The pair got tattoos inspired by each other on Thursday’s episode of “The Drew Barrymore Show.”

Drew Barrymore and Zayn Malik get tattoos on her talk show: ‘It’s something I really need’

The pair got tattoos inspired by each other on Thursday's episode of "The Drew Barrymore Show."

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and NME.

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April 23, 2026 12:36 p.m. ET

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Drew Barrymore; Zayn Malik. Credit:

The Drew Barrymore Show

- Drew Barrymore and Zayn Malik just got tattooed on *The Drew Barrymore Show*.

- The pair got ink inspired by each other in a pre-recorded segment that aired Thursday.

- The interview comes days after Malik was hospitalized for an undisclosed illness.

Drew Barrymore and Zayn Malik just became tattoo twins.

The* Fever Pitch* actress, 51, and “Pillowtalk” singer, 33, took their friendship to the next level by getting some new ink inspired by each other in a pre-recorded segment that aired on Thursday’s episode of *The Drew Barrymore Show*.

“I started studying what your name means and one of the words that it means is ‘grace,’” Barrymore explained to Malik ahead of their appointment. “It’s one of the tattoos I’ve always wanted because it’s the thing I’ve got to start giving myself in a different way.”

Barrymore and Malik get tattoos.

The Drew Barrymore Show

It’s also a perfect way to pay tribute to Malik's and her own mental health journey. She added, “Putting your name on my body in the form of grace, I think, is going to change my life for the better. It’s something I really need.”

Malik, on the other hand, wasn’t as subtle with his Barrymore-inspired tattoo. “I chose to get your name in Arabic,” he revealed, causing Barrymore to giggle and kick her feet in the air from her own tattoo chair.

“I’m so honored!” she cheered as she pulled Malik into a hug. “I’m like, I’m so excited. I’m so honored.”

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Sitting back in her chair, she continued, “I’m very grateful because I hope that — if and when you ever look at it — we can both just step back and maybe believe in the fact that we’re trying so hard and giving so much. And where and when is it acceptable and necessary to put ourselves in the mix of all the priorities and care and all of that.”

The pair continued to chat throughout their session until it was time to reveal the final products. “Have you looked at your tattoo yet?” Barrymore asked Malik. He responded, “Yeah I have. It’s really nice. It’s clean lines.”

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The camera cut to reveal the pair’s tattoos, with Barrymore’s ‘grace’ on the interior side of her wrist and Malik’s ‘Drew’ on his forearm just below a checkered flag tattoo.

“It’s so perfect,” she said. Taking Malik’s arm to see the finished product, she continued, “Can I see yours? Oh, it’s so beautiful.”

The pre-recorded segment aired less than a week after Malik revealed that he’d been unexpectedly hospitalized due to an undisclosed illness on April 17. His team later announced that the One Direction alum would miss several pre-scheduled fan appearances across the East Coast as a result.

Barrymore and Malik's tattoos.

The Drew Barrymore Show

"To my fans — Thank you to all of you for your love & support now & always — been a long week and am still unexpectedly recovering," Malik wrote on his Instagram Story at the time. "Heartbroken that I can't see you all this week, I wouldn't be in the place I am today without you guys and am so thankful for your understanding."

The vocalist is still scheduled to embark on an arena and stadium tour supporting his fifth studio album, *Konnakol*, on May 12. The 36-date concert series, which concludes in November, is Malik’s first-ever solo headlining tour across North America, South America, Mexico, and the United Kingdom.

Barrymore and Malik’s tattoo-infused interview also comes just days after U.K. tabloid *The Sun** *reported that Malik punched fellow One Direction bandmate Louis Tomlinson while they were filming their untitled Netflix docuseries together. Tomlinson has since unfollowed Malik on Instagram.

Announced last October, the three-part docuseries was set to follow Tomlinson and Malik on a road trip throughout the U.S. and was described as "a spontaneous adventure of reconnection, exploration, and a lot of laughter." The project would have seen the pair reunite to discuss One Direction, the years after the band’s dissolution, and the unexpected death of their fellow bandmate Liam Payne.

The status of Malik and Tomlinson's docuseries remains unclear. Representatives for Netflix did not respond to EW's request for comment.

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