EXCLUSIVE: Barbra Streisand Considered Turning to 'Hypnotists' to Cure Yearslong Stage Fright and Anxiety — as Legendary Singer Turns 84
Barbra Streisand has suffered from performance anxiety for decades.
April 24 2026, Updated 4:45 p.m. ET
Barbra Streisand has been plagued by intense stage fright for years — and RadarOnline.com can exclusively reveal that she once considered turning to a unique treatment to cure herself.
Prior to her 2023 book tour for her memoir, I Am Barbra, she was determined to get a handle on her social anxiety, even if it meant "bringing along a personal diva squad and a hypnotist to get through it," according to a source.
Curiosity About Hypnosis
A source claimed Barbra Streisand became curious about hypnosis before her book tour.
The legendary singer, who just turned 84, has known "a lot of people who have raved about hypnosis," and she was eager to "try it for herself" after decades of nerves on stage or in large crowds.
While it might seem like a lot of effort, the source said at the time that Streisand was so "proud" of her memoir that it was "worth the effort to promote" it.
What Caused Barbra Streisand's Stage Fright?
Barbra Streisand claimed her stage fright began with 'Funny Girl' on Broadway.
Streisand revealed that her performance anxiety began while starring alongside Charlie Chaplin's son Sydney for Broadway's Funny Girl. She claimed they had a fling during her marriage to Elliott Gould, but things took a dark turn when she ended the affair.
"He’d taunt me, calling me a b----, or worse … the most vicious names," she penned in her book. "While the audience assumed he was whispering sweet nothings in my ear, he would actually be jeering, ‘You really f----d up that scene.’"
As the days went on, she dreaded getting on stage and would sometimes make herself physically ill with anxiety.
"It was becoming a nightmare. Now, every night at seven-thirty as I prepared to go on, I felt sick to my stomach," she added. "It wasn’t only the pressure of having to live up to the audience's expectations. Now I also had to deal with a new enemy … my costar."
Barbra Streisand admitted she'd become physically ill over performing.
"This is what started my stage fright," she continued. "My face would get flushed. I thought, ‘Oh God I’m going to faint.' For the first time in my life, I was frightened that I would forget my lines. Sydney’s behavior threw me completely."
She also recalled a shocking moment when the actor name-dropped his father on stage in a rage-filled rant.
"'I don’t need any of you! I’m Charlie Chaplin’s son and I have five hundred thousand dollars in the bank,'" she remembered him yelling at the time. "Looking back, I can’t believe that this horrible thing happened and I had to endure it for over a year. But I refused to let him destroy me."
Lack of Support From Her Mother
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Barbra Streisand said she couldn't recall getting a 'compliment' from her mother.
Streisand also admitted that she "grew up" without her mother Diana's "approval" or "support" of her dreams.
"I don’t remember her ever giving me a compliment," she said.
"She was so against me being an actress that it made me feel weird to know she was in the audience watching me," Streisand explained of her mother watching her perform. "I dreaded what she might say. And sure enough, she didn’t disappoint me. ‘Mom, what did you think?’ She frowned and said, ‘Your arms are too skinny.’”
