Barbra Streisand Opts For Doctor’s Advice Over Festival Honor

Barbra Streisand chose comfort over her big day at the Cannes Film Festival.

The actress revealed that a concerning health issue has prevented her from attending the annual event in person to receive a well-deserved award.

Barbra Streisand was in the news recently following criticism of her 2026 Oscar performance, where fans claimed her once-powerhouse vocals were gone.

The octogenarian shared in a statement from Sunday, May 18, that due to an ongoing knee injury, she would not be present at the Cannes Film Festival, where she is receiving an honorary Palme d’Or award.

She affirmed that her absence would be on the advice of her doctors as she continues to recover from the injury.

Despite this, Streisand reiterated in the statement that she feels honored to receive the award and had been looking forward to celebrating iconic movies at the 79th edition of the event.

“I was also very much looking forward to spending time with colleagues whom I so admire and, of course, returning to France, a place I have always loved,” she continued.

The singer extended her warm congratulations to all the filmmakers around the world who would be present at the event to showcase their extraordinary talent and creative vision.

As shared by the Festival de Cannes, she also thanked the festival organizers, who continue to lend a voice and support the art of cinema.

Cannes Festival Showered Accolades On The Filmmaker’s Journey

At the event, attendees will witness a celebration of Streisand’s significant decades-long contribution as part of the closing ceremony.

However, the singer’s statement was not received in silence; Iris Knobloch, Thierry Frémaux, and the entire festival team sent Streisand their warmest wishes for a prompt recovery.

In their announcement for Streisand’s honors, the festival praised the actress as a “dazzling actress, an unparalleled singer, a force of nature, humor, and sensuality.”

The musician has a few career achievements on her radar, including 150 million records sold worldwide and being the only artist to score a number-one album across six consecutive decades from the 1960s to the 2010s.

She also won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her debut feature film, “Funny Girl,” and clinched a second Oscar for composing the love theme “Evergreen” for “A Star Is Born.”

Barbra Streisand’s Reaction To The Criticism Surrounding Her Oscars Performance

The Golden Globes winner belted out a sonorous tune in honor of Robert Redford, who died last year at the recently concluded Oscars, alongside a touching speech.

As shared by The Blast, Streisand performed a song from their 1973 film, and the fans’ reception lit another fire in her.

Several narratives reported that the actress’s voice no longer sounded the same, prompting her to consider quitting live performances for good.

Although she reportedly does not care about the overwhelming comments, she also knows there might be some truth in them.

A source close to the singer also explained that Streisand is not considering the financial side of turning down live performances, as the fading vocals are not good optics for her career.

The insider continued that she would rather be remembered at her best than be compared to a version of herself from 50 years ago.

As for the tour part of her career, the source added that the chapter is closed for good, but fans can look forward to the superstar’s recorded music.

The EGOT Winner’s Tribute Caught Jane Fonda’s Attention

Streisand’s performance attracted criticism, not only from internet users but also from her colleague, who felt she deserved the spot on that stage instead of the musician.

The Blast noted that Fonda referenced her long working history, appearing in movies like “Tall Story,” “The Chase,” “Barefoot in the Park,” and “The Electric Horseman.”

She reiterated that while Streisand has only one movie with Redford, she has four, and their collaborations definitely went beyond just creative partnerships.

According to Fonda, she was always in love with him and in admiration of his character and influence in the film industry.

In her words, “[He was] the most gorgeous human being and had such great values. He did a lot for movies — he lifted up independent movies.”

During the tribute, Streisand praised Redford for being so thoughtful and bold, who blazed the trail and left a vacuum in people’s hearts with his absence.

Barbra Streisand Has Been Absent On Movie Screens For Over A Decade

The actress said in 2023 that she no longer has the energy to take on movie roles, and in 11 years, she has lost interest in appearing in any project.

She continued that the challenges of navigating film projects have made it exhausting, especially trying to create the movie’s structure and actually making it happen.

She continued in the interview that if making movies for her were easy, she would have never written a book, but the stress of bringing a movie project to life made it exhausting for her to begin one.

In another interview, Streisand added that throughout her career, her strong attitude has rattled men because she wanted more bite from the cake.

The actress continued that she always wanted to do more, to direct, to produce, to make creative decisions void of any external influence.