Whitney Cummings Credits Drew Barrymore for Helping Her Through Postpartum Depression

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Comedian and actress Whitney Cummings opened up about her struggles with postpartum depression and credited fellow actress Drew Barrymore for helping her through a difficult time during a candid conversation on Barrymore‘s talk show on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025.

Cummings revealed she was in the “deep throes of postpartum depression” when she was invited to appear on the revival of the game show “Hollywood Squares” alongside Barrymore. Initially hesitant, Cummings said learning Barrymore was involved “snapped me out of it” and “really helped me a lot.”

“I needed to see other moms, like working and having fun, and that was a big healing moment for me,” Cummings shared. “I think I was just putting so much pressure on myself, and that really helped me just like release it.”

Cummings, who welcomed her first child in December 2023, said Barrymore made her feel “safe” during the experience. “I knew that even if I did suck, we’d make it funny and we’d figure it out,” she said. “Then, I was safe enough to be able to just feel like, ‘You can do this, and if you can’t do this, that’s also fine.'”

The comedian admitted she had been defining herself through her ability to perform and make people laugh, which added to her struggles. “I realized how much I defined myself through my ability to make people laugh or be smart or say the thing in the moment or remember the thing the fastest, and my brain was not working,” Cummings said. “I was so scared.”

Barrymore, a mother of two daughters, Olive and Frankie, with ex-husband Will Kopelman, also shared her own postpartum experiences. She described feeling “isolated” and “confused” after giving birth. “I didn’t know what was happening with me chemically,” Barrymore said. “I felt so confused in the most profound and beautiful ways after I had my kids. I didn’t know who I was supposed to be, and so I didn’t know how to work.”

The “Blended” actress first struggled with postpartum depression after the birth of her younger daughter, Frankie, in 2014. “It was just really challenging, and I felt overwhelmed,” Barrymore told PEOPLE in a previous interview. “I made a lot of decisions, and I definitely changed my work life to suit my parenthood.”

Both actresses emphasized the importance of support and community for new mothers navigating postpartum challenges. Their candid conversation resonated with fans, many of whom praised their openness about a topic that remains stigmatized.