--- title: Drew Barrymore: Divorce Was 'My Worst Nightmare' description: Drew Barrymore talked with Ellen DeGeneres about why getting divorced was her worst nightmare canonical: https://time.com/4660115/drew-barrymore-divorce-family-kids/ author: Megan Lasher article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-02-03T21:46:57.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T09:04:40.468Z og:title: Drew Barrymore Talks Divorce and Raising Two Kids as a Single Mom og:description: 'I so wanted to raise kids in this ultra-traditional way' og:url: https://time.com/4660115/drew-barrymore-divorce-family-kids/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt269af72929c78e3a/6988b8c6f887dcf518e98f3a/drew-barrymore-divorce-husband.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3220 og:image:height: 1811 og:image:alt: Premiere Of Netflix's "Santa Clarita Diet" - Arrivals og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Drew Barrymore Talks Divorce and Raising Two Kids as a Single Mom twitter:description: 'I so wanted to raise kids in this ultra-traditional way' twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt269af72929c78e3a/6988b8c6f887dcf518e98f3a/drew-barrymore-divorce-husband.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Drew Barrymore Talks Divorce and Raising Two Kids as a Single Mom > Sponsored content. 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It is a free newsletter available at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-worth-2026q3/newsletters?i=5a07dfbc-1aa0-4512-a681-e6390749fb98&cr=time-nl-worth-2026q3-v1) by [Megan Lasher](https://time.com/author/megan-lasher/) ## Megan Lasher Feb 3, 2017 9:46 PM UTC  Actress Drew Barrymore attends the premiere of "Santa Clarita Diet" at ArcLight Cinemas Cinerama Dome on February 1, 2017 in Hollywood, California. Actress Drew Barrymore attends the premiere of "Santa Clarita Diet" at ArcLight Cinemas Cinerama Dome on February 1, 2017 in Hollywood, California. Jason LaVeris—FilmMagic/Getty Images by [Megan Lasher](https://time.com/author/megan-lasher/) ## Megan Lasher Feb 3, 2017 9:46 PM UTC Actress [Drew Barrymore](http://motto.time.com/4656392/drew-barrymore-plastic-surgery-beauty/) has been in the public eye for most of her life, and her newest project, [_Santa Clarita Diet_](http://ew.com/tv/2017/01/27/santa-clarita-diet-timothy-olyphant-interview/)_,_ is propelling her into even more headlines. But in between her claims to fame, Barrymore had two daughters and went through a [tough divorce](http://motto.time.com/4327055/drew-barrymore-divorce-failure/). “It was just like my worst nightmare. I so wanted to raise kids in this ultra-traditional way and do everything so the polar opposite of my experience,” Barrymore [told Ellen DeGeneres](http://www.eonline.com/news/826354/drew-barrymore-talks-about-raising-her-2-kids-after-divorce-you-just-figure-it-out-with-grace) of her divorce. But she’s still doing pretty well at mastering the art of parenting: “It really is about the tone you set and you can talk until you’re blue in the face but kids watch what you do every single day of your life, all day long, and that behavior and that example and that love and community and honesty is just, I think what’s making everything feel safe for my kids,” she said. “And that’s really the intention I had as a parent, was how do my kids have this incredible sense of like, freedom inside their heart, because they know I’ve got them and their dad’s got them and the \[rest of their family\].” \[H/T [E! 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