James Brolin and Barbara Streisand attend the 42nd Chaplin Award Gala at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center on April 27, 2015 in New York City.© Getty Images

Barbra Streisand confesses what about husband James Brolin on their first ever date left her taken aback

The Funny Girl star just released her new memoir, My Name is Barbra

Ahad Sanwari - New York
Senior WriterNew York
November 14, 2023

Barbra Streisand is in the midst of her publicity tour for her newly released memoir My Name is Barbra, which explores the highs and lows of her legendary six-decade long career.

The entertainer, 81, has frequently stated that after promotion for her memoir ends, she'll likely be receding from the public eye and calling time on her career.

However, she sat down for an intimate series of conversations with Stephen Colbert on his late night talk show and discussed her greatest on-screen romances, supporting female directors, and her romance with husband James Brolin.

© Shutterstock

Barbra got candid about her first date with now-husband James Brolin

Barbra has been married to the actor, 83, since 1998 (they celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in July). James has three children and four grandchildren from his previous marriage, while Barbra welcomed her son Jason Gould, now 56, with ex-husband Elliot Gould.

She told Stephen about first meeting James through a blind date after being set up by a mutual friend who thought "that we might like each other."

"I had no man in my life, I had no grandchildren in my life," she continued, describing her first meeting with Marcus Welby, M.D. actor. "I go there, and I see a man standing across the room.

"And [I think] 'Is that him? Where's the hair?' It was all off, he had just buzz cut his hair. He had this little dye on it, and then gray at the bottom. And no beard, no nothing."

Barbra added that later into the night, she reached out and touched his hair, a move she said was more familiar thanks to her work as a director, managing people's appearances for her productions.

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"I said 'Who [expletive] up your hair?'," she candidly revealed, to the amusement of the studio audience. However, the move went down well with James, who shared in a later interview that he loved her honesty.

© Getty Images

The couple made their red carpet debut in 1996

The "Woman in Love" singer continued: "We talked about everything that night. And then he said 'I'm taking you home'. Ooh, whoa! I'd never had a man say that to me…it was interesting.

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"I was a nervous wreck. In his car, I thought 'I haven't been in a car with a man in several years. What if I get sick to my stomach? What if I have to throw up?' Literally." 

© Getty Images

"We talked about everything that night. And then he said 'I'm taking you home'. Ooh, whoa! I'd never had a man say that to me…it was interesting."

In an interview with the BBC last weekend, the Oscar-winning actress stated that she was ready to sit back and relax, enjoy the fruits of her labor with her family while stepping away from the confines of fame.

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"I want to live life," she said. "I want to get in my husband's truck and just wander, hopefully with the children somewhere near us.

© Getty Images

The actress is promoting her expansive new memoir, "My Name is Barbra"

"Life is fun for me when they come over. They love playing with the dogs and we have fun. I haven't had much fun in my life, to tell you the truth. And I want to have more fun."

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