Barbra Streisand has explained why she publicly asked Melissa McCarthy if she'd been taking Ozempic.

The singer had commented on a photo of Melissa McCarthy on Instagram on Sunday, asking: "Did you take Ozempic," in reference to Melissa's noticeably slimmer frame in a photo with director and choreographer Adam Shankman.

She deleted the comment quickly, after fans called her out, calling her comments "rude" and "disrespectful."

Now Barbra, 82, has given a reason for the public questioning.

“OMG - I went on Instagram to see the photos we’d posted of the beautiful flowers I’d received for my birthday!” she said.

“Below them was a photo of my friend Melissa McCarthy who I sang with on my Encore album. She looked fantastic! I just wanted to pay her a compliment. I forgot the world is reading.”

Some fans theorised that Barbra meant to send her friend a private message rather than post a public question.

The two women previously recorded a duet together for Barbra's 2016 album Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway.

Melissa has since responded to Barbra's comments, telling paparazzi, "I think Barbra is a treasure and I love her."

While the Bridesmaids star has never publicly talked about using Ozempic, she has spoken about how women over a certain dress size in Hollywood are constantly asked about their weight.

"It happens all the time" she told InStyle in 2019. “It’s fascinating because they don’t do it to men."

ON TOUR - BUY TICKETS NOW!

,

LATEST NEWS