Drew Barrymore's interview with David Letterman still remains one of the wildest moments in TV history
Drew Barrymore made a saucy statement while appearing on the 'Late Show With David Letterman' in 1995. The former child actor surprised the seasoned host with a raunchy dance performance for his birthday inspired by Vladimir Nabokov's book 'Lolita'. "I'm Lolita," she said sensually. "You're Lolita?" Letterman asked stunned. "Yeah, and would you like me to do a dance for you?" she questioned before climbing on his desk pulling her top, and flashing for him. At the end of the dance performance, Barrymore also planted a kiss on Letterman's cheek. "Look at that man!" the television host uttered visibly shaken after the impromptu birthday gift.
Barrymore explained what exactly prompted her risqué behavior further on the show, she disclosed going to a 'nude art club' named Blue Angel run by a woman named Udi for her 20th birthday celebrations. The 'E.T.' actress then confessed to dancing naked on top of a table in front of "few friends and strangers" calling the experience "liberating." "Yeah, it's a nude performance dance art place," she revealed. "I'm sorry, it's a... What is it called?" Letterman asked surprised. "It's run by this lady, Udi, who's like this great lady who's cool." She continued, "You get up on stage and you take all your clothes off." "Tell me that's not true. Please tell me you didn't do that. Did you do that?" the veteran host asked flabbergasted. "Yeah, I did," Barrymore replied candidly.
"And were there people in the club?" Letterman continued to ask in shock. "Mm-hmm." Barrymore nodded her head. "All friends or strangers?", he prodded. "Some friends, some strangers," she answered. The 'Blended' actresses' striptease performance was witnessed by millions at home that night and it was also aired in real-time on a Sony JumboTron in Times Square and the Ed Sullivan Theater. As per Entertainment Weekly, in 2015, Barrymore said she was thankful the late-night host let her contentious moment come off as graceful rather than a disaster on television. "It was scary. Especially with my little dance number, which was completely spontaneous and not calculated in any way—he let the audience know it was okay," she confessed.
In 2018, Barrymore returned to the Ed Sullivan Theatre and discussed the viral experience while appearing on the 'Late Show With Stephen Colbert', " In this particular theatre I did something, particularly with Mr. Letterman", she said. However, the 'Santa Clarita Diet' actress acknowledged feeling ashamed and referred to the incident as a "distant memory." "It's like a distant memory that just doesn't seem like me, but it is me, and that's kind of cool." At the same time, the mother of two admitted that she had changed from her wild younger self to a completely different person now.
The provocative television moment has since haunted the talk show host and similarly, while appearing on 'The Howard Stern Show' in 2019 the '50 First Dates' actress had to recall once again that her moves on the show were not scripted in any way. Calling it an 'outer body' moment she said, "You can see me up there as if I am on a train that I don't know where it's going."
