Drew Barrymore Embraces Aging and Being a Middle-Aged Woman

Drew Barrymore poses outside while wearing a dark blue suit with a white shirt and a blue and white polka dot tie — (Image credit: Jason Howard/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Images)

Drew Barrymore isn't afraid of turning 50. Instead, the actress is welcoming the milestone and all that her next decade brings.

In AARP The Magazine's February/March 2025 issue (via People), Barrymore discussed her upcoming 50th birthday, which takes place on Feb. 22. The talk show host revealed that she plans to spend the special day with daughters Olive and Frankie, as well as doing "some real middle-aged woman sh*t."

In fact, the 50 First Dates star seemingly has no reservations about getting older, telling the outlet, "It can't come soon enough," she explained. "I feel like Frodo [in The Lord of the Rings]: I see that brass ring and I'm so excited! I have no issues with aging—this is the happiest I've been in my life."

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AARP The Magazine also shared a YouTube video of Barrymore, in which she said, "You just realize you're gonna live X amount of years, if you're lucky, and I would like to live the second half of my life like the B side of a record, not the same way as the A side."

Barrymore continued, "My whole life I've been worried and stressed and, like, happy and having the best time ever. I would have never guessed that I would feel peace." The Blended star started crying, and said, "This last decade has been the most ass-kicking and furthering of my life, and it is finally bringing peace."

Drew Barrymore wears a suit and tie and holds up a sign that says looking for my sweats — Drew Barrymore plans to celebrate her 50th birthday by doing "some real middle-aged woman sh*t."

After ‘Ass-Kicking’ Decade, Drew Barrymore Embraces Life at 50 - YouTube

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Earlier this year, Barrymore opened up about her incredible career, which started when she was just a child. "If I had tried to give advice to my younger self, I wouldn't have listened!" the Charlie's Angels star told People. "When you're young, you think you know everything, and I was very stubborn and rebellious, so I not only didn't listen to advice, whatever advice I got, I just basically did the opposite."

Barrymore also got candid about the lack of parenting she experienced while growing up. "I really parented myself, so I am not mad at my mom or dad," the Going the Distance star explained. "I was more disappointed in my own parenting." Despite the tumultuousness of her youth, the actress reflected on what she learned while growing up, saying, "I think kids really need to feel safe, and so when I see (this little girl), it's like the first time in my life where I think I'm finally figuring out what it really takes to take care of kids because I didn't know what that was when I was a kid."

Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.