Fans can expect nothing but fun times with Drew Barrymore on the new reboot of the classic game show Hollywood Squares.
“I want to get out and run around! I want to yell at people!” Barrymore, who will sit in the famed center square on the upcoming series, exclusively shares in the latest issue of Us Weekly. “I’ll pull out a hair extension.”
Hollywood Squares originally aired from 1966 to 1980, with previous reboots running from 1986 to 1989 and 1998 to 2004. The show sees contestants play a tic-tac-toe game to win cash and other prizes. The twist? The squares are occupied by celebrities who give answers to questions posed by the contestants. However, the players must determine if the stars’ answers are correct or not.
Following in the hosting footsteps of Peter Marshall, John Davidson and Tom Bergeron is Nate Burleson. “We’re here to tip our hat, pay homage to those who have come before us and take this show into the future,” he tells Us.
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Joining Barrymore, 49, in the X’s and O’s this season are stars such as Julie Bowen, Tiffany Haddish, RuPaul, Drew Carey, Tyra Banks, Yvette Nicole Brown, Oliver Hudson, Gabriel Iglesias, Jay Leno, Justin Long, Sheryl Underwood and Jimmy O. Yang, to name a few.
Hollywood Squares has been a game show “favorite” of Barrymore’s for several years. “People like to feel like they’re a part of a party,” she tells Us. “I didn’t understand that until E.T. came out [in 1982] and I saw people congregating and having a collective experience. People lie to be together and they want to laugh and be happy, and then when it comes to the game, they want to win and have stakes.”
As for what makes Barrymore and Burleson, 43, giggle the most on set? “Laughing with each other and at each other,” Burleson shares. “That’s why Hollywood Squares has been on for 60 years.”
He continues: “Think about it: You’re at home seeing people you admire cracking jokes. At the same time, you’re yelling at the screen because the contestants don’t know the answer or you’re mad they went up top instead of going down low on their tic-tac-toe strategy. It gives you the chance to [feel] all of these feels.”
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Both Barrymore and Burleson have busy TV schedules, also serving as the host and cohost of The Drew Barrymore Show and CBS Mornings, respectively. But when it comes to taking time off, Barrymore jokes that her ideal day-off plans are “boring.”
“I’m a single lady with four cats, so I like to be alone with my cats. I enjoy remote controls in one hand, nachos in the other, watching the Food Network,” she tells Us, to which Burleson adds, “Or [watching] a movie you’ve seen 1,000 times. Sometimes you need to watch something you’ve seen already just to relax into it — familiar and cozy, just like this show.”
Until Hollywood Squares premieres on Thursday, January 9, fans can continue to catch Barrymore on her eponymous talk show, which was renewed for a sixth season last year. “I really did not think at certain points that we would ever get here,” she says of returning for the 2025/2026 TV season. “And so, it is such a gift to everyone doing the show because then they know they have some job certainty. We’re not going year-to-year.”
She adds: “This is such a gift and a privilege that I don’t take one thing for granted, and I’m really excited for everyone who works on the show to take a sigh of big relief.”
Hollywood Squares premieres on CBS Thursday, January 9, at 8 p.m. ET and will move to Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET starting Wednesday, January 29.
With reporting by Lanae Brody
