Barbra Streisand branded ‘rude’ as she asks Melissa McCarthy if she ‘took Ozempic’

‘Take the iPad away from Babs immediately!’ reacted one person

Barbra Streisand has been branded “rude” after asking actor Melissa McCarthy if she had taken the weight-loss drug Ozempic in a social media comment.

On Monday (29 April), The Little Mermaid star McCarthy, 53, posted a picture of herself with her friend and A Walk to Remember director Adam Shankman, as the pair attended a charity gala to support musical director Matthew Bourne.

“Pastels only to honour the incredible @matthewbourne13 at the @ctgla gala last night with this fella @adamshankman!!” McCarthy’s caption begins. “Thiiiiis much closer to my dream of dancing on stage.” The photo shows McCarthy smiling and wearing a green dress with ruffles.

However, the celebration took an awkward turn as the multi-award-winning “Woman in Love” singer Streisand posted a frank query in the comments section.

“Give him my regards did you take Ozempic?” Streisand enquired.

The question prompted backlash and is no longer visible in McCarthy’s comment section at the time of writing.

“Shame on you,” wrote one person as others added, “Rude, Barbra” and “Babs. No, honey. Just no.”

Some felt the 82-year-old should be afforded some grace, in case she intended to send the message privately, while others noted that the performers may have a close relationship after they worked together on a song for Streisand’s 2016 album Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway.

Streisand asked McCarthy if she had been taking weight-loss drug Ozempic (Getty Images)

“As an octogenarian, I think Babs probably thought she was DMing her,” wrote one person. “They are good friends and have even worked together in the past. Once it was discovered by Barbra or her team, it was taken down.”

Others claimed that fan backlash to Streisand’s comment was completely uncalled for.

“Leave Barbra alone she would never do that on purpose I believe she meant that for a private question. Can’t any of you show her some grace!! You guys really put the fangs out for her, I am glad none of you are my friends,” wrote one supporter.

Others joked: “Major boomer aunt with wine and an iPad energy”, “Take the iPad away from Babs immediately!” and “Babs giving major boomer energy here.”

The Independent has contacted representatives for Streisand and McCarthy for comment.

Ozempic, a diabetes drug, has swept Hollywood and been promoted by public figures such as Sharon Osbourne, although others including Stephen Fry and Kate Winslet have been critical of its prevalence in the industry.