Drew Barrymore Escorted Away by Renee Rapp as Alleged Stalker Rushes Stage: ‘I Need to See You’

Drew Barrymore experienced a frightening moment when an alleged stalker rushed the stage during her conversation with The Sex Lives of College Girls star Reneé Rapp at The 92nd Street Y in New York City this week. Footage of the incident is now circulating around TikTok.

Drew, 48, and Reneé, 23, met at the event on Monday, August 21, to chat about Reneé’s debut LP, Snow Angel, which was released on August 18. In one viral video that referred to the person as a “stalker,” Drew stopped mid-sentence when someone in the audience called out her name. “Oh my God, yes, hi!” she responded with a smile. 

However, Drew’s excitement quickly faded to confusion when the man, who appeared to introduce himself as Chad Michael Busto, began rushing toward the stage.

“You know who I am,” he said, walking just below the stage as security stopped him from getting closer. “I need to see you at some point while you’re in New York.”

Reneé took action as the man approached the stage, standing up calmly and ushering Drew out of her seat and off stage, their arms wrapped around each other. 

“Well that was –” Drew could be heard saying into her mic backstage just before it was cut off. A loud chatter began in the crowd as a woman stepped up to the podium to apologize and announced that they needed a minute. The video then cut to Drew and Reneé reentering the stage and sitting back down as the crowd cheered.

Though she seemed a bit flustered, Drew was all smiles as Reneé applauded her for handling the situation well. Likewise, Drew said she had “a new definition of [Reneé’s] sexiness” because of how swiftly she escorted the E.T. star off stage. 

“It’s that level of protectiveness! That went full bodyguard,” Drew said before standing up to lean in and hug Reneé. She added, “You are my Kevin Costner,” referencing the actor’s 1992 romance film The Bodyguard.

Neither Reneé nor Drew has publicly commented on the incident, so it’s unclear if they had any prior interactions with the man before Monday. The New York City Police Department did not respond to the incident and the man was not arrested, TMZ reported.

Many fans of Reneé are now praising her for her rapid response to the situation. In the comments of the video, one TikTok user wrote, “The way Reneé knew instantly and stood in front of Drew until she got up to make sure she was safe.”

Meanwhile, another person added, “Before he was even anywhere near them, Reneé was like, ‘Nope, this is not good, we’re out.’ That’s some good instinct.”