Two days after a man who identified himself as Chad Michael Busto interrupted an event Drew Barrymore was part of at 92nd Street Y, he was arrested in Southhampton, New York as he reportedly went door to door looking for the talk show host.
James Kiernan, the Southampton Chief of Police told Variety that Busto was arrested and “temporarily detained,” and he’s since been released. According to Southampton Town Police Lieut. Todd Spencer, via EW, they received reports that Busto had been on the actress’s property. However, when they found him he was “in the vicinity” of her home.
Busto was reportedly steps outside of Barrymore’s home on Long Island when he was arrested, according to sources who spoke to the NY Post. The article also noted that the 50 First Dates star was not home when this all went down.
Before this happened, the man identified as Busto was at 92nd Street Y during Barrymore’s event where she was interviewing Reneé Rapp. He yelled out the talk show host’s name, and said:
I’m Chad Michael Busto, you know who I am. I need to see you at some point while I’m here in New York.
Rapp and the security team were quick to act and stop this interaction from escalating. The Sex Lives of College Girls cast member put her arm around Barrymore, and the two walked backstage. Meanwhile, based on the video of the situation, two security officers escorted the man away from the stage and out of the building.
Later, the two women returned to their seats on stage, and Barrymore told Rapp, via CNN:
Well, I have a new definition of your sexiness, it’s that level of protectiveness. That went full ‘Bodyguard.’
The Charlie’s Angels star then told the “Snow Angel” singer that she was her “Kevin Costner,” and Rapp responded by laughing and saying “I’ll be that.”
While Reneé Rapp made a name for herself on Mindy Kaling’s Sex Lives of College Girls, and she’s set to lead the cast of Mean Girls: The Musical as Regina, she’s also a rising musician. To celebrate her debut album Snow Angel she and Drew Barrymore took the stage at 92nd Street Y to talk about it.
As Rapp’s career takes off, Drew Barrymore has also seen new success in recent years through her talk show The Drew Barrymore Show. It was renewed for the 2023-2024 TV season, and it shifted from a one-hour block to two half-hour blocks last year. While we know the actress for rom-coms like Ever After, these days, she’s been thriving on TV as she hosts this daytime show.
At the moment, we don’t know what will happen to Drew Barrymore’s alleged stalker. However, as the situation develops, we’ll be sure to keep you posted. In the meantime, you can consult the 2023 TV schedule to see when The Drew Barrymore Show will return.
