Drew Barrymore worried she would 'tarnish' Kamala Harris' career with talk show interview: 'Sick to my stomach'

Drew Barrymore is reflecting on “the scariest conversation” she’s ever had on her talk show: her viral interview with Vice President Kamala Harris.

While speaking at The Paley Center’s An Evening With Drew Barrymore on Monday, the actress confessed that she felt “sick to my stomach” over the idea of potentially derailing Harris’ career in any way, shape, or form during the politician’s visit to The Drew Barrymore Show last April.

“I told [CBS Mornings'] Shawna [Thomas] and Gayle [King], 'All I want to do with Kamala is have this be a more personal experience, not just for her, but the whole thing,'” Barrymore explained. “I want to disarm. I want to take the armor off. This isn't about talking about issues like that. This is not the place for that.”

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The actress noted that she had no way of knowing that Harris would replace current President Joe Biden on the Democratic presidential ticket just months later. However, her concerns still lingered. 

“All I kept thinking was, if you do one thing to screw up this woman’s path — and you are the clown to do it — and if you do one thing that makes her look bad, or becomes a gap, or just does something to… [interviewing] is such an art,” Barrymore said. “How do you get so personal? I've never… that's the scariest conversation I've done on the entire show's history.” 

She continued, “I was like, if I tarnish this woman… I wanted to see her be fun and disarmed, but I was like, what if I do one thing that's goofy and she plays along, and I've led her down a bad path? That was making me so sick to my stomach, but I wasn't going to give up trying to [do it].”

The “good news,” Barrymore said, was that she didn’t have to pull any gimmicks because Harris wasn’t guarded during their conversation. The wide-ranging interview saw the pair discuss the importance of friendship and laughter, why it’s pivotal to vote in this year’s election, and how Harris became “Momala” to her husband Doug Emhoff’s children, amongst other topics. 

“As we say, she came to play,” moderator Nate Burleson added. To which Barrymore responded, “She really did. And it was an electric connection. It was one of the most ignited, exciting experiences of my life, and it was about something that she lives every day, which is how to not get it wrong.” 

Still, despite Barrymore's best intentions, her interview with Harris did receive pushback online, with some criticizing the physical aspect of her interviewing style as well as her comment about how the country needs the maternal energy of “Momala” right now. Former View co-host Meghan McCain later described the interview as a “personal therapy session,” adding, “It’s disrespectful, and it’s disrespectful to our presidency and vice presidency.

The Drew Barrymore Show airs weekdays on CBS.