GettyThe 69-year-old responded: "My crew used to be like: 'Oh my god, how much time is she going to spend talking to that audience?! Would she please let the audience go so we can let the next audience in?!'"
Taking her hands back and using them while speaking, Winfrey added: "Sitting with the audience [is necessary]... That's why I was complimenting you on how you got through it [during the Covid-19 pandemic]... because you're not getting their energy."
However, after the video of the segment was posted to Instagram, showing the host clinging onto Winfrey's hands in an attempt to be close while talking, it gained some unwanted attention for being "cringey."
"The hand hold and the arm being caressed is past my boundary," wrote one user in the comments of the video.
"Why is she so touchy feely it's very uncomfortable to watch," another added.
A third described the entire thing as "cringe" stating: "If you go on this show, just know that she will give you ZERO personal space. This clingy, close talking, hand holding, worshipping every guest is so cringe."
"She's really creeping me out now. It's just [too] weird," this user also said.
Have a look at the clip below:In response to the backlash, Winfrey has now spoken out about the issue during a quick interview with TMZ - and it turns out he was absolutely fine with Barrymore's actions.
"I was actually comforted by the stroking of the arm. I was not uncomfortable at all," she said before adding that even though she had "never seen [Barrymore] do that," she "thought it was really great."
She continued: "Drew is terrific, and I love that she is always herself."
She even went on to make a joke about wanting partner Stedman Graham to do the same saying: "I went home and told Stedman, 'You’ve gotta stroke my arm. Stedman, I need to be stroked on the arm.'"
So there we have it guys, Oprah Winfrey likes arm strokes and Drew Barrymore likes giving them.