Drew Barrymore’s couch has seen tears, laughter, and the occasional full-blown therapy session disguised as daytime TV. It is where Hollywood meets healing, and sometimes, surprise history lessons. Last year, Ariana Grande stopped by, not with an album drop, but with wide eyes and a heart open to magic. What unfolded was part concert lore, part movie-worthy memory, and part wand-waving wonder. Because when Grande and Barrymore meet, the unexpected is practically guaranteed.
While most celebrity meet-cutes happen backstage, Grande and Barrymore’s began mid-Katy Perry chorus, with heart hands, spotlights, and a memory sealed in glitter.
Ariana Grande’s dreamy first encounter with Drew Barrymore
Ariana Grande described the surreal moment she first met Drew Barrymore like a scene lifted straight from a dreamy pop music video. “We finally locked eyes during Katy Perry’s Roar
,” Grande said on The Drew Barrymore Show
, her voice still tinged with awe. A graceful figure reached across the row.
“This beautiful presence
,” Grande recalled. That woman? Drew Barrymore. Perfect timing, punctuated by a power chorus.
ariana grande on the drew barrymore show 🩷 pic.twitter.com/krpdXH5GzR
— domonic (@kbyefornow) December 5, 2024
“We held hands like this across the row
,” Ariana Grande continued, fingers interlaced in demonstration. As Katy Perry’s chorus climbed, Drew Barrymore
silently made a heart with her hands
, a gesture so gentle yet unforgettable, it may as well have come with glitter confetti and slow motion. It was not just a celebrity run-in; it was a musical meet-cute.
In a sea of concertgoers, two icons found each other, framed by stage lights and a power ballad.
While one moment at a concert sparked a heart gesture, another on a talk show summoned tears, with a vintage wand and full-circle magic worthy of Oz itself.
Drew Barrymore gifts Ariana Grande a piece of Wizard of Oz, and the tears were real
On The Drew Barrymore Show
, Barrymore pulled off a plot twist worthy of Oz itself, unveiling the original 1939 Wizard of Oz wand
, loaned from a private collector.
Ariana Grande, now playing Glinda
in Wicked
, was visibly emotional. “Are you serious right now?
” she asked, eyes wide and watery. Barrymore beamed. “You look so perfect with it
.” And just like that, a vintage prop turned into a generational bridge between Billie Burke and Grande’s past and present, wand and all.
Drew Barrymore surprises Ariana Grande with the original Glinda wand from ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ pic.twitter.com/VTI0QIL8t8
— Pop Base (@PopBase) December 3, 2024
In true musical-theater fashion, Ariana Grande broke the teary tension with humor. “Thank you guys, it’s been fun. Bye!
” she quipped, mock-strutting off with the wand like a sparkly sorceress. It was playful but poignant, the kind of full-circle moment that makes a segment soar. With one vintage relic, Drew Barrymore connected decades of pop culture Glindas, and Grande sealed her own place in that lineage. From stage to screen to studio couch, the magic remained intact.
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What are your thoughts on Ariana Grande’s meet-cute with Drew Barrymore and her real-life Glinda moment? Let us know in the comments below.