Exes…what would we do without them?
Sometimes it can be difficult to stay friends with someone you once had a spark with, and
this can get even harder if you add the ups and downs of celebrity life.
In fact, there are some that are unable to work with their exes for a while after the
breakup.
However, certain old celebrity flames had shown us that being friends with an ex is
not only possible…
It can also be super fun!
That's the case for actors Drew Barrymore (reference: and Justin Long.
The couple met while shooting romantic comedy He's Just Not That Into You in 2007.
That year, they even planned the holidays with Drew's parents, something Justin even
mentioned on his website.
However, by summer 2008, the pair had called it quits.
Although there isn't an official reason why they split, E!News claimed it had been Barrymore
who broke up with the actor.
In fact, he was rumored to be so distraught that he pulled back from the movie Whip It,
Barrymore's directorial debut.
Justin was set to star in the film, but he didn't feel able to work with his ex-girlfriend.
A source told E!News at the time that Justin was too upset.
"She was hot and cold.
One minute she was in love with him and the next she wanted to break up with him."
Well, it seems both stars were able to work things out since in 2010 they found their
way back to each other after reuniting on the set of the film Going The Distance.
A source told Ok magazine that Drew had bowed not to break the actor's heart again.
"Drew knows how reckless she could be back then," the source explained, "but she's grown
up a lot over the last decade."
Apparently, Barrymore had realized Long was one of the ones that got away!
According to the source, she realized that Justin was funny, super supportive and genuinely
loved her for who she was.
She just felt so lucky that she got Justin back!
So back in 2010, Drew was determined to make the relationship work!
And not only that, but the source also claimed that friends of the actress were happy about
the news and they hadn’t seen Drew as happy in a long time.
She cares a lot about Justin and knows she's truly ready for a relationship with him – and
Justin feels the same way."
The media loved the pair partly thanks to their numerous displays of affection while
they were out on dates.
The couple was so in love that they even walked the 2010 Golden Globe red carpet together,
making the relationship official.
But, unfortunately, their relationship came to an end soon after.
In 2011, Drew Barrymore started dating Will Kopelman (reference, whom she married in 2012.
However, this wasn't the actress' first marriage.
In fact, it was actually her third wedding!
In 1994, when she was 19, Drew married Jeremy Thomas, a 32-year-old bar owner in Los Angeles.
The star must have regretted this move since she asked for divorce only 39 days later.
In 2001, Drew married fellow actor Tom Green.
However, they separated only 163 days later.
Barrymore's marriage to Will Kopelman, who is also an actor, was significantly longer.
They stayed together for four years and had two daughters before divorcing in 2016.
At the time, a source told People magazine: "They've had marriage issues for a while.
There was tension over where to live."
Apparently, Drew wanted to live in Los Angeles, while Will was more drawn to New York.
Years later, Barrymore opened up about the split in a 2021 interview with Machine Gun
Kelly on her talk show The Drew Barrymore Show.
"I went through a really painful divorce, and I wasn't doing very well," the actress
confessed.
"I had these two kids I had to fight for and I needed help.
The star explained she had even gotten mental health support to guide her through her painful
emotions.
We are very happy she was able to feel better!
So, we know Drew was married for 4 years after her relationship with Long.
But what did he do during that time?
Well, in 2013, he started a relationship with Mamma Mia actress Amanda Seyfried after she
reached out to him on Instagram.
Long had uploaded a photo of a snail with a funny caption, which she found hilarious.
The next year, in 2014, Justin even told People magazine they were "in it for the long haul".
However, they ended things only a year later.
A source told US Weekly the reason was that they had different schedules and different
lives.
The same source also said that Long was really heartbroken.
After his relationship with Amanda ended, Justin was rumored to date Lauren Mayberry,
lead singer of the band CHVRCHES (from 2016 to 2018.
However, in an interview with Lennyletter.com, Lauren explained that they were friends and
never actually dated!
She even claimed that she "can't stand near a man without people writing that!”
So, what happened to Justin and Drew's relationship?
Did they stay friends?
Or did resentment grow between them?
If you're a fan of the couple, you don't need to worry!
Long and Barrymore were able to stay friends and develop a terrific relationship.
The actor even talked about Drew on The Ellen Degeneres Show (reference , saying: "she's
the best...
She has this amazing ability to make anyone feel at ease."
In September 2018, a source told E!News that the two exes had been talking more.
The source also explained that Barrymore had "a fondness” for Long and that he had always
been in her life even if they weren't a couple.
In the end, even if they got closer, the on-and-off couple didn't get back together.
Since then, both stars have spoken well of each other.
In 2020, Justin told US Weekly that the invitation for Drew to appear on his podcast "Life Is
Short With Justin Long" is always open.
"Yeah, I mean, talk about just enjoying talking to somebody," he stated.
"She's a great conversationalist."
However, Justin made it clear that he likes to keep personal relationships separate from
interview topics.
"I wouldn't want to say anything that might be hurtful to somebody.
I wouldn't want to cause any pain or cause any negativity,” the actor explained.
That same year, the exes had a friendly exchange on Instagram, which some even took as flirting.
On March 29th, Paper Magazine posted a series of pictures of Justin, with the caption: "Might
get fired for this but.
F**k it.
Justin Long appreciation post."
Not long after, Drew commented on the post, saying: "Your not wrong!
He's great."
Instead of ignoring the comment, Justin replied: "Ah what do YOU know?!
I feel like I'm on an episode of This Is Your Life #HipMillenialReference.”
He added, "Texting you a great photo booth pic I just found during my quarantine clean!"
So it seems like they both keep in touch, at least through text!
So, has the ex-couple continued their friendship since 2020?
It sure looks like it!
In late July 2022, Drew invited comedian Mike Birbiglia (reference: to The Drew Barrymore
show and talked to him about Justin.
Birbiglia worked with the couple while filming Going the Distance.
At that time, they were dating.
The comedian recalled the paparazzi's presence on set, which could get a little distracting.
Drew confessed that she didn't understand the media's interest in her relationship with
Justin.
"I didn't get why we were ever an interesting couple," she said.
"Like, that didn't make any sense to me."
She even added that her and Justin are "not exciting."
Barrymore went on to describe her relationship with Long.
"We dated for many years.
I was very much in love with Justin.
You know why?"
the star asked.
"Because he's funny.
You want to know why he gets all the ladies?"
she asked her audience.
"Well, there's a few reasons, but the comedy is definitely…
He is one of the sharpest, wittiest...
He's brilliant, and he'll just knock your socks off with laughter."It's great that Justin
and Drew have been able to stay friends even a decade after their relationship!
Long is currently dating actress Kate Bosworth , which they revealed in December.
The new couple had decided to keep their relationship private before then, so it's unclear how long
they have actually been dating.
What we do know is that their Instagram pictures are incredibly cute and sweet.
And what about Drew?
On her talk show, the actress and host revealed that she has been single for 6 years, ever
since her divorce from Will Kopelman.
She also explained that she found dating while being a single mom challenging.
"I don't know how to date with kids, you know.
I'm not there yet.
I have two young girls, and I'm like, I don't want to bring people home," Drew stated, before
adding that it would take her a long time to meet someone and get to know them before
she could ever introduce them to their daughters.
Although she's single, Drew admitted that she hasn't shied away from going on dates.
"I'll go on an occasional date but that's only in the last two years," she said.
"It took me four years to get back out there and people have different processes and then,
enter a pandemic."
She went on to confess that she never wants to marry again and that she would like to
find someone who isn't interested in marriage or kids.
It seems likely that Long and Barrymore will continue being friends in the following years.
Here at Rumour Juice, we wish them good luck on their respective paths, and thank them
for this great reminder that exes can remain friends.