'Smell My Dirty Feet': Drew Barrymore's Bizarre Show Moment Leaves Viewers Gaping

Drew Barrymore's on-air foot sniff left viewers divided and critics aghast.

The moment was theatrical, intimate, and undeniably odd. During a light-hearted 'Drew's News' slot on her daytime programme, Barrymore removed a shoe, lifted her bare foot, and took a long sniff — before inviting co-hosts Sunny Anderson and Ross Mathews to do the same to prove a point about foot hygiene.

The exchange, which the show posted to its official site and YouTube channel, played as both a gag and a demonstration of the hostess's casual rapport with her desk partners. The clip has since circulated widely across social platforms, prompting questions about taste, consent, and the boundaries of live television.

What Happened on Air

On the 06 October 2025 episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, a segment titled 'How Often Should You Wash Your Feet?' opened with a discussion about foot-washing habits and a reference to experts urging more regular foot care. Barrymore, 50, known for mixing confessional asides with broad comedy, said she typically washes her feet infrequently and, to settle scepticism, demonstrated on camera.

She sniffed her own foot and then encouraged Anderson and Mathews to check for themselves; both leaned in and declared there was no noticeable odour. The programme's own video and accompanying page show the exchange in full.

Barrymore's justification blended humour with personal asides. She called her feet 'dirty but not smelly' and joked about practical reasons she avoids scrubbing them vigorously, citing slipping hazards in the shower and the juggling demands of parenthood.

The audience was then polled. The on-stage survey results shown on the programme suggested a large majority claimed to wash their feet daily, though Barrymore questioned whether some responses were performative. The segment ran under seven minutes in the digital clip.

Reaction and Ethical Questions

The clip quickly generated a backlash on social media, with many viewers describing the stunt as distasteful and invasive. Critics argued that thrusting a body part into another person's face, however jocular the context, raises issues of consent and personal boundaries, particularly on live television, where viewers may include minors.

Others defended the exchange as harmless banter in the tradition of cheeky daytime chat shows that trade in candid, bodily humour. Independent commentators and reaction videos amplified the debate within hours of the show airing.

While Barrymore's co-hosts visibly consented in the clip, the visual felt jarringly intimate to some viewers, prompting calls for clearer boundaries and gentler handling of physical humour in a family-facing timeslot. (This analysis is drawn from contemporaneous commentary and the programme clip itself.)

The Drew Barrymore Show has built a reputation on an unpolished, confessional tone: moments of spontaneous affection and occasionally awkward levity are part of its DNA. That informality is commercially successful: the show's digital clips routinely attract wide audiences and social engagement.

Yet that exact informality that endears the show to fans also creates moments that polarise. Producers must therefore balance the search for viral, candid content with audience standards and regulatory norms that govern broadcast decency and participant welfare.