Barbra Streisand received the star treatment on Monday night’s The Late Show With Stephen Colbert where she discussed her new, massive memoir My Name Is Barbra, explained why she decided to clone her dog, and even gave Colbert a tour of the mysterious mini-mall inside her home.
During her multi-part interview with Colbert, Streisand also answered questions about the current state of politics, including the ongoing violence in Israel and Gaza and the next U.S. presidential election. Since the 1960s, the Hollywood and Broadway star has been politically active and a vocal supporter of the Democratic Party.
When asked about rising antisemitism in the United States, Streisand called the recent threats in her home country “sad.”
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“It’s sad about what’s going on today—meaning people have to live together, even though they’re different religions or whatever,” she said.
She then expressed more sadness over the thousands of deaths in Israel and Gaza. Since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, over 1,400 Israelis and more than 11,000 Palestianians have been killed. She added that it was difficult to promote her book while “this deadly, combustible thing is happening in the world.”
“People are people,” Streisand said about the conflict. “It’s true. We all want the same thing. We all want love in our hearts. We all want family. We all want to feel secure. I hope for the best because this is heartbreaking what’s happening now with these people, the children, the mothers—doesn’t matter what religion they are. This is beyond religion. This is insanity for us not to learn how to live together in peace.”
“I could easily cry about this,” she continued. “Where is God in this time? Where is he or she?”
The Funny Girl actress seemed slightly more optimistic about politics in the United States—although she called the climate “bad.” Nonetheless, she had some nice things to say about our current president.
“I like [Joe] Biden,” Streisand said. “I think he’s done a good job. I think he’s compassionate. He’s smart. He supports the right things.”
On the subject of a potential second term for Donald Trump, Streisand was predictably less enthusiastic.
“I will move,” she said. “I can’t live in this country if he became president.”
Where will the Oscar winner flee to exactly?
“Probably England,” Streisand told Colbert matter-of-factly. “I like England.”
