{"id":6005,"date":"2026-04-04T22:00:02","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T22:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsnowtrendi.xyz\/?p=6005"},"modified":"2026-04-04T22:00:03","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T22:00:03","slug":"from-cleaning-toilets-and-mental-institution-to-hollywood-stardom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsnowtrendi.xyz\/?p=6005","title":{"rendered":"From cleaning toilets and mental institution to Hollywood stardom"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Started drinking at 9<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

By the age of eight, the young star was already calling herself a \u201cparty girl,\u201d tagging along with her mother and her friends on nightly outings \u2014 sometimes five nights a week. By 11, she was struggling with alcohol, and by 12, she had spiraled into full-blown addiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her chaotic lifestyle landed her in rehab at just 12. But at 13, tragedy struck: the young girl made a desperate suicide attempt, leading to an 18-month stay in a mental institution where she battled drugs and alcohol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reflecting on that time, she later admitted:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201dWhen I was 13, that was probably the lowest. Just knowing that I really was alone. And it felt\u2026 terrible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Afterward, the star spent three months living with singer David Crosby and his wife. Crosby explained that the stay was necessary because she \u201dneeded to be around some people that were committed to sobriety.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, her rebellious streak persisted. She ran away, wrestled with anger, and came to realize that her parents\u2019 flaws had contributed to her turbulent path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Locked up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Surprisingly, she found some value in the institution her mother had placed her in. It was a harsh environment, and the actress had no chance of leaving for a year and a half.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201dMy mom locked me up in an institution. But it did give an amazing discipline. I needed that whole insane discipline,\u201d she revealed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She describes her time at the facility as \u201cthe best thing\u201d that could have happened to her. \u201cIt taught me boundaries. Until that point, I had none,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By 14, the teen actress took the extraordinary step of legally divorcing her parents. She moved into her own apartment at the age of 15<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the loneliness and turmoil of her youth, she held onto a belief in goodness, refusing to let the darkness consume her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hollywood, however, wasn\u2019t kind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cleaning toilets<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After her early success, she found herself unemployable at 15. By 16, she was cleaning toilets, working odd jobs, and waiting tables \u2014 far removed from the glitz of her child stardom. Yet she carried no bitterness, remembering her father\u2019s advice: \u201cExpectations are the mother of deformity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her twenties brought a mix of rebellion, adventure, and reinvention. Two marriages and divorces, wild TV appearances, including dancing on David Letterman\u2019s desk, and a rediscovery of her youthful spirit shaped this chapter of her life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She eventually became the queen of romantic comedies, starring in classics like The Wedding Singer<\/em>, Never Been Kissed<\/em>, and 50 First Dates<\/em>, charming audiences with her perfect mix of vulnerability, humor, and quirkiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And now, maybe you know who I\u2019m talking about? That\u2019s right \u2014 it\u2019s none other than Drew Barrymore.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Barrymore\u2019s career soared, motherhood shifted her priorities back in 2012.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She then stepped back from Hollywood to focus on raising her daughters, Olive and Frankie, with then-husband Will Kopelman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What really pissed people off<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After Barrymore revealed she\u2019d rather stay home with her children than spend all her time on movie sets \u2014 while still running her successful beauty brand \u2014 she faced backlash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From whom? \u201cWomen!\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor saying, you can\u2019t have it all. But that\u2019s not what I meant. I absolutely believe you can do anything you want; I just realized I can\u2019t do everything at once. Trying would mean a poor result, and that really pissed people off.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Drew Barrymore, Olive Barrymore Kopelman and Frankie Barrymore Kopelman attend Baby2Baby Holiday Party Presented By The Honest Company on December 13, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stefanie Keenan\/Getty Images for Baby2Baby)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

She says the chaos of her early life pushed her to be the kind of mother and role model she never had. Her father, actor John Drew Barrymore, was violent and struggled with alcoholism. Her mother and manager, Jaid, was born in a displaced persons camp in Germany to Hungarian World War II refugees. She was a free-spirited, but a reckless parent with little sense of responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why Drew created a warm, screen-free home, instilling strict rules while cherishing family moments, movie nights, shared meals, and quiet conversations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t have parents, I was the parent to them. It was all totally upside-down,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drew Barrymore net worth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2023, Barrymore relocated to Manhattan to keep her children closer to Kopelman. Today, she\u2019s not only a successful actress but also a businesswoman and real estate owner. According to Celebrity Net Worth, she\u2019s worth $85 million \u2014 roughly half from her acting career, with the rest coming from her business ventures and property investments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She hosts the daytime talk show The Drew Barrymore Show and over the years, she has often spoken about what it was like to be a movie star as a child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201dIf I had tried to give advice to my younger self, I wouldn\u2019t have listened!\u201d she told People in 2024. \u201dWhen you\u2019re young, you think you know everything. I was very stubborn and rebellious, so I didn\u2019t just ignore advice \u2014 I basically did the exact opposite of whatever anyone told me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Drew Barrymore\u2019s journey from a troubled child star to a beloved Hollywood icon is a story of resilience, courage, and transformation. Turning 50, she reflected on her life and revealed how much she now values her freedom and independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201dYou know how sometimes you just feel ready? Like, deep in your bones, something shifts, and you realize \u2013 you\u2019re stepping into a whole new season of life, and it actually feels right?\u201d she wrote in a personal essay for US Weekly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201dThat\u2019s me. Right now. Fifty years old. And I have to say\u2026I think I love it here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drew Barrymore didn\u2019t just survive her chaotic past \u2014 she turned it into a story of triumph, proving that even the wildest beginnings can lead to a life of love, laughter, and enduring success! Feel free to share this story on Facebook if you also think Drew is an inspiring woman<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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