Barbra Streisand is widely considered one of the most beloved actresses and singers of her generation. She took to social media to congratulate young Olympian Alysa Liu — but some people were not pleased with her choice of words.
Keep reading to learn more.
Barbra Streisand reacted to Alysa Liu’s gold‑medal victory at the Milano Cortina 2026 Games. However, her tribute didn’t sit well with some fans.
Twenty‑year‑old Liu, from Richmond, California, made global headlines for her remarkable performances at this year’s Winter Olympics. She won gold in both the women’s singles and the team event, becoming the first American woman to win Olympic figure skating gold in 24 years. Like many Americans, Streisand celebrated the achievement and shared a post about Liu’s success.
In her post, Streisand wrote, “We were so happy to see Alysa Liu win the gold medal in Milan yesterday. My husband just showed me that in 2019, she skated to my song Don’t Rain on My Parade. I’m so proud of her.” She continued, “I heard that she is half Chinese. My second family in Brooklyn who lived above us was a Chinese family called the Choys. I worked in their Chinese restaurant since I was 12 years old and also babysat for their children. She was like a second mother to me,” the caption concluded.
Don’t Rain on My Parade is one of Streisand’s most iconic songs from the 1964 musical Funny Girl. The film adaptation, released later, also featured the song, with Streisand starring as Fanny Brice.
Alysa’s father, Arthur Liu, reportedly moved to California at age 25 after going into exile following the Tiananmen Square crackdown. He had been a graduate student in Guangzhou before leaving China.
The internet was divided over Streisand’s post. Some felt it was unnecessary to mention Liu’s race. One person on X wrote, “This really shows how white people are so obsessed with race. She’s not being malicious here but like, what does the Chinese family you knew when you were 12 have to do with Alysa Liu? Once white people know your race, they don’t see anything else bro.”
Another person pointed out how she inserted herself into the message: “The segue and inserting herself,” while someone else added, “Isn’t she in her 80s? This sounds like something my 75‑year‑old mom would post on Facebook.”
Others defended Streisand. One user wrote, “She’s honoring the Choy family here. She talks about them every chance she gets because they brought her into their family and gave her stability when she really needed it. Her childhood was rocky, so she’s big on talking about the community and neighbors who raised her. We need that.”
Alysa Liu has faced mental‑health struggles, but despite everything, she persevered and became a global star. After the 2022 Beijing Olympics, she quit figure skating — but eventually returned.
Reflecting on that time, she said, “I thought the only way for me to try other things was to leave this because I really felt trapped and stuck, and the only way in my brain to break out was to leave the sport.”
She quit at 16 to explore life beyond skating.
“She became really unhappy. She avoided the ice rink at all costs. She was traumatized. She was suffering from PTSD and wouldn’t go near the ice rink,” her father said in an interview.
She spent two years studying psychology at UCLA and traveling with friends. In 2024, her love for skating returned during a ski trip in Lake Tahoe. This time, she competed on her own terms — with highlights in her hair, a frenulum piercing, and full control over her music and diet.
“The last time I was skating, it was so rough. I genuinely can’t begin to start on it,” she said.
“I hope with all this attention, I can raise awareness about mental health in sports and mental health more generally,” she added.
What do you think of Barbra Streisand’s post congratulating Alysa Liu on her win? Share your thoughts in the comments — and pass this along to see what others think.
