An affair that caused a political scandal.
Forbidden love.
Resented for her success.
A jealous husband and a failed marriage.
She almost became the first Jewish princess.
Barbra Streisand's love life has been nothing short of a scandal.
Stay tuned, Juicers, because we're going to take a deep dive into Barbara's search for
love and how it caused an international uproar.
At just 19 years old, Barbara's hard work as a singer in nightclubs garnered her an
opportunity to audition for a play called "I Can Get it For You Wholesale."
As fate would have it, that's just how she met her first husband.
Elliot Gould was the leading man in the production, and during her audition, he felt an instant
connection with the young singer.
He was completely struck by her presence, sharing, "She's presenting herself just like
how I think and feel about me,"
Barbara asked the casting director to call her with news from her audition and gave out
her number, and Elliot knew exactly what he had to do.
"Streisand announced her phone number, and she said, 'Would somebody call me?'
I remembered her number and I called her."
It was love at the first audition.
If you ask us, Elliot sounds like he was completely smitten.
And he was.
They both had a lot in common as rising stars in the movie-making business, and they bonded
over their shared passions.
It didn't take very long for the young pair to spark up a relationship, and soon they
were living together.
The 1962 show on which they met went on to be a huge success, which was a great step
forward for both Elliot and Barbara.
They became a beloved celebrity couple, and Gould didn't hold back when it came to gushing
over how happy he was with Streisand.
"The happiest memories I have of Barbra are when we were living together before we were
married."
The couple married in 1963, and Barbara gave birth to their son, Jason, three years later.
Unfortunately, their marital bliss was short-lived, and it was rumored that their relationship
was already on shaky ground around the time that they had their son.
Initially, when they had first met, they were both in the same place in their careers.
But it seemed that the world fell more in love with Barbra than it did with Elliot.
She was the brighter star of the couple, and her career quickly skyrocketed, leaving her
husband behind.
Rather than being referred to as Mr. Gould, he was often called Mr. Streisand instead,
and he didn't like that her success was overshadowing his.
The actor wasn't shy about sharing his thoughts about his wife's success.
He explained during an interview that it was difficult to be married to "someone who was
married to their success."
He also didn't understand why Barbara enjoyed life in the spotlight so much.
He admitted that he had no understanding of "why anybody would want to make themselves
into something that isn't real.
Why would anybody want an identity that makes itself an illusion bigger than life?"
So, unable to live under his wife's shadow anymore, Barbra and Elliot separated in 1969
and eventually divorced in 1971.
Reflecting back on their relationship in a 2020 interview, Gould shared, "We didn't grow
together, and the reason for that was because she became more important than us."
Despite coming off as a seemingly jealous and resentful husband, he also shared that
he understood that they were both very young when they met and got married, and they went
as far as they could together.
He also claimed he has no hard feelings about their marriage and is grateful for what they
had together, especially their son.
However, Barbara's rising stardom might not have been the only reason the couple parted
ways.
There were rumors that their divorce might have been caused by Streisand's rumored affair
with "Funny Girl" co-star and Egyptian actor Omar Sharif . The actress won an Oscar for
starring in the 1968 film, but as it turns out, that wasn't the only reason the movie
garnered a lot of international attention.
During the making of "Funny Girl" in the late '60s, Barbara and Omar's affair was no secret.
In interviews, Sharif had admitted to wanting to change his life for Streisand — even
willing to convert to Judaism but not willing to move to New York.
"I loved Barbra for three months," he admitted, "She was crazy."
But it seemed that not everyone was rooting for the romance.
Barbara was still married to Elliot at the time, and Omar was married too.
So, their affair was already shrouded in secrecy.
However, that was before the international-political scandal was ignited.
"Funny Girl" was eventually banned from some international theaters because the idea that
an Egyptian actor and Jewish actor were co-starring as lovers on screen was forbidden in some
countries.
In fact, according to the Los Angeles Times, the pair's onscreen kiss was so scandalous
Sharif nearly lost "his Egyptian citizenship."
Their affair stands as one of Hollywood's biggest global stars in history, but they
continued with their romance despite a huge protest from both of their home countries.
Let us not forget the wrath that a Jewish mother can have - and no doubt Barbara's mother
was furious too.
In June of 1967, the Israeli-Egyptian Six-Day War broke out, and in the midst of the huge
political and military fall-out, the photograph of Omar kissing Barbra was publicized all
over the world.
This infuriated both governments and the public.
The backlash from the movie and their affair should not be underestimated.
The actress even feared for her life and was guaranteed a heavy police presence of three
hundred security guards because of the uproar of the movie and her affair.
The protection was later reduced to thirty guards, leaving her extremely uncomfortable
going out in public.
Barbara also explained that the affair was the reason she didn't perform on stage for
twenty-seven years.
During her romance with Omar, she was so stressed that it caused her to forget the lines to
three of her songs at a concert in front of 150,000 people in Central Park.
But, just as they wrapped shooting for the film, the affair fizzled out.
The actress later admitted that given the charged atmosphere of making the film, it
was difficult to put those feelings to one side once filming had ended.
So, the lovers parted ways, much to the relief of their homelands.
Although if this teaches us anything, it is that love should have no bounds - political,
racial, religious, or otherwise - and it's a shame that their relationship was bashed
by the public simply because of where they came from.
Despite her very public affair, Barbara did not let it get in her way.
In fact, following her divorce from Elliot, she had a string of romances linking her to
some of the most powerful men in the world.
One of them was even a royal, and it almost led to a picture-perfect fantasy.
It was alleged that Barbara had been romantically involved with Prince Charles himself after
his own public divorce from Princess Diana in 1992.
Royal biographer Christopher Andersen shared that although the actress and Charles had
met in 1974, it wasn't until 1994 that "they had a secret rendezvous at the Bel Air Hotel
that no one knows about."
At a 2019 performance in London, Streisand seemed to poke fun at the rumors, telling
the crowd, "If I had played my cards right, I could have been the first Jewish princess."
Prince Charles wasn't the only powerful man reportedly in Barbara's life.
The biographer also alleged in his book "Barbra – The Way She Is" that the singer possibly
had a brief romantic relationship with the once-leader of the free world, Bill Clinton.
In fact, Bill still calls her his favorite singer.
Finally, after decades of dating, a failed marriage, and a fizzled short-term relationship,
Barbra Streisand has been in a lasting relationship with James Brolin (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FydDZfXciV8&t=2s
- 0.01) since 1996 — and they're still going strong.
The
actress met Brolin shortly after directing "The Mirror Has Two Faces" in 1996, and she
credits divine timing for the moment that they met.
Barbara said she met James exactly when she needed to, rather than regretting not meeting
him sooner.
"I couldn't have met him while I was making this movie.
I wouldn't have been open."
In fact, a connection to her ex-boyfriend Jon Peters was the one who introduced the
couple.
The actress wasn't in the mood to be set up with someone because she was focused on her
career, but after meeting Brolin at a dinner party, she quickly shifted her priorities.
She was immediately smitten, and Brolin was no exception.
Her brash, brazen attitude charmed him immediately.
"That's when he fell in love with me.
My fella likes to hear the truth," she shared.
According to Streisand, Brolin told her on the night they met, "I'm taking you home with
me," and from that moment, her life went in a completely and unexpectedly different direction.
People "dared to say it wouldn't work," Brolin said in an interview, describing how their
vast differences complement each other in their relationship.
The reason why their marriage works so well is that they've both been married and divorced
before, and so they're invested in keeping the spark alive.
From separating their bank accounts to respecting each other's schedules, they're both in tune
with their lives and careers.
But the couple shared that they always make sure to leave room for playfulness, too.
Streisand, who can go through intense phases of work, makes sure to show her appreciation.
Brolin shared, "I always get notes, 'Hurry home!'
When I get there, there's always something kind of great waiting for me."
At this phase of their lives, the couple is focused on appreciating the life they have
together.
In fact, Brolin even told "The Talk" that during quarantine, they had "literally fallen
in love" while spending so much time together.
Streisand is also making sure to prioritize her relationship and loved ones over her career.
"I'm enjoying my grandchildren, and there's nothing like family and home and pure love
and joy and connection.
That is the most important thing to me now."
There's no doubt that Barbara's love life has been one heck of a rollercoaster ride,
but despite her failed attempts at love, she never gave up.
And she didn't care what the world thought about the people she chose to love, either.
She found the person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, and it's truly the
most wonderful thing to see.
We couldn't be happier for her!