As 2025 comes to an end, celebrities once again showed that Hollywood’s brightest stars are rarely short on enemies.
From chart-topping rap wars and headline-grabbing courtroom dramas to deeply personal family feuds, this year’s biggest celebrity clashes dominated headlines, timelines and group chats alike.
Yet while mega-feuds like Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar, along with Hollywood’s most public legal battles, dominated the spotlight, a quieter category of conflict unfolded in the background.
There were the stranger, smaller, and easier-to-forget feuds that briefly flared, simmered quietly, or resurfaced when fans least expected them, and those that have gone on for years now.
Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s rivalry escalated into one of the most consequential rap battles in years, while Diddy‘s cascading legal troubles consumed the entertainment news cycle and reshaped his legacy.
In a rare moment of closure, Taylor Swift‘s long-running clash with Scooter Braun finally reached its conclusion when the pop star successfully reclaimed ownership of her early masters.
Elsewhere, the drama turned deeply personal, including when rumored fractures within the Beckham family spilled onto social media through unfollows and cryptic posts.
Notably, what began as creative tension on the set of It Ends With Us detonated into a full-scale legal war between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, complete with dueling lawsuits, harassment allegations and Swift publicly distancing herself from the Gossip Girl star.
Now, the Daily Mail is looking back at the bizarre, overlooked, and long-simmering celebrity feuds you may have forgotten about – from unexpected A-list grudges to rivalries that simply refuse to die.
As 2025 comes to an end, celebrity culture once again showed that Hollywood’s brightest stars are rarely short on enemies; Katy Perry and Taylor Swift pictured in 2010
Ben Affleck vs. Steven Spielberg
In November, writer and director Mike Binder claimed he finally understood why Steven Spielberg once refused to work with Ben Affleck.
While appearing on Stephen Baldwin’s One Bad Movie podcast, Binder recalled an alleged behind-the-scenes clash dating back to the mid-2000s, when he cast Affleck as the lead in Man About Town (2006).
According to Binder, he phoned Spielberg to give him a courtesy heads-up – only to be met with a blunt warning.
‘No. You can’t do it with him,’ Spielberg allegedly told him. ‘We just bombed with a movie with him; he’s got that whole J.Lo thing going on now, and I have other problems with him.’
Those ‘other problems,’ Binder claimed, stemmed from Affleck’s on-again, off-again relationship with his goddaughter, Gwyneth Paltrow, between 1997 and 2000.
Binder went on to recount an uncomfortable story Spielberg allegedly shared from a family vacation in Spain, where Affleck and Paltrow were staying with the director and his family.
According to Binder, Spielberg claimed one of his young sons pushed a ‘fully dressed’ Affleck into a swimming pool, which prompted an extremely angry reaction.
‘Ben got really mad at him,’ Spielberg purportedly said, claiming Affleck picked the child up and threw him back into the pool, leaving the boy in tears.
Despite the warning, Binder said he pushed ahead with Affleck as his lead.
The following day, he allegedly received a call informing him that DreamWorks was dropping the project altogether.
Binder ultimately made Man About Town with a different studio, with Affleck still attached, but the film was poorly reviewed upon its release and became another box office disappointment during a rough patch in the actor’s career.
‘We had a great time making it, but I make a sh**ty movie,’ Binder said candidly. ‘Ben’s in it. I make a sh**ty movie. I made some severe casting mistakes.’
The rift, however, did not last forever.
Binder claimed Spielberg and Affleck eventually buried the hatchet in 2013, the same year Affleck’s Argo beat Spielberg’s Lincoln for Best Picture at the Oscars.
Photographs from the ceremony show the two men shaking hands, signaling a long-overdue thaw.
In an April 2025 GQ interview, Affleck praised Spielberg as ‘one of the great filmmaking architects to ever live.’
Join the debate
Which celebrity feud do you think was most justified, and which was just petty drama?
In November, writer and director Mike Binder claimed he finally understood why Steven Spielberg once refused to work with Ben Affleck; seen with Matt Damon, center, in 1999
Victoria and David Beckham vs. their son Brooklyn Beckham
The bitter Beckham family feud appeared to escalate to new heights over the weekend after Cruz Beckham claimed his older brother Brooklyn had blocked their entire family on Instagram.
Reports had initially suggested that David Beckham and Victoria Beckham had unfollowed their eldest son, but Cruz, 20, swiftly and angrily denied the claims.
While taking to social media to set the record straight, he insisted the move had not come from their parents at all.
‘My mum and dad would never unfollow their son,’ Cruz wrote. ‘They woke up blocked. As did I.’
The alleged Instagram fallout landed just days before Christmas and appeared to confirm what many had suspected: that communication between Brooklyn and the rest of the Beckham clan has completely broken down.
Brooklyn will not be joining his parents, brothers Romeo and Cruz, or sister Harper for the holidays.
Adding another layer to the rift, Brooklyn’s wife Nicola Peltz, 30, also no longer follows David and Victoria.
As previously revealed by the Daily Mail, Brooklyn has reportedly rebuffed multiple attempts at reconciliation in the lead-up to the festive season, opting instead to spend Christmas with Nicola and her family in Miami, Florida.
A source said at the time: ‘Brooklyn and Nicola decided they would be spending this Christmas with her family. Her parents are really excited to have them.’
The fractures within the famous family became impossible to ignore earlier this year when Brooklyn and Nicola failed to attend any of David’s 50th birthday celebrations in May.
He also notably did not publicly acknowledge his father’s knighthood in November.
For a family once synonymous with unity and carefully curated public appearances, the social-media block heard around the world marked the most visible sign yet that the Beckham feud has moved firmly from rumor to reality.
The bitter Beckham family feud appeared to escalate to new heights over the weekend after Cruz Beckham claimed his older brother Brooklyn had blocked their entire family on Instagram; seen in 2019
Sharon Osbourne vs. Ashton Kutcher
Sharon Osbourne has never been known for biting her tongue, and in 2023, she delivered one of her most unexpected celebrity call-outs yet – with help from daughter Kelly Osbourne.
While playing a game called Stir the Pot, the mother-daughter duo were asked to name the rudest celebrity they had ever met.
Sharon didn’t hesitate, even though she momentarily forgot the name.
‘The guy that’s married to an actress and he used to do That ’70s Show,’ Sharon said, prompting Kelly to jump in: ‘Oh, Ashton Kutcher? Really?’
‘Yes,’ Sharon replied bluntly. ‘Oh, rude, rude, rude, rude little boy.’
The comment stunned both Kelly and the interviewers, with Kelly admitting, ‘I was not prepared for that,’ before asking her mother to confirm, again, that she meant Kutcher.
‘Yes. Dastardly little thing,’ Sharon doubled down.
While Sharon didn’t offer specific details about what led to the alleged encounter, the unfiltered takedown instantly made waves online.
Sharon Osbourne has never been known for biting her tongue, and in 2023, she delivered one of her most unexpected celebrity call-outs yet against Ashton Kutcher; seen in 2014
Megan Fox and Michael Bay
In 2011, Megan Fox was abruptly fired from the Transformers franchise after skyrocketing to global fame in its first two films.
The decision followed controversial comments Fox made about director Michael Bay in a 2009 interview with Wonderland magazine, where she likened his on-set demeanor to that of historical tyrants.
‘He wants to be like Hitler on his sets, and he is,’ Fox said at the time, while also offering a more nuanced portrayal of Bay off-camera, calling him ‘awkward,’ ‘endearing,’ and ‘vulnerable’ when not in director mode.
She also described the extreme physical demands of filming alongside co-star Shia LaBeouf, saying the experience often pushed actors beyond what insurance would typically allow.
The fallout was swift as Fox was dropped from Transformers: Dark of the Moon and the narrative quickly turned against her – a moment she later described as career-altering.
More than a decade later, Fox reflected on the episode during a 2023 interview with Sports Illustrated, saying she felt ‘ridiculed’ and publicly vilified for speaking out in the late 2000s.
She described the experience as a ‘public crucifixion,’ adding that while she believed what she said was ‘true and genuine,’ it was neither heard nor understood at the time.
‘I’m fully OK now with people being upset,’ Fox said. ‘I don’t f***ing care.’
Public perception began to shift in the years following the rise of the #MeToo movement, when Fox’s earlier comments were reexamined through a different cultural lens.
Still, Fox later clarified that her personal experiences with Bay did not involve sexual misconduct.
‘When it comes to my direct experiences with Michael, I was never assaulted or preyed upon in what I felt was a sexual manner,’ she wrote on social media, stressing that some details had been ‘lost in the retelling of the events.’
Time ultimately softened the rift and the two eventually worked together again, signaling a reconciliation that few would have predicted at the height of their fallout.
Megan Fox was abruptly fired from the Transformers franchise after skyrocketing to global fame in its first two films following comments she made about director Michael Bay; seen in 2009
Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney famously had a feud with the late Michael Jackson back in 1985 – which went unresolved until the King Of Pop’s death in June 2009.
McCartney and Jackson used to be friends, collaborating on a song called The Girl Is Mine – a track that Macca was never really taken with and appeared on the Thriller album.
It was their second collaboration, having recorded Say, Say, Say and The Man, the autumn before, which appeared on McCartney’s October 1983 album, Pipes of Peace.
But they fell out when Jackson asked McCartney’s advice on how to safeguard his fortune and McCartney advised him to invest in music publishing.
Jackson then bought the rights to the Lennon and McCartney catalogue from under McCartney’s nose for $47.5 million and they never spoke again.
McCartney said at the time: ‘I think it’s dodgy to do something like that. To be someone’s friend, and then buy the rug they’re standing on.’
Paul McCartney famously had a feud with the late Michael Jackson back in 1985 – which went unresolved until the King Of Pop’s death in June 2009 (seen in 1983)
Matthew Perry and Keanu Reeves
Few celebrity feuds were as unexpected, or as one-sided, as this literary bombshell.
In his 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, Matthew Perry stunned readers by taking repeated, seemingly unprovoked jabs at Keanu Reeves.
While reflecting on the tragic deaths of close friends River Phoenix and Heath Ledger, Perry wrote: ‘Why is it that the original thinkers like River Phoenix and Heath Ledger die, but Keanu Reeves still walks among us?’
The remark raised eyebrows immediately, particularly given Perry’s deep personal connection to Phoenix.
The pair bonded while filming A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon in 1988, and Perry recalled hearing screams outside his apartment the night Phoenix died of a drug overdose in 1993.
‘River was a beautiful man inside and out,’ Perry wrote. ‘It always seems to be the really talented guys who go down.’
But Phoenix wasn’t the only loss Perry referenced while invoking Reeves’ name.
While discussing the death of Chris Farley, who died in 1997 after a fatal drug overdose, Perry again added the pointed aside: ‘Keanu Reeves walks among us.’
The repeated comments sparked swift backlash, with fans and critics alike questioning why Reeves had been singled out at all.
In 2023, the Friends star publicly apologized, announcing that the remarks would be removed from future editions of the book.
‘I said a stupid thing. It was a mean thing to do,’ Perry admitted at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, six months before he tragically died on October 28, 2023.
‘I’m actually a big fan of Keanu,’ Perry later clarified in a statement. ‘I just chose a random name, my mistake. I should have used my own name instead.’
A source close to Reeves later told Us Weekly that the comments had ‘come out of left field,’ adding that the backlash ultimately ‘backfired on Matthew anyway.’
In his 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, Matthew Perry stunned readers by taking repeated, seemingly unprovoked jabs at Keanu Reeves (pictured in 2017)
Courtney Love vs. Olivia Rodrigo
In 2021, Courtney Love sparked a brief but buzzy pop-culture clash after accusing Olivia Rodrigo of lifting visual inspiration from Hole’s iconic 1994 album Live Through This.
The grunge rocker took to social media on June 24, sharing side-by-side images of Rodrigo’s Sour Prom promotional shoot alongside Hole’s album cover, which famously features a mascara-smeared prom queen clutching flowers, and captioned the post: ‘Spot the difference! #twinning.’
When a fan asked whether she was angry about the apparent resemblance, Love replied bluntly: ‘She didn’t ask. So bit of both. I dig manners.’
Love went on to argue that Rodrigo, or her label, should have asked permission before recreating the imagery, noting that the original Live Through This artwork was a collaboration with renowned photographer Ellen von Unwerth.
‘Stealing an original idea and not asking permission is rude,’ Love wrote in a follow-up post, adding that while such moments had happened to her repeatedly throughout her career, this one crossed a line.
‘Manners is manners,’ she insisted.
Rodrigo, who was just 18 at the time, opted for diplomacy.
After being tagged in Love’s posts, the Good 4 U singer responded warmly on Instagram, writing: ‘love u and Live Through This soooo much.’
Love appeared to accept the olive branch – with conditions.
‘Olivia – you’re welcome,’ she replied. ‘My favorite florist is in Notting Hill, London! DM me for deets! I look forward to reading your note!’
The exchange fizzled out soon after Love’s attempt at delivering a crash course in rock-star etiquette.
In 2021, Courtney Love sparked a brief but buzzy pop-culture clash after accusing Olivia Rodrigo of lifting visual inspiration from Hole’s iconic 1994 album Live Through This
Shonda Rhimes vs. Katherine Heigl
Some Hollywood feuds aren’t explosive, they’re slow-burning, career-defining, and painfully public.
Katherine Heigl’s fallout with Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes remains one of the most infamous behind-the-scenes clashes in television history.
Heigl starred as Dr. Izzie Stevens on the hit medical drama for six seasons, earning critical acclaim and even winning an Emmy in 2007.
But despite her on-screen success, her time on the show was increasingly overshadowed by off-screen tension.
In a 2014 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Rhimes appeared to reference Heigl while addressing difficult behavior on set.
‘I don’t put up with bullsh*t or nasty people,’ she said. ‘I don’t have time for it. There are no Heigls in this situation.’
Months later, Heigl responded publicly, telling Extra that while the comments ‘sucked,’ she held no ill will.
‘I’m sorry that she feels that way,’ Heigl said at the time. ‘I have nothing negative to say about Shonda. I wish her nothing but greatness.’
The actress revisited the controversy in 2023 during Variety’s Actors on Actors alongside former co-star Ellen Pompeo, offering her most candid reflection yet.
Heigl admitted she was ‘naive’ and overly confident in her late 20s, believing she was justified in speaking out without anticipating the backlash.
‘I got on my soapbox and I had some things to say,’ she explained. ‘There was no part of me that imagined a bad reaction.’
Heigl also revealed how deeply the criticism affected her, saying she internalized the narrative that she was ‘ungrateful’ and ‘difficult,’ carrying shame for years before eventually reassessing whose voice she was listening to.
Pompeo, who has long been associated with the show’s stability, offered a sympathetic take, even suggesting Heigl was simply ahead of her time.
‘You were just a little early,’ she joked, referencing the era before social media megaphones normalized public airing of grievances.
Pompeo went further, defending her former co-star by pointing out the overwhelming scrutiny Heigl faced at the height of her fame.
‘As an outsider looking in, I saw a lot around you that wasn’t anything to do with you, or your fault,’ she said, noting how quickly Hollywood builds stars up and waits for them to fall.
Years later, the Heigl–Rhimes rift reads less like a traditional feud and more like a cautionary tale about timing, power, and what happens when a young actress speaks too loudly in an industry that wasn’t ready to listen.
Katherine Heigl’s fallout with Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes remains one of the most infamous behind-the-scenes clashes in television history; seen in 2006
Chloe Grace Moretz vs. Kim Kardashian
Some celebrity feuds burn out quickly. Others linger, even when one side insists it’s over.
The unlikely clash between Chloë Moretz and Kim Kardashian dates back to 2016 – and remains one of the internet’s most awkward celebrity face-offs.
The feud ignited in March of that year after Kardashian shared a nude selfie on social media.
Moretz, then in her late teens, publicly criticized the post, urging the reality star to consider the influence she held over young women.
‘I truly hope you realize how important setting goals are for young women,’ Moretz wrote at the time, adding that women had ‘so much more to offer than our bodies.’
Kardashian wasted no time firing back. In a now-infamous tweet, she wrote: ‘Let’s all welcome @ChloeGMoretz to Twitter, since no one knows who she is.’
Though the online exchange was brief, Kardashian later appeared to escalate matters by sending bottles of her KIMOJI perfume to several critics, including Moretz, on Valentine’s Day.
The gesture raised eyebrows, but Moretz made it clear she was unimpressed.
While appearing on Watch What Happens Live, the actress revealed she never even opened the package.
‘I didn’t even get it,’ she said with a laugh, explaining that her publicist intercepted the delivery. ‘I never saw it.’
Years later, Moretz made it clear she was done revisiting the spat altogether.
Speaking to Refinery29, she dismissed the feud as ancient history. ‘It’s a dead story, in my opinion,’ she said. ‘I’m tired of being asked about it.’
The unlikely clash between Chloë Moretz and Kim Kardashian dates back to 2016 – and remains one of the internet’s most awkward celebrity face-offs
Chelsea Handler vs. Angelina Jolie
For years, Chelsea Handler made no secret of her disdain for Angelina Jolie, frequently using her stand-up routines, talk-show appearances, and even her Netflix series to take pointed – and often brutal – jabs at the actress.
Handler, a close friend of Jennifer Aniston, repeatedly labeled Jolie a ‘homewrecker,’ referencing Jolie’s relationship with Brad Pitt following his divorce from Aniston.
The animosity became a recurring punchline, stretching across much of the 2010s.
In 2010, Handler accused Jolie of trying to hook up with Pitt while he was still married.
Three years later, she escalated the rhetoric further, memorably describing Jolie as ‘a demon’ during an appearance on late-night television.
When Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt in 2016 after two years of marriage, Handler again didn’t hold back.
On her Netflix show Chelsea, she quipped: ‘He married a f**king lunatic,’ before joking that she would finally accept marriage proposals now that Pitt and Jolie were splitting.
But time appeared to soften Handler’s stance as she expressed regret for how intensely she had targeted Jolie over the years while appearing on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen in 2019.
‘I was so upset with her for so many years,’ Handler confessed, acknowledging that she had gained greater empathy with age. ‘I have more sympathy and empathy for people that are like, ‘She’s really a mom and a wife and whatever she is.”
For years, Chelsea Handler made no secret of her disdain for Angelina Jolie, frequently using her stand-up routines and talk-show appearances to take jabs at the actress
Bella Thorne vs. Whoopi Goldberg
Bella Thorne found herself at the center of an emotionally charged public clash in 2019 after Whoopi Goldberg criticized her during a The View segment discussing a hacker’s threat to release the actress’s private nude photos.
During the show’s Hot Topics discussion, Goldberg appeared to place responsibility on Thorne for taking the images in the first place.
‘I don’t care how old you are,’ Goldberg said. ‘You don’t take nude photos of yourself.’
The remarks deeply affected Thorne, who was just 21 at the time and had already taken the drastic step of posting the images herself in an attempt to ‘take back the power’ from the hacker. The following day, she responded with a raw, tearful Instagram video calling out Goldberg directly.
‘Shame on you, Whoopi,’ Thorne said through tears. ‘Shame on you for putting that public opinion out there for every young girl to think that they’re disgusting for even taking a photo like that.’
Visibly distraught, Thorne said the comments made her feel ‘disgusting’ and emotionally devastated, adding that the conversation ignored the real harm caused by hacking and online exploitation.
‘I can only imagine all the kids who have their stuff released and then they commit suicide,’ she said. ‘You’re so crazy for thinking such terrible things on such an awful situation.’
Thorne also announced she would cancel a scheduled appearance on The View, saying she didn’t want to be ‘beaten down by a bunch of older women’ over her body and sexuality. In one of the most striking moments of the video, she compared victim-blaming around leaked photos to broader conversations about consent and accountability.
‘Saying if you take a sexy photo, then basically it deserves to be leaked… so if I go out to a party drinking and want to dance, do I deserve to be raped too?’ she asked.
Goldberg later doubled down on her stance during the same episode, arguing that once images exist digitally, they are vulnerable to hacking. ‘Once you take that picture, it goes into the cloud,’ she said. ‘You cannot be surprised that someone hacks you.’
The exchange sparked widespread debate online, with many criticizing Goldberg’s comments as victim-blaming and praising Thorne for speaking openly about shame, consent and the emotional toll of digital exploitation.
Bella Thorne found herself at the center of an emotionally charged public clash in 2019 after Whoopi Goldberg criticized her during a The View segment
Winona Ryder and Gwyneth Paltrow
According to Gwyneth: The Biography, published in July, Gwyneth Paltrow’s once-close friendship with Winona Ryder deteriorated into a deep and lasting rift fueled by suspicion and mistrust.
Journalist Amy Odell wrote that the two actresses were initially inseparable, forming a tight bond during the late 1990s.
At the time, Paltrow was dating Ben Affleck, while Ryder was in a relationship with his best friend, Matt Damon – making the group a rising Hollywood power foursome.
After Paltrow split from Brad Pitt in 1997, she reportedly moved into Ryder’s home for emotional support. But the friendship soon began to unravel.
The biography alleges that following an argument between Ryder and Damon, Ryder left their New York apartment and later claimed she had been robbed.
After leaving the apartment a second time, Ryder reportedly returned with a second robbery claim.
While Damon was said to be sympathetic, Odell alleged that Paltrow, along with Affleck, became convinced Ryder had fabricated the incidents in a bid for attention, a claim the book stresses is unproven.
‘Damon consoled her,’ the biography states, ‘but Gwyneth and Affleck believed Ryder fabricated the robberies as a ploy for attention (there’s no proof of this).’
The situation reportedly strained more than one relationship.
Paltrow was said to be frustrated that Damon didn’t share her suspicions, and Odell claims her opinion of him soured as a result.
From there, the once-close friendship between Paltrow and Ryder quietly disintegrated.
In Gwyneth: The Biography, published in July 29, journalist Amy Odell reveals Paltrow was once close friends with Ryder but grew to despise her after suspecting her of fabricating stories for attention (seen in 1997)
The Chicks vs. George W. Bush
The Chicks, formerly known as the Dixie Chicks, ignited one of the most consequential controversies in modern music history in 2003, when a single onstage comment triggered a backlash that derailed their career at its peak.
While performing at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire just days before the U.S. invasion of Iraq, lead singer Natalie Maines addressed the crowd as she introduced the song Travelin’ Soldier.
‘Just so you know, we’re on the good side with y’all,’ Maines said. ‘We do not want this war, this violence, and we’re ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas.’
The remark, aimed at then-President George W. Bush, sent shockwaves through the country music world.
Fans organized boycotts, radio stations pulled the band’s songs and protests erupted across multiple states.
Album sales plummeted, and the trio, once at the pinnacle of early-2000s fame, were abruptly cast out of the genre that had built them.
Though Maines attempted to soften the fallout in early interviews, the band ultimately stood by her words, even as their fan base shrank dramatically.
Rather than retreat, The Chicks leaned into a more outspoken, activist identity, at significant personal and professional cost.
Years later, Maines made it clear she had no regrets.
In a 2020 interview with Allure, she reflected on the moment that changed everything. ‘I have no regrets,’ she said, acknowledging that while she didn’t want others to suffer as a result, she still questioned whether she would take the comment back. ‘Where would we be today if I hadn’t said that? I really don’t know.’
She also admitted the controversy permanently altered the band’s relationship with country music. Asked whether The Chicks still felt included in the genre, Maines didn’t hesitate.
‘No, absolutely not,’ she said, recalling how quickly the industry turned on them. ‘I was shocked that people thought that we were different than what we were. I always felt like we were so genuine.’
The Chicks, formerly known as the Dixie Chicks, ignited one of the most consequential controversies in modern music history in 2003 after slamming then-President George W. Bush; seen in 2007
Madonna vs. Elton John
One of music’s most enduring and explosive celebrity feuds began in 2002, when Sir Elton John publicly branded Madonna’s Bond theme Die Another Day the ‘worst Bond tune ever.’
Things escalated two years later at the 2004 Q Awards, when Madonna was nominated for Best Live Act. Accepting his own award onstage, Elton famously erupted: ‘Madonna, best live act? F*** off. Since when has lip-syncing been live?’ He went on to suggest that performers who lip-synced should be ‘shot’ – adding that he was officially off her Christmas card list.
Madonna’s publicist swiftly fired back, insisting she does not lip-sync and noting that Elton remained on her Christmas card list ‘whether he is nice… or naughty.’
Though Elton later admitted the comments were ‘unfair’ and said he’d spoken in the heat of the moment, the détente didn’t last.
After Madonna declined to perform at his bachelor party, he was allegedly overheard calling her a ‘miserable cow,’ prompting another icy response from her camp.
The feud reignited in 2012 when Madonna beat Elton for a Golden Globe for Best Original Song.
His husband David Furnish slammed the win as undeserved, while Elton had already declared Madonna had ‘no f***ing chance’ of winning.
Madonna, unfazed, responded calmly: ‘He’s brilliant, and I adore him… he’ll win another award.’
Elton later waded back in after Madonna criticized Lady Gaga, unleashing a profanity-laced rant that was accidentally broadcast on Australian television – a moment he later apologized for, admitting he’d been venting privately.
By 2016, however, the decades-long feud finally thawed.
Elton revealed he’d apologized to Madonna after bumping into her at a restaurant in France.
‘I said something horrible about her that you should never say,’ he admitted. ‘She was very gracious. We are fine — it was just me and my big mouth.’
Still, old habits die hard. In his 2019 memoir Me, Elton revisited the feud once more, criticizing Madonna for ‘kicking down’ younger artists.
Madonna and Elton John have finally buried the hatchet following a decades-long feud
Taylor Swift vs. Katy Perry
Taylor Swift and Katy Perry’s friendship has taken a circuitous route, as they went from good friends to feuding ex-pals before patching up their tattered relationship.
Although the two never appeared to be as close as some of Swift’s other friends, she and the I Kissed A Girl singer were spotted hanging out several times beginning in 2009, and they periodically shared friendly posts about each other on social media.
But the first cryptic hints that things had soured between the friendly acquaintances came about in 2014 as Swift promoted her 1989 single Bad Blood.
In an interview with Rolling Stone at the time, Swift admitted the song was inspired by another female performer.
‘For years, I was never sure if we were friends or not,’ Swift said in the interview. ‘She would come up to me at awards shows and say something and walk away, and I would think, “Are we friends, or did she just give me the harshest insult of my life?”‘
She added that the person ‘did something horrible’ that made them ‘straight-up enemies.’
Surprisingly, Swift clarified that it didn’t involve cheating or romances, but instead was purely business-based.
‘She basically tried to sabotage an entire arena tour. She tried to hire a bunch of people out from under me,’ she explained. ‘And I’m surprisingly non-confrontational – you would not believe how much I hate conflict. So, now I have to avoid her. It’s awkward, and I don’t like it.’
The interview alone might not have made it obvious that Swift was referring to Perry, but the day after it was published, the California Gurls singer tweeted, ‘Watch out for the Regina George in sheep’s clothing…,’ referring to the Mean Girls character played by Rachel McAdams.
Perry left little doubt about what she was referring to when she later added, ‘If somebody is trying to defame my character, you’re going to hear about it.’
Then, in a 2015 Telegraph profile, Swift confirmed bluntly that she was feuding with Katy when she said she was ‘never going to talk about her’ in her interviews.
‘I have my friends. I have my enemies,’ she added.
Then in May 2017, Perry seemingly retaliated to Swift’s Bad Blood track with her own single Swish Swish, which was also reportedly about their feud.
However, a year later Perry reached out to her former friend with an olive branch and a handwritten note which began: ‘Hey old friend, I’ve being doing some reflecting on our miscommunications and though feelings between us.’
In 2024, Perry attended Swift’s Era’s Tour and the pair posed for a super sweet close-up shot of them backstage together, signaling they were on good terms.
Taylor Swift and Katy Perry’s friendship has taken a circuitous route, as they went from good friends to feuding ex-pals before patching up their tattered relationship
Camila Cabello vs. Fifth Harmony
Camila Cabello’s departure from Fifth Harmony in December 2016 marked one of pop music’s messiest group breakups.
The remaining members announced her exit in a blunt joint statement, revealing they had learned of her decision ‘via her representatives.’
They later released a second, far more detailed message, claiming they had tried repeatedly, and unsuccessfully, to convince Cabello to stay.
According to the group, they had requested meetings, involved the label and even arranged group counseling sessions that Cabello allegedly did not attend.
‘We have tried with exhausted efforts and hearts to keep this group alive as the five of us,’ they wrote, stressing that those efforts were ‘not mutual,’ they wrote.
Cabello quickly responded with her own statement, disputing the narrative.
She insisted her bandmates were aware of her feelings and denied that her departure came as a surprise.
‘As sad as it is to see this chapter ending this way,’ she wrote, ‘I will continue to root them all on as individuals and as a group.’
She also confirmed she would be moving forward with solo music, thanking fans for the opportunities Fifth Harmony had given her.
While the split initially appeared acrimonious, time softened the edges.
By 2025, Cabello publicly showed support for her former bandmates by liking posts about their surprise reunion, signaling that one of pop’s most awkward fallouts may have finally found its quiet resolution.
Camila Cabello’s departure from Fifth Harmony in December 2016 marked one of pop music’s messiest group breakups; seen in 2015
Sylvester Stallone vs. Arnold Schwarzenegger
Before they became action-movie allies, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone were bitter rivals locked in one of Hollywood’s longest-running testosterone-fueled feuds.
For more than a decade, particularly during their box-office-dominating reign in the 1980s, the two action stars openly bad-mouthed one another in the press, competing for roles, records, and bragging rights.
Schwarzenegger later admitted the rivalry was deeply personal.
‘We hated each other,’ he confirmed in 2017.
The animosity famously extended to sabotage.
Schwarzenegger revealed he intentionally leaked fake interest in the critically panned comedy, Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, knowing Stallone would rush to secure the role. And, the plan worked.
But, the roots of the feud stretch back even further.
In January 1977, the two were seated at the same table at the Golden Globe Awards, where Schwarzenegger won Best Acting Debut for Stay Hungry while Stallone was nominated for Rocky.
Stallone later recalled seeing Schwarzenegger laughing when he lost Best Actor, though Stallone ultimately had the last laugh when Rocky won Best Picture.
Despite years of sniping, the rivalry eventually cooled after their unexpected partnership in the Planet Hollywood restaurant franchise marked the turning point.
While promoting FUBAR on Radio Andy, Schwarzenegger explained that a shared lawyer suggested bringing Stallone into the venture.
‘I said, “That’s actually a good idea,”‘ Schwarzenegger recalled. ‘Because that could bring us together – and I wanted that.’
The business partnership paved the way for real reconciliation, eventually expanding to include Bruce Willis, Whoopi Goldberg and Chuck Norris.
By the 2010s, the former rivals were not only friends but frequent collaborators, starring together in The Expendables franchise and Escape Plan.
Their bond even extended into politics, with Stallone attending Schwarzenegger’s California gubernatorial inauguration and donating to his campaign.
Before they became action-movie allies, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone were bitter rivals locked in one of Hollywood’s longest-running testosterone-fueled feuds; seen in 2015
Hailey Bieber vs. Selena Gomez
One of the most persistent celebrity feuds to resurface in 2025 was one many fans insist never went away in the first place.
In October, rumors of tension between Hailey Bieber and Selena Gomez reignited once again, fueled by comments about beauty brands, social media reactions, and a long, complicated shared history.
The latest flare-up began when Bieber, 29, was asked how she feels about constant comparisons between her Rhode Beauty brand and Gomez’s Rare Beauty.
Speaking to WSJ. Magazine, Bieber admitted she finds the comparisons ‘annoying,’ adding that she doesn’t feel competitive with people she isn’t inspired by.
‘I think there is space for everybody,’ Bieber said. ‘I don’t feel competitive with people that I’m not inspired by.’
Fans quickly speculated that the comments were aimed at Gomez, 33, who appeared to respond shortly after with a pointed Instagram message of her own.
While insisting she wasn’t bothered, Gomez urged her followers to stop fueling the narrative altogether.
‘She can say whatever she wants. Doesn’t affect my life whatsoever,’ Gomez wrote. ‘Be kind. All brands inspire me. There is room for everyone.’
Despite both women repeatedly denying any feud, the timing of their remarks, coupled with their apparent avoidance of one another at public events, sparked an online debate.
The situation was only further complicated by their shared romantic history with Justin Bieber, whom Gomez dated on and off from 2010 through 2018 before he married Hailey.
Gomez and Justin first met in 2009 after being introduced by their managers, confirming their romance the following year and making several red carpet appearances together, including at the 2011 American Music Awards. Their relationship famously cycled through multiple breakups and reconciliations before ending for good in 2018.
In an effort to shut down speculation, Hailey and Gomez famously posed together for a photo in 2022 – a moment many believed marked the end of the so-called feud.
Yet years later, subtle comments, fan theories and internet sleuthing continue to ensure the rivalry never fully fades.
For a feud both stars insist doesn’t exist, it remains one of pop culture’s most stubborn storylines.
In October, rumors of tension between Hailey Bieber and Selena Gomez reignited once again
