Melissa McCarthy has responded to Barbra Streisand asking questions about whether she has taken the drug Ozempic, which has seen a surge in demand from people wanting to lose weight.

Following a backlash online, musical star Streisand deleted her comment below the Bridesmaids star’s social media post and has insisted that she was trying to pay her fellow actress a “compliment”.

In an Instagram video on Wednesday, McCarthy said: “The takeaway, Barbra Streisand knows I exist, she reached out to me and she thought I looked good. I win the day.”

She also spent the clip leafing through a magazine featuring Streisand on the cover, while wearing the same floral outfit from the premiere of her Netflix film Unfrosted in Los Angeles.

McCarthy had posted pictures on the social media site from the Centre Theatre Group (CTG) gala, wearing a pastel green tulle dress with a matching blazer, alongside US director Adam Shankman in a baby pink suit, earlier in the week.

LA Premiere of “Unfrosted”
Melissa McCarthy at the premiere of the Netflix film (Chris Pizzello/AP)

Underneath the post, Streisand wrote: “Give him my regards, did you take Ozempic?” referencing the type 2 diabetes medicine, which has not been licensed as a weight loss drug in the UK or US.

She later deleted the comment, and posted an Instagram story, saying: “I went on Instagram to see the photos we’d posted of the beautiful flowers I’d received for my birthday.

“Below them was a photo of my friend Melissa McCarthy, who I sang with on my Encore album.

“She looked fantastic! I just wanted to pay her a compliment.

“I forgot the world is reading!”

Known for Yentl, Funny Girl and The Prince Of Tides, Streisand is one of a handful of performers to have achieved Egot status.

She was won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony during her career.

Her comments come after Oprah Winfrey starred in an ABC special titled Shame, Blame, And The Weight Loss Revolution.

The special focused on weight-loss medication, which the TV host had previously admitted to taking, although has not specified which medication.

Ozempic can only be prescribed for patients with type 2 diabetes, although the UK government acknowledges: “It is not authorised for weight-loss, but it is used off-label for that purpose.”