Barbra Streisand seemed to mean well when she went on Instagram earlier this week to pay tribute to the Bay Area’s Alysa Liu, whose dazzling, joy-filled performances at the 2026 Olympics in Milan won her the figure-skating gold medal.
But Streisand apparently couldn’t help herself, going off on some tangents in her post that left some respondents amused but others thinking that the entertainment legend was living up to her reputation for being self-obsessed. Some also thought her reference to Liu being half-Chinese was off-putting.
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“’How do I make (this) gold medal winning accomplishment by an Asian woman about me?’ — Barbra probably,” one person said.
Others had a more generous reading, saying that the 83-year-old EGOT-winning film star, singer and director clearly meant well with her “endearing” post, though they also said she came off sounding like someone’s “auntie” or “unhinged” grandmother.
Here’s how Streisand began her post: “We were so happy to see Alysa Liu win the gold medal in Milan yesterday.” The “we” refers to Streisand and her husband, actor James Brolin.
But Streisand quickly switched her focus from the 20-year-old from Richmond skater to one of her own early career triumphs.
“My husband just showed me that in 2019 she skated to my song ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade.’ I’m so proud of her,” Streisand said.
“Don’t Rain on my Parade” is the song Streisand made famous in the Broadway musical, “Funny Girl,” and in its 1968 film adaptation, for which she won the Academy Award for best actress.
Streisand then said about Liu: “I heard that she is half Chinese.” That observation led Streisand down memory lane and to a fond memory from her childhood.
“My second family in Brooklyn that lived above us was a Chinese family called the Choys,” Streisand said. “I worked in their Chinese restaurant since I was 12 years old and also baby sat for their children. She was like a second mother to me.”
But to Streisand’s followers, that observation seemed to have little to do with Liu. Her post also didn’t feature a photo of Liu but of herself and her husband with people who could be members of the Choy family.
“This is such a stupid post,” another respondent said. “‘Oh, I heard Alysa Liu is half Chinese so let me tell you about this Chinese family I know’ WTH?”
That comment in turn sparked a mini debate over the appropriateness of Streisand focusing on Liu’s ethnic identity. On one hand, some thought others were being too “sensitive” and were trying to analyze and “pick (everything) apart.” A third person said, “As an Asian person, it is clear she meant well. She is 83! And just wants to relate and share a heartwarming story from her own childhood.”
But to that, a fourth said, “Hi, it’s not actually the race thing that I found dumb, but how weak the connection to Alysa Liu was in order to turn the whole thing about herself.”
A fifth person agreed, asking: “Why did Streisand make this about herself? When one truly congratulates another; one DOES SO by truly making the post all about the person who they are congratulating! Alysa Liu made a huge win for herself as she performed a beautiful, exciting, graceful, win for herself and a first- time win in 24 years for the U.S.”
A sixth person chimed in to say with laughing emojis: “It is very grandma coded. It’s unhinged & (an) odd thing to say but I think she means no harm.” On that theme, a seventh person accused others of “tone policing your great grandma.” An eighth person added: “I’m 80. I can easily imagine myself saying something similar.”
Still, other respondents were more sanguine about the whole situation, saying Streisand’s post and the debate around it were pretty amusing. “It’s so funny. I’m sorry,” a ninth person said.
To that, someone declared: “Barbra’s allowed, everyone leave her alone. Keep posting sweetie you’re doing amazing.”
Who knows if Liu is aware that she received such a unique shout-out from one of America’s most celebrated entertainers? As previously reported, the athlete arrived back in the Bay Area Monday night at San Francisco International Airport. On Tuesday night, she and some friends enjoyed a celebratory dinner at Trabocco Kitchen and Cocktails in Alameda, where she enjoyed some pasta Bolognese and a very special dessert, a flourless chocolate cake with “Congratulations” spelled in chocolate.
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