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Drew Barrymore on Her ‘AARP The Magazine’ Cover: ‘It’s So Beautiful!’

Behind the scenes as the star joins what she calls the ‘cool-kids club’ of 50-plus Americans

Donna Freydkin,

AARP

Published January 27, 2025

NEW YORK — Sitting in the audience of The Drew Barrymore Show feels like being part of an enthusiastic, vocal and supportive sisterhood.

To see Drew's reaction to her AARP The Magazine cover, tune into The Drew Barrymore Show on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. Check local listings for air times.

The star’s syndicated talk show, which airs daily, tackles challenging issues such as substance abuse, difficult mother-daughter relationships, aging and mental health. But on this freezing late-January day, the audience is all women, and the show is devoted to all things menopause. Naomi Watts, 56, and Brooke Shields, 59, are on hand to promote their topical new books and their own experiences with mood swings and night sweats.

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AARP'S CEO Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan, Drew Barrymore and Brooke Shields

AARP'S CEO Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan, left, Drew Barrymore and Brooke Shields in front of the February/March cover of "AARP The Magazine."

CBS

The taping at the CBS Broadcast Center in midtown Manhattan takes roughly an hour plus, and it showcases Barrymore in all her candid glory. Clad in a tan pantsuit and chunky heeled loafers, she exudes unbridled enthusiasm for the topic. Being proactive and informed about menopause symptoms made her feel less alone and “less dreadful,” Barrymore says during a panel discussion with Watts, Shields and psychiatrist Judith Joseph, M.D., and OB GYN Suzanne B. Gilberg‑Lenz, M.D.

“I didn’t really even understand what my symptoms were,” Barrymore says. “I figured I was starting to get a fever.”

Drew Barrymore and Booke Shields share a few laughs during a taping of "The Drew Barrymore Show." The episode covered the topic of menopause and airs Monday, Jan. 27.

CBS

Menopause is part and parcel of aging, and Barrymore is an advocate for educating yourself and communicating with your doctors. But despite the challenges of going through menopause, she loves being on the cusp of 50. “I’ve never been more happy, clear-headed, functional,” she tells the audience about approaching her milestone age. “I’m starting to let go in ways that I’ve only dreamt I could ever.” Her sense of personal well-being aside, hitting the half-century mark will make her a member of AARP, which is dedicated to the needs of the 110 million Americans who are 50-plus.

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“It’s kind of the cool-kids club, I’m now realizing,” says Barrymore, a mom of two who cracks lighthearted jokes throughout the taping. The show takes an even sweeter turn when Barrymore — who turns 50 on Feb. 22 — is presented with a blown-up version of her AARP The Magazine cover for the February/March 2025 issue.

Helping her mark the moment is AARP The Magazine’s April/May 2024 cover star Shields, along with AARP’s new CEO, Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan. Barrymore is visibly thrilled.

As the audience cheers, whoops and claps, Barrymore revels in the reveal. There she is on the cover, clad in pink, looking cozy and smiley and unmistakably like herself. “I’m so glad that you picked this image,” she tells Minter-Jordan. “It’s so beautiful!” Minter-Jordan, in turn, welcomes Barrymore to “the AARP family. We’re so excited to have you.”

Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan welcomed Barrymore to the AARP family: “We’re so excited to have you!”

CBS

Philadelphia’s Karlene Burrell-McRae, 52, the dean of Bryn Mawr’s undergraduate college, is in the audience for the cover reveal. “I’m here to celebrate the glory of what it means to be in our 50s and beyond,” she says. “Fifty is the new 30. I think it’s wonderful that folks are celebrating that there’s so much more life to be had, particularly for women. To be able to flourish is a gift.”

Burrell-McRae is catching up with Wendy Petties from Flushing, Queens, who is approaching her 56th birthday. “I am grateful and gracious and living life to the fullest,” she says, equally pumped for Barrymore’s birthday. “Every time I say my age, I say it with joy and pride, and I am so grateful to have this opportunity. I’m so excited for her because there are so many things you do differently when you turn 50. So many things that you do not care about. Welcome to the club.”

Donna Freydkin has spent 10-plus years interviewing celebrities for major publications, and has written for a variety of outlets such as USA Today, Allure, Yahoo! and CNN covering topics such as films, family and favorite meals.

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