Drew Barrymore breaks down over deeply emotional revelation

Drew Barrymore shares therapy breakthrough behind deeply personal tattoo

By Maryam Nadeem January 08, 2026
Drew Barrymore breaks down over deeply emotional revelation
Drew Barrymore breaks down over deeply emotional revelation

Drew Barrymore never hides her emotions, and her meaningful new ink shows just how personal her journey has been.

On the January 7 episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, the 50-year-old Hollywood favourite revealed the deeply personal meaning behind the three sardines tattooed on the inside of her forearm. 

Fighting back emotion, she explained the tiny fish represent herself and her two daughters, Olive, 13, and Frankie, 11, whom she shares with ex-husband Will Kopelman.

But there’s more to the design than meets the eye. 

Surrounding the sardines is a larger, softer fish, a symbol of the woman Drew says she’s become today.

Opening up about a breakthrough moment in therapy, the Scream actress admitted she’s learning to hold space not just for her children, but for her younger self too.

“One of the sardines is me as a young girl,” she shared, reflecting on years spent being her own harshest critic.

She went on to speak candidly about parenting, confessing she once believed in “demand, demand, demand,” a mindset shaped by her own turbulent childhood and strained relationship with her mother, Jaid.

Now, her focus is firmly on letting her kids be kids. 

“Putting the time in – that daily investment – that’s everything,” she said.

For the unversed, the tattoo, first inked in 2023 alongside Savannah Guthrie, is more than body art. 

For Drew, it’s a permanent reminder of healing, growth and breaking generational cycles.

RELATED: Drew Barrymore states aging 'not something to fear' at 50