Drew Barrymore’s Advice For Spending Thanksgiving Alone

Movie star and talk show host Drew Barrymore revealed her advice for people who won’t be spending Thanksgiving with family. After her breakout role in the sci-fi film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Barrymore starred in numerous movies and TV shows, including Scream, Charlie’s Angels, The Wedding Singer, 50 First Dates, Grey Gardens and Santa Clarita Diet.

Over the past five years, she has hosted her own daytime talk show. While backstage at The Drew Barrymore Show, the actress-turned-host was asked to give advice for anyone spending Thanksgiving alone.

Barrymore knows firsthand what it’s like to be alone on the November holiday. She chooses not to feel bad about her circumstances, instead embracing the moment and reframing it into a relaxing day for herself.

I spent most of my Thanksgivings alone. And then I realized two things: if I was alone, I didn’t feel bad about it, I loved it! A moment to myself. So I reframed it.

One way to do that is by reading a book in its entirety on Thanksgiving. It makes the reading experience more memorable because “that way, it was always the day I read that book. You can book club yourself.“

And another great thing that I used to do, I would read a book from front to back, and that way it was always the day I read that book. You can book club yourself.

There have been some years when she turned the holiday into a Friendsgiving, a concept popularized over the years by shows like Friends.

The best way to celebrate Friendsgiving is to “eat pizza or Chinese food, and you theme it out,” with football providing the entertainment along with the company of friends.

Or I do a Friendsgiving. Everybody potlucks it. Or you eat pizza or Chinese food and you theme it out, and you just watch football and you hang out with friends.

Barrymore’s personal life and relationships have been the topic of much speculation and reporting over the years. She’s been married three times: to Jeremy Thomas from 1994 to 1995, Tom Green from 2001 to 2002, and Will Kopelman from 2012 to 2016. She’s also dated musician Fabrizio Moretti and actor Justin Long, among other public figures.

Barrymore shares two children with Kopelman: Olive, born in 2012, and Frankie, born two years later in 2014.

Aside from interviewing and cozying up to celebrities on the couch of her talk show, Barrymore, who has starred in multiple movies with Adam Sandler, has also used her daytime platform to open up and be vulnerable about her personal life, including relationships.

She’s admitted that she’s very happy being single, so spending Thanksgiving without a partner is not only a common occurrence for the actress, but she seems to relish the alone time that it provides.

After experiencing low ratings, The Drew Barrymore Show saw a viewership spike after undergoing a format change, with Barrymore herself winning the 2025 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Daytime Talk Series Host, 43 years after starring in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

Based on the success her show has seen lately, and her comments on Thanksgiving, it’s clear that Drew Barrymore will continue using her platform to give advice, relate to her viewers and be her authentic self, no matter what anybody thinks.

The Drew Barrymore Show airs weekdays. Check your local listings for the time and channel.