Nelson twins recall saving 11-year-old Drew Barrymore from 'creeps' at club

Drew Barrymore narrowly escaped a harrowing fate when she was just 11 years old, according to her self-proclaimed saviours, the Nelson Twins.

In an interview with Page Six published December 15, Matthew and Gunnar Nelson — the brotherly duo behind American rock band Nelson — recalled the incident, which allegedly occurred during a night out in 1980s Hollywood at a popular LA club.

“There was a club in Los Angeles called Helena’s, and it was the hot spot — Prince went every night. It was his hand,” Matthew told the outlet. While there, they were shocked to run into the child star. 

“She was a little girl. Maybe 11. Her mother was a piece of work — she took her there, basically, to get into the club,” Matthew alleged. When they saw the “really sweet little girl,” the brothers thought to themselves, “We need to help this little person.”

“There were a bunch of creepy guys coming up,” Gunnar chimed in, explaining that he and his brother sat on either side of Drew and told them to “f*** off.”

“Drew never forgot that,” Gunnar added.

The brothers made the revelation while promoting their new memoir, What Happened to Your Hair?, the memoir delves into the Nelson twins’ experience growing up in Hollywood as the third generation of rock icons; their father was Ricky Nelson, and their grandparents were Ozzie and Harriet Nelson.

“We had a rough childhood,” Gunnar admitted, noting, “We could have been Hollywood statistics, like so many before us, especially sons and daughters [of stars].” Helping each other stay grounded, the brothers eventually developed an instinct to protect others growing up in the industry.

In addition to the Drew Barrymore incident, the memoir revisits tough moments such as their father’s death in a devastating plane crash and their own rise to fame with hits like After the Rain.

As for Barrymore’s own troubled relationship with her parents, the Charlie’s Angels star was granted emancipation from her parents at the age of 14, shortly after which she cut her mother Jaid out of her life.

However, by 2021, the mother-daughter duo found their way back into each other's lives.

“I feel goodness toward my mom. I feel empathy and understanding,” she told Howard Stern in March 2021.