Drew Barrymore Is the Iconic Center Square on the New ‘Hollywood Squares’: See 1st Photo (Exclusive)

Drew Barrymore is taking center stage in the upcoming reboot of Hollywood Squares.

In Us Weekly’s exclusive first look, Barrymore, 49, is pictured inside the famed center square on the set of the game show. Barrymore, wearing a silk ivory button-down blouse and a matching tie, stands behind a gold podium with her name emblazoned on the front.

Barrymore is one of many celebrity panelists on the reimagined version of Hollywood Squares, hosted by sportscaster Nate Burleson. In addition to Barrymore in the center position, other squares will be occupied by Tyra Banks, Julie Bowen, Yvette Nicole Brown, Whitney Cummings, Akbar Gbajabiamila, Tiffany Haddish, Oliver Hudson, Pete Holmes, Gabriel Iglesias, Jo Koy, Jay Leno, Justin Long, Kevin Nealon, RuPaul, Andrew Rannells, Kristen Schaal, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, Sheryl Underwood and Jimmy O. Yang.

Hollywood Squares initially aired from 1966 to 1980, featuring contestants playing a game of tic-tac-toe for a chance to win cash and prizes. Each square on the game board is occupied by a different celebrity, who in turn answers questions posed by the players. The contestant then must decide whether the star gave the correct answer.

The game show was originally hosted by Peter Marshall with actor Paul Lynde in the center square. Prior reboots were hosted by John Davidson from 1986 to 1989 and Tom Bergeron from 1998 to 2004.

Barrymore’s participation in the latest iteration was confirmed in January.

“Drew’s already a part of our CBS family,” CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach said during a news conference. “She’s adorable, she’s engaging, she’s going to bring her friends under the squares. We think this is going to be a great 10 o’clock show for us. We now have a really solid Wednesday night of game shows to bridge the Survivor seasons.”

Fans watched Barrymore grow up in the spotlight with roles in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Never Been Kissed and more, and the beloved actress has since become an acclaimed talk show host. The Drew Barrymore Show was officially renewed for its sixth in August.

“The way it looks on the outside, it was an intimidating time. It was an intimidating job and there’s just no guarantees,” Barrymore told Us Weekly at the time. “I really did not think at certain points that we would ever get here. And so, it is such a gift to everyone doing the show because then they know they have some job certainty. We’re not going year to year.”

She added, “It gives us a huge sigh of relief. … This is the nicest, coziest, best gift to everyone making the show that we get to stay. And a lot of these jobs just don’t make it this far and there are no guarantees, so this isn’t like, ‘Oh yeah!’ It’s like, ‘Oh, thank goodness!’ This is such a gift and a privilege that I don’t take one thing for granted.”

Hollywood Squares premieres on CBS Thursday, January 9, 2025, at 8 p.m. ET and will move to Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET starting January 29, 2025.