Eye-Opening Things Barbra Streisand's Exes Have Said About Her
The following article includes mention of a sexual assault allegation.
Despite keeping relatively quiet about her love life over the years, Barbra Streisand finally opened up about a number of her past partners in her 2023 memoir, "My Name is Barbra." However, not all her exes have been quite as hush-hush in the past. In fact, some, like her first husband Elliott Gould and ex-boyfriend Jon Peters, have spoken fairly openly about their time with her.
In an interview with "CBS Sunday Morning" ahead of her book's release, Streisand admitted that opening up about previous relationships wasn't something she'd initially planned on doing. So, what changed? "My editor said, 'You have to leave some blood on the page,'" she explained to Gayle King, amid a chuckling fit. In fairness, most of what Streisand ended up sharing in her autobiography was fairly tame. Far from being an acrimonious ex herself, she has predominantly kind things to say of previous partners (though she did reveal that Don Johnson had begun seeing his then-ex-wife, Melanie Griffith, behind her back).
For the most part, the exes who have spoken about Streisand have been just as respectful. Gould has shared glowing commendations, as has her rumored '90s boy toy, Andre Agassi. As for Peters, who wasn't quite as polite (despite clearly appreciating their time together) ... well, Streisand has made a point of calling him out.
Elliott Gould said Barbra Streisand's rising star caused their split
Barbra Streisand met her first husband, Elliott Gould right at the start of her career. Speaking to "CBS Sunday Morning" back in 2020, Gould explained that he'd memorized her phone number from her audition for a Broadway production of "I Can Get it for You Wholesale." The co-stars later married, and both of their careers took off. However, Streisand was undoubtedly the bigger star — and that affected their relationship.
"We didn't grow together, and the reason for that was, she became more important than us," Gould told the outlet. He'd shared a similar sentiment with The Independent a few years prior. "It was difficult to be married to someone who was married to their success," he'd said at the time. That's not to say he's holding any grudges, though. In his "CBS Sunday Morning" interview, he shared that when Streisand had asked what she could name as the reason for their divorce as she wrote "My Name is Barbra," he'd affirmed that things hadn't been all that bad. As he'd told his ex-wife, they'd done what they could, and had a wonderful family because of it.
Even with those admissions, though, it's worth noting that Gould has never wanted to divulge every aspect of their relationship. In fact, he even told The Independent that he wasn't likely to consider writing a memoir for fear of taking advantage of his legendary first wife's fame. A class act!
Jon Peters' claims led to a clapback from Barbra
After splitting from Elliott Gould, Streisand dated producer Jon Peters for close to a decade. The couple even co-produced the first "A Star is Born" remake. It was a major shift for Peters, who had met Streisand when he was a celebrity hairdresser, and in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he gushed, "I will always owe her for giving me the life that I've had." That hasn't been the only thing he's said, though — and, unlike Gould, he hasn't been quite as determined to avoid seeming exploitative.
In 2009, Deadline published the leaked proposal for Peters' controversial (and ultimately shelved) memoir. In addition to the proposal reading a little like pornography (there is a very uncomfortable mention of Streisand's body and his attraction to it), Peters made one particularly serious claim. That was an allegation that Streisand had been molested by the producer of "Funny Girl," Ray Stark.
Almost immediately, Streisand clapped back at the book. In a post shared to the news section of her website, she wrote, "Just for the record ... the claims and statements attributed to me in Jon Peters' book proposal are either completely distorted or simply untrue." As for the sexual assault claims, she hasn't addressed them directly. However, in an interview with Ryan Murphy at PaleyFest 2018, she said she'd never been subject to any kind of harassment or sexual abuse in the industry (via Variety). Yikes.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Andre Agassi has stayed slightly vague
Before getting into what tennis player Andre Agassi has said about Barbra Streisand, it's worth noting that the nature of their relationship has only become clear in more recent years. In fact, when they were first linked to one another after Streisand had popped in to Wimbledon to support him back in 1993, The Independent reported that Agassi had referred to her as a friend.
More than a decade later, Agassi released his own memoir, "Open." In the 2009 autobiography, he added to the confusion. At one point, he referred to their dynamic as "nothing more than a passionate friendship" (via The Daily Mail). However, in another passage, he poked fun at the supposed outrage over their relationship. "More often than not, Barbra and I laugh at the shock and scandal our dates cause. We agree that we're good for each other, and so what if she's 28 years older?" he wrote. Yeah ... definitely not your standard friendship.
Whatever went down between Streisand and Agassi, it didn't go the distance. Agassi went on to wed and divorce Brooke Shields, before marrying his now-wife of more than 20 years, Steffi Graf. As for Streisand, she's been happily married to her second husband, James Brolin, for more than 25 years.