Barbra Streisand revealed she was once “addicted” to gambling on the stock market.
The 81-year-old “Funny Girl” star shared in her memoir “My Name Is Barbra” that she traded millions of dollars between 1998 and 2000 and even invested in Viagra maker Pfizer, according to The Mirror.
The actress wrote that gambling gave her a thrill: “From about 1998 to 2000 I traded Monday to Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. “At 6:25 a.m. my eyes opened wide without any alarm.”
“I got up, put on my robe, sat down at my new desk with a cup of hot chocolate and started trading.” It was a whole new learning experience. I like gambling. “Whenever I sang in Las Vegas, I played blackjack,” she said.
“I had to follow the news and pick stocks.” I read about this new drug for men called Viagra and thought, “This is going to be very popular!” “It was made by Pfizer, so I immediately bought a few stocks.”
Barbra Streisand revealed she was once “addicted” to gambling on the stock market; pictured in 2023
The New York native, who has won eight Grammy awards over her 60-year career, continued, “I chose Apple because I liked their products.” [My PA] “Renata loves Starbucks coffee, so I bought Starbucks.”
“Once I picked a stock because it had my initials on it. It was fun. “I was on a rollercoaster ride with the dynamics of the market and it was scary and exciting at the same time.”
She added that being able to do everything in the privacy of her home was a big plus.
“The main reason I loved it was because it was private. I didn't have to act or sing. Nobody looked at me. “I could do all my transactions over the phone, in my nightgown.”
Streisand earned $1.8 million in five months on the stock market, but the singer eventually gave up her hobby when it became too stressful.
“I don't play with such large sums anymore.” After getting burned several times (I lost my shirt, my dress and my nerves in the 2008 financial crisis), I decided to stick with bonds.”
Streisand's autobiography was published late last year.
After publishing her memoir, the star insisted the book marked the end of her career.
She opened up about why she decided to leave show business behind, saying she just wants to “live life.”
The 81-year-old “Funny Girl” star shared that she traded millions of dollars between 1998 and 2000 and even invested in Viagra maker Pfizer
“I read about this new drug for men called Viagra and thought, ‘This is going to be very popular!’ “It was made by Pfizer, so I immediately bought some shares,” she wrote in her memoir; pictured in 2013
Streisand earned $1.8 million in five months on the stock market, but the singer eventually gave up her hobby when it became too stressful; was spotted performing in Toronto in 2006
The star revealed this in her memoir, My Name Is Barbra, published late last year
Despite the glitz and glamor of fame and winning 10 Grammys, Barbra admitted she hasn't had “a lot of fun” in her life and would like more in the future.
In her last interview she told the BBC: “I want to live the life.” I want to get in my husband's truck and just wander around, hopefully with the kids somewhere near us.
“Life is fun for me when they come over.” They love playing with the dogs and we have fun.
“I haven't had much fun in my life, to be honest. And I want to have more fun.'
In her new memoir, Barbra opened up about some of her famous ex-boyfriends, but she admitted that if it were up to her, she would have left them out.
While speaking to Gayle King on CBS Sunday morning, she revealed that she was told she had to write about her A-list lovers if she wanted to send out copies of her new book.
“Look, I didn’t want to write about any of them!” she said emphatically after King listed her greatest conquests.
'But you did it!' Gayle fought back.
She blamed her editor for the more salacious material, recounting, “My editor said, 'You need to leave some blood on the page.'”
Elsewhere in her book, Barbra also revealed why she never had a nose job – after receiving cruel comments about her appearance early in her career; pictured around 1965
Barbra previously dated Miami Vice's Don Johnson, celebrity hairstylist and superstar producer Jon Peters and former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.
She was also married to “The Long Goodbye” star Elliott Gould from 1963 until their divorce in 1971, and married her current husband James Brolin in 1998.
Elsewhere in the book, Barbra also revealed why she never had a nose job – after receiving cruel comments about her appearance early in her entertainment career.
The famous actress spoke about her appearance being compared to “a loveable anteater, a sour persimmon, an angry hamster” and said she feared a nose job would damage her famous voice.
In an excerpt obtained by People, she writes about how she was pressured into undergoing surgery and “closing her teeth”: “I thought, 'Isn't my talent enough?' A nose job would be painful and expensive. Besides, how could I trust anyone to do exactly what I wanted and nothing more?”
She added: “I also liked long noses… the Italian actress Silvana Mangano had one and everyone seemed to think it was beautiful.”