Drew Barrymore is diving into another difficult conversation on her talk show, this time with Selma Blair over threats that were sent to the host years ago.
The “Legally Blonde” actor joined “The Drew Barrymore Show” for a powerful “healing moment” after learning that someone pretending to be her once sent multiple “poison pen letters” to Barrymore.
“I hear from a detective who said, ‘We know this is not you... but someone has been writing letters to Drew Barrymore, many poison pen letters, signed by Selma Blair,’” she told Barrymore in a backstage segment released on Wednesday.
Blair said she’s held onto “heartbreak” and fear” over the incident, which only intensified after learning that all roads lead back to her father, Elliot Beitner. In her recent memoir, “Mean Baby: A Guide to Growing Up,” Blair discussed her strained relationship with her dad among other painful moments throughout her life, including addiction issues and her multiple sclerosis diagnosis.
“Eventually, long story short, [I] found out that it was someone involved with my father and he was letting this information get to her,” Blair shared on the show. “Then, when he found out it was her, he chose her and didn’t believe me.”
Although Blair’s father later took some responsibility for the betrayal, she said the two “never had a real make-up” before his death in 2012, adding, “once I found out it was him, I had to cut him out.”
She went on to add: “He did something so unthinkable to me. I would never call him dad again, really.”
Blair also revealed that after landing a part for a film early on in her career, filmmakers received letters from someone claiming to be her agent. This person alleged she was a “heroin addict,” which she also suspected came from her father.
Beitner knew that the former “E.T.” star was her “childhood favorite,” which was why Barrymore was targeted in the letters, Blair explained.
“The letters went to you I assume because he knew what you meant to me,” she said, to which Barrymore responded, “I totally thought it was random!”
Barrymore never received the toxic missives and only learned about them once she got her hands on Blair’s new book.
“I found out about the letters, then I received your book and then I was like, ‘Fuck this, I’m going after her. I have to talk to her, I wanna heal this moment’,” Barrymore said.
She continued, “It wasn’t real for me on my side nor would I ever doubt you, and actually have been a total fan of you on the side.”