Barbra Streisand has offered an explanation after asking Melissa McCarthy if the Bridesmaids star had taken the weight loss drug Ozempic.

On Monday, McCarthy posted a picture of herself and director Adam Shankman as they attended a charity gala in honour of renowned choreographer Matthew Bourne.

Fans and famous faces flocked to the comments section – including Streisand, whose now-deleted post received attention for the wrong reasons.

The Funny Girl star wrote: “Give him my regards did you take Ozempic?”

The comment was soon spotted by McCarthy’s followers, one of whom wrote on Twitter: “Omg somebody please teach Barbra Streisand how to send a DM.”

Streisand’s post was later deleted and she’s now explained why she wrote it in a post on X.

The 82-year-old wrote: “OMG – I went on Instagram to see the photos we’d posted of the beautiful flowers I’d received for my birthday!

“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.”

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McCarthy, 53, has not responded to either of Streisand’s posts.

Ozempic – a treatment originally designed for people with diabetes – works by suppressing the appetite and lengthens the amount of time food stays in the stomach, leading to weight loss – at least for as long as you carry on taking it.

It has been banned as a treatment for obesity in the UK due to high demand for the drug causing a global shortage.

Numerous Hollywood stars are rumoured to have used Ozempic to lose weight – but just a handful of celebrities have admitted it publicly.

Read more:
Ozempic to Wegovy – what are the weight loss injections?
Ozempic takes over the internet despite health warnings

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Stephen Fry was prescribed the drug in the US “years ago” and said earlier this year that side effects included vomiting up to five times a day.

Oprah Winfrey has said she has also taken weight loss drugs, though she’s declined to specify which one.

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