She grew up in front of the cameras, but no one protected the child behind the wide, mischievous smile. By eight, Drew Barrymore was drinking. By thirteen, she was in a mental institution after a suicide attempt. The world saw a precocious star; she felt only chaos, loneliness, and adults who treated her more like a ticket than a daughter. When her mother placed her in a strict facility, it felt like betrayal—yet, in time, Drew realized it gave her the structure and boundaries she’d never known. At fourteen, she made the radical choice to legally separate from her parents and start over on her own terms.
The industry that once discarded her watched in disbelief as she clawed her way back: cleaning toilets, waiting tables, then slowly reclaiming Hollywood as a producer, actress, and eventually talk-show host. Motherhood became her quiet rebellion—creating the safe, grounded home she never had. Today, with financial success, creative freedom, and hard-won peace, Drew Barrymore stands as proof that a broken beginning does not define the ending.