To the shock of many, Drew Barrymore and Will Kopelman announced that they have decided to divorce. Now we’re finding out the alleged reason behind the split between the low-key couple.
According to Entertainment Tonight and People Magazine , Barrymore and Kopelman couldn’t agree on where to raise their children. Kopelman is from New York, while Barrymore is a “wildflower” from California. The difference in preference reportedly caused tension in a marriage that was riddled with issues. A source told People that the pair “had marriage issues for a while.”
Another insider said that while Drew is a “free spirit,” Will always “wanted things his way.”
It’s said that Drew and Will have been talking about getting a divorce since October, prior to it being publicly announced in April of this year. When the news broke, Kopelman and Barrymore issued a statement about their painful decision to divorce after four years of marriage and two children, Olive, 3, and Frankie, 1.
“Sadly our family is separating legally, although we do not feel this takes away from us being a family. Divorce might make one feel like a failure, but eventually you start to find grace in the idea that life goes on.”
As of right now, the family will continue to live in New York in a ritzy Upper East Side residence, since Olive is currently in school.
This is on the heels of Drew Barrymore’s new book Wildflower , a series of personal essays that document Barrymore’s most memorable moments. In the book, she described dating Will briefly, and a few years down the road, they met again and were ready to take it to the next level. In the book, she said it wasn’t love at first sight, but it seems like Drew fell in love with Will’s parents, as she writes lovingly about his mother and father.
Back in January, Barrymore said that her in-laws are the happy family she never got to experience as a child.
At the time, she told Marie Claire , “I didn’t think I would ever get to experience that. This is so safe and positive and healthy because they have their values intact. It was huge for me. And that’s what I want for my family.”
She also discussed her complicated relationship with her mother, Jaid.
Clearly conflicted, Barrymore said, “I’ve always been empathetic toward my mom, and I was even more so when I had a kid and we had a really amazing conversation about it.”
She continued, “However, it hasn’t enabled me to lessen the distance. It’s the hardest subject in my life. I’ve never just been angry with her. I’ve always felt guilt and empathy and utter sensitivity. But we can’t really be in each other’s lives at this point.”
It wasn’t long before Barrymore returned to social media. After the announcement that she was getting a divorce, Drew posted to her personal Instagram page about her expanding business Barrymore Wines. In a caption, she spoke about the debut of the new rosé she’s putting out and Popsugar’s involvement in getting the word out.
The last time she posed with her soon-to-be ex-husband was 11 months ago. The two were celebrating three years of married life together.
[Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for GLAAD]