BARBRA STREISAND is reuniting with BILL CLINTON for a charity event, sparking a nasty fight with hubby JAMES BROLIN!
The showbiz icon, 70, got caught up in a sizzling cheating scandal with the then-president nearly 20 years ago – and sources say Brolin, 71, exploded when Barbra announced the womanizing politico would be the special guest at a ritzy bash at their Malibu estate.
“James is well aware of the romantic history between Barbra and Bill, and he really hit the roof,” said a source close to Oscar-, Grammy-, Emmy- and Tony-winning star Barbra.
“He told Barbra that she’d look ridiculous fawning over Bill at her age, and he was even more incensed that the event invite looked like a wedding invitation – with Barbra’s and Bill’s name listed above his! He even groused about getting second billing to one of her ex-lovers.”
The “Funny Girl” star arranged the mid-June fundraiser to benefit the Women’s Heart Center at Cedars- Sinai hospital, a cause that she’s long supported. Tickets for the event, with a rare singing performance by Barbra, range from $12,500 to a whopping $100,000!
Whispers about a secret romance between Barbra and Clinton – who was nearly booted out of office over the notorious sex scandal involving White House intern Monica Lewinsky – date back to the early ’90s.
That’s when the diva gave a concert to raise money for Clinton’s Oval Office run, and then sang at his inaugural gala.
And as The ENQUIRER reported in 1994, a jealous Hillary Clinton banned Barbra from the White House because she feared the smitten singer was making a play for the commander in chief.
Barbra told a pal at the time that Hillary’s fears were “silly.” Meanwhile, Brolin’s manager Jeff Wald insists Barbra and Clinton are nothing more than friends – and that she and James are “staying together.”
But Brolin remains threatened by 65-year-old Clinton’s hold on his wife, according to sources.
“James is convinced that Barbra still has a crush on Bill, and the fundraiser is proof,” said an insider.
The source added: “James accused Barbra of still having romantic feelings for Bill. Barbra was in tears, but she didn’t hold back either. She told James to grow up and act his age!
“That’s when James said that he’d had enough of her old flames and stormed out.”
This is Barbra’s second marriage. Her first to “M*A*S*H” actor Elliott Gould crumbled in 1969 over her skyrocketing career eclipsing his and reports that she had affairs with her leading men, most notably her “Funny Girl” co-star Omar Sharif. They divorced in 1971.
Meanwhile, Barbra and James reportedly signed an iron-clad prenuptial agreement when they wed on July 1, 1998, but an ugly divorce could cost Barbra millions!
“The Way We Were” singer has amassed a huge real estate portfolio and is worth more than $340 million, while Brolin is said to have about $50 million.
The source added: “If James decides to play dirty, this could develop into one of Hollywood’s messiest divorces ever!”