Drew Barrymore dedicates cancer awareness talk show episode to Ross Mathews' late mom: 'She had such strength'

Drew Barrymore dedicated Friday's episode of her daytime talk show, which centered on breast cancer awareness, to someone very near and dear to her costar Ross Mathews: his late mom.

Mathews remembered his mother's battle with breast cancer during a new segment on the show called "Take Care Everywhere," which tackles health issues that people may be too uncomfortable with to discuss with their doctors.

"My mom was the best… My mom was named Gay Mathews. Can you believe it? Gay and gayer Mathews. She thought that was so funny," the queer star joked.

Then Mathews got serious. "She fought so hard with such dignity and went into remission," he said, "and in 2020, right before we met, she passed away."

An emotional Mathews, who held Barrymore's hand throughout the segment, said he learned "so much being up close and personal with her" throughout the process. "It was so heartbreaking, but it also taught me so much about strength and family and love. How strong she was and how much I loved her and still do. It was such a gift to have that time."

He added that the experience taught him the importance of "having the hard conversations" in life. "My job was always kind of to be the clown — make her laugh and let's focus on something else — but then we had to focus on it and it was a real challenge because I let her…" Mathews paused. "I watched her come to terms with it, and I didn't change the subject, and that was peaceful for her."

Mathews continued, "She had such strength through the whole process. The diagnosis, the treatment, everything."

Barrymore then recounted a childhood memory of Mathews' in which his mom would roll out a red towel and take photos of him as if he were attending an awards show. "Oh my god, you're gonna make me cry," he said, his voice breaking as he put a hand over his face.

In turn, Mathews shared a heartwarming anecdote about the time he took his mother on a gay family cruise. "For the first three days, she just walked up to people and said, 'Hi, I'm Gay.' And I didn't tell her until day three, 'Mom, they think you're coming out to them!'" he recalled. "But she thought that was so funny. She just loved humor. She dealt with everything with such a… I keep using the word dignity, because isn't that what we aspire to? And she really was the epitome of that."

"Can we please dedicate this show to her?" Barrymore asked.

A speechless Mathews then put his hand to his chest before pulling her into a hug.

Watch Mathews and Barrymore honor his mom in the clip above.

The Drew Barrymore Show airs weekdays on CBS. Check your local listings.

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