{"id":8941,"date":"2025-04-28T18:25:57","date_gmt":"2025-04-28T18:25:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/strongermarriages\/?p=8941"},"modified":"2025-04-28T18:25:57","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T18:25:57","slug":"james-brolin-shares-the-surprising-secret-to-his-nearly-30-year-marriage-to-barbra-streisand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/strongermarriages\/2025\/04\/james-brolin-shares-the-surprising-secret-to-his-nearly-30-year-marriage-to-barbra-streisand.html","title":{"rendered":"James Brolin Shares the Surprising Secret to His Nearly 30-Year Marriage to Barbra Streisand"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_8944\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8944\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-8944\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/413\/2025\/04\/James-Brolin-and-Barbra-Streisand_credit-Jaguar-PS-Shutterstock.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8944\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jaguar PS \/ Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>James Brolin is opening up about the secret that has helped his marriage to Barbra Streisand thrive for nearly three decades\u2014and it\u2019s a little unexpected.<\/p>\n<p>During a recent appearance on the Today show, the 84-year-old Ransom Canyon and Westworld star credited one unusual investment for keeping their bond strong. \u201cThe best investment we\u2019ve ever made is our mattress,\u201d Brolin joked. \u201cAnd don\u2019t misunderstand me. We\u2019re both lazy. We love to sleep late. We do a lot of our work on the phone, on paper, reading, right next to each other.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brolin, who married the EGOT-winning Streisand, 82, on July 1, 1998, after a blind date brought them together two years earlier, emphasized that simply spending relaxed time together has been crucial to their connection. But when tensions do arise, he shared a simple piece of advice: \u201cYou learn to take a walk. Both of us, not just me. I just think you gotta say, \u2018OK, take a deep breath, take a walk.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Their love story is one marked by honesty and patience. Brolin revealed in a 2023 interview with CBS Mornings that he had been celibate for three years before meeting Streisand, determined not to rush into another failed relationship after two divorces. &#8220;I had been\u2014literally it\u2019s a wild word\u2014but I had been celibate for three years, saying, \u2018Who needs this?\u2019\u201d he said, adding that he and Streisand waited until their wedding night before consummating their relationship.<\/p>\n<p>Despite a few bumps along the way\u2014including having to propose &#8220;a minimum of three times&#8221; before Streisand agreed\u2014Brolin called marrying the Funny Girl actress &#8220;the best thing [he\u2019s] ever done.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Streisand, for her part, has her own ideas about what makes their marriage work. In a 2021 interview with Variety, she said, \u201cThe secret is to listen carefully. I think to be a good actor, you have to listen. To be a good person, you have to listen. To be a good marriage partner, you have to listen. Hear the other person. Agree to disagree.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Their first meeting was memorable for both. Streisand recalled in W magazine that she was expecting \u201ca bearded mountain-man type\u201d and was surprised to find Brolin clean-shaven. \u201cI asked him, \u2018Who screwed up your hair?\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cHe later told me that&#8217;s when he fell in love with me. My fella likes to hear the truth, which is unusual.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Now approaching their 30th wedding anniversary, Brolin and Streisand continue to model a partnership built on humor, honesty, patience\u2014and yes, a very good mattress.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>James Brolin is opening up about the secret that has helped his marriage to Barbra Streisand thrive for nearly three decades\u2014and it\u2019s a little unexpected. During a recent appearance on the Today show, the 84-year-old Ransom Canyon and Westworld star credited one unusual investment for keeping their bond strong. \u201cThe best investment we\u2019ve ever made&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":462,"featured_media":8944,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrities"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>James Brolin Shares the Surprising Secret to His Nearly 30-Year Marriage to Barbra Streisand<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"James Brolin credits a simple investment\u2014and lots of laughter\u2014for his lasting marriage to Barbra Streisand as they near 30 years 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