Justin Long says his love for ex Drew Barrymore will never disappear: 'I'll always root for her'

Justin Long and Drew Barrymore have a bond that even a failed romance can't break.

On the latest episode of fellow actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson's Dinner's on Me podcast, Long spoke about his enduring love for Barrymore, whom he dated from 2007 to 2010. "I don't think love — unless there's some great offense, some criminal offense — I don't think love disappears," the Barbarian star said. "I mean that about [Barrymore]. When I think of her, I have such deep affection and I'll always root for her and I just, I love her."

Long also reflected on his emotional reunion with Barrymore in 2022, when he appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show — marking their first time seeing each other in two years. The previous time they'd crossed paths, he said, "I was single, and we had that moment where we were trying to define [how we'd be] moving forward in each other's lives, because we have so much love for each other. At the end of the day, we are dear friends… And then the pandemic happened."

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

But when Barrymore and Long reconnected on her daytime talk show, it was as though no time had passed. They hugged, opened up about their "hedonistic" romance, and joyfully reminisced. Long said he got so caught up in their connection during the show that he "forgot" about the cameras.

"When you're with Drew, she is so hyper-present and loving. But it's not a schtick — it's not an act,” he told Ferguson. "So being on her show was that experience and the reminder of that, and how just wonderful that glow feels. And then you turn and there's an audience of people watching."

Long added, “That was the only strange juxtaposition of like… I know her so well and when I'm with her there's such a familiarity that I swear to God, Jesse, I forgot the nature of the thing. I forgot the public nature of it. And then you kind of snap out of it, and then people like have a reaction in the audience and you're reminded of like, 'Oh yeah, cameras! This is being filmed.'"

Barrymore and Long had dated on and off for several years, while also starring together in the romantic comedies He's Just Not That Into You (2009) and Going the Distance (2010). They ultimately called it quits, and Long is now happily married to Kate Bosworth.

As for how his wife felt about Long discussing his continued love for his ex, he affirmed that it was not a big deal.

"A lot of people said to her actually, 'How did you feel about that? It just makes me sound thoughtless, but I didn't consider that it might be a really weird thing for her until I heard people's reactions," Long said of the Barrymore interview. "And it was so not weird for [Bosworth] that I was with her and she was like, 'Oh my God, Drew posted this thing about me on Instagram.' And I was like, 'What was it?'"

He explained, "It was in response to Kate, who had sent her this big thing of flowers and a really loving note. I didn't even know that. She didn't even tell me. She's just that kind of thoughtful person."

Months after Long's appearance on the show, Bosworth stopped by for her own interview with Barrymore and admitted to encouraging Long to do the show in the first place.

"I said, 'You have to do it!' I was like, 'Yes, yes you have to do it,'" Bosworth recalled. "I was so excited because I knew there's so much love between the two of you."

Listen to Long on Dinner's on Me above.