When you grow up watching E.T., you see a tiny, blonde Drew Barrymore with pigtails and a scream that could wake the dead. She looked like the quintessential American kid. Behind the curtain, though? It was a mess. A total, absolute train wreck. Most of that chaos centered around her relationship with her mother, Jaid Barrymore. Because their history is so dark—we’re talking Studio 54 at age nine and rehab at thirteen—people often wonder about the current status of their bond. Or, more bluntly, is Drew Barrymore’s mother still alive?
Yes. Jaid Barrymore is very much alive.
As of early 2026, Jaid is 79 years old. She lives a relatively quiet life in New York City, a massive shift from the days when she was the primary fixture in the tabloids. But "alive" is a complicated word when it comes to the Barrymores. For decades, they were dead to each other in every way that mattered.
The Emancipation That Changed Everything
You can't talk about whether Jaid is alive without talking about the time Drew legally tried to "kill" their parental connection. In 1989, at just 14 years old, Drew Barrymore won legal emancipation.
Think about that.
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Most 14-year-olds are worrying about algebra or who to sit with at lunch. Drew was in a courtroom proving she could provide for herself because her mother had failed so spectacularly at the job. Jaid wasn't just a "party mom." She was the one taking her daughter to the wildest clubs in Manhattan when the kid should have been sleeping.
The court agreed: Drew was better off on her own.
Wait, Did Drew Say She "Couldn't Wait" for Her Mom to Die?
If you’re asking about Jaid’s health because of some headlines you saw a couple of years back, you’re probably thinking of the 2023 Vulture interview. It went viral for all the wrong reasons.
Drew was talking about the difficulty of healing when the person who hurt you is still around. She mentioned how some of her friends had "the luxury" of their parents passing away, allowing them to finally close that chapter. The tabloids pounced. They claimed Drew was wishing for her mother's death.
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Honestly, it was a gross misinterpretation.
Drew had to hop on Instagram almost immediately to clear the air. She looked right into the camera and told everyone to stop twisting her words. "I have never said that I wish my mother was dead," she told her followers. "I never would." She clarified that she was simply navigating the "real-time" struggle of growth while a complicated parent is still on the planet.
Where Does Their Relationship Stand in 2026?
Things are... better? Sorta.
It’s not a Hallmark movie. You won't see them baking cookies together on the The Drew Barrymore Show anytime soon. But they aren't at war anymore. Here is the reality of their current dynamic:
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- Financial Support: Drew has been open about the fact that she supports her mother financially. She’s often said she "can't turn her back" on the person who gave her life, regardless of the trauma.
- The Texting Phase: They communicate primarily through text. Drew has shared that receiving a "sweet" text from Jaid can still make her feel like a little girl, for better or worse.
- Boundaries: The biggest reason Jaid is still "alive" in Drew's life is because of boundaries. Drew has worked incredibly hard in therapy to forgive her mother without necessarily letting her back into the inner circle.
Why Jaid Chose the Path She Did
To understand Jaid, you have to look at where she came from. She was born Ildikó Jaid Makó in a displaced persons camp in West Germany to Hungarian refugees. She didn't have a roadmap for "normal." When she married John Drew Barrymore—a man with his own deep-seated demons—it was a recipe for disaster.
Jaid wasn't a monster; she was a woman who was out of her depth and, by many accounts, addicted to the spotlight her daughter provided.
The Actionable Insight: Healing From "Difficult" Parents
If you’re searching for information on Drew and Jaid because you have a "Jaid" in your own life, there’s a lesson here.
You don't have to wait for someone to pass away to find peace. Drew Barrymore is the living blueprint for that. She chose to forgive her mother—not because Jaid necessarily earned it, but because Drew didn't want to carry the anger anymore.
Next Steps for You:
- Define your boundaries: If a relationship is toxic, you can choose the level of access that person has to you (like Drew’s "text-only" approach).
- Separate finance from emotion: If you are supporting a parent, recognize that it is a choice of integrity, not necessarily an invitation for them to control your life.
- Stop waiting for an apology: Jaid may never fully "get" what she did wrong. Waiting for her to realize it is a trap.
Drew Barrymore’s mother is alive, and so is their complicated history. But Drew proves that you can thrive even when the person who raised you didn't know how to keep you safe.