Streisand / Television

Oprah  (2009)

Six years after her last appearance, Barbra Streisand returned to the Oprah show in 2009. Oprah split her hour-long show in half with rap artist Jay-Z appearing first, and then Streisand's pre-taped appearance after.



The 20-minute segment began with Barbra sharing photos that she took of her meals from a recent vacation in Spain.



Streisand told Oprah that, fundamentally, she is still the same person she always was — Success “doesn't change you, it just makes you more of what you were.”



“I still can't believe when I go on a boat or something that I could afford it,” Streisand said, “because when you grow up poor, you're always poor, in a sense. There's always part of you that always stays that little girl who never had a doll.”



More on her poor beginnings: “At first I grew up in Williamsburg, till I was seven. That was a $40 dollars a month apartment. I lived in one room with my mother in the same bed, and my brother had a fold-away cot in the same room. And my grandmother and grandfather, and we had one bathroom. Then when we moved to the projects—that was, like, hotsy-totsy, ya know? I remember it was $105 dollars a month rent.”



After a commercial break, Oprah showed Barbra the new Mattel Barbra Streisand Barbie Doll. “I worked on this doll very hard,” Barbra shared. “The slit was on the back, had to go on the side, the fabric, the bow, was limp, had to go straight ... actually, the hair is a little too silver....”



Barbra took the stage next and sang “Make Someone Happy” from the album she was promoting, Love is the Answer.

(During the taping of the show, Barbra also sang “Evergreen.” Unfortunately it was cut due to time constraints. Oprah.com streamed Barbra's performance of “Evergreen” online.)