In Hollywood, big egos are a dime a dozen. That’s what makes it so easy for epic feuds to bubble up over the years between big-name entertainers. From film legends to music moguls, here’s a look back at the most memorable celebrity feuds of all time.
Jennifer Lopez vs. Mariah Carey
Let’s start things out on a high note. Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez have one of the most well-known feuds in the music industry. Back in the early ’00s, J. Lo was working on new music with Carey’s ex-husband Tommy Mottola, then head of Sony Music.
That allegedly didn’t please Carey, as evidenced by the now-infamous phrase, “I don’t know her,” when asked about working with Lopez. In 2018, Lopez admitted she didn’t have anything against Carey, although she was aware of what Carey said about her in the past.
At this point, both have claimed to have not had enough time to “know” each other, and the legendary feud lives on.
Alex Pettyfer vs. Channing Tatum
Magic Mike was a film about male strippers with friendships as tight as their g-strings. Behind the scenes, co-stars Pettyfer and Tatum were quite the opposite. On Bret Easton Ellis’ podcast, Pettyfer owned up to his bad boy reputation from previous films. He claimed that while shooting Magic Mike, he kept his distance from others to stay out of trouble. That idea backfired and added fuel to his difficult reputation on set.
Once the movie wrapped, Pettyfer rented one of Tatum’s friend’s apartments and left shortly after, claiming that the apartment was in bad shape. Even though he left, he still owed four months of back rent, but got distracted by family matters and failed to pay. Pettyfer suddenly got a very threatening email from Tatum, who stood up for his friend and demanded rent money.
Perhaps a lap around the stripper pole could cool these two down?
Freddie Prinze Jr. vs. Kiefer Sutherland
Freddie Prinze Jr. was a teen heartthrob in the late ’90s in blockbusters like She’s All That and I Know What You Did Last Summer. When he broke into more serious acting on TV’s 24, he almost quit showbiz for good. The reason? His costar, Kiefer Sutherland.
“It was terrible. I hated every moment of it,” he confessed. “Kiefer was the most unprofessional dude in the world. I’d say it to his face.” Sutherland has only ever responded to questions of their feud with positivity.
So who knows whether Sutherland is truly a terror on set.
Paris Hilton vs. Lindsay Lohan
In the early aughts, paparazzi swarmed to nightclubs to snap photos of socialites and starlets. Hilton made herself a household name by partying for the cameras with the likes of Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan. But after years of partying, things took a turn.
Hilton and Lohan started giving catty soundbites about each other to paparazzi, further fueling the media frenzy. Hilton later admitted any photos of herself with Lohan weren’t her choice, as Lohan followed her around and was, “beyond embarrassing.” When pressed for a response, Lohan replied, “I mean, if it’s going to be good press for someone else, even in a negative way, then I’ll pray for them.”
Justin Bieber vs. Orlando Bloom
Biebs and Bloom started their feud back in 2012 at a Victoria’s Secret fashion show. Naturally. Bieber would not leave Orlando’s then-wife Miranda Kerr alone. A few years later, Bloom hurled a chair at Bieber in Ibiza in response to Bieber’s continued commentary on Kerr.
After his divorce from Kerr, Orlando found himself in several intimate club nights with Bieber’s ex, Selena Gomez. This feud continued over the years through several vague attacks on social media. The strangest part of their feud culminated in a pose-off between the two, allowing photographers to snap them in the nude within the same week.
Destiny’s Child vs. Destiny’s Child
Being a “Survivor” was no easy task for the members of Destiny’s Child. The R&B girl group went through a revolving door of members as they earned mainstream success. Original members LaTavia Robertson and LeToya Luckett learned they were out of the group when a video for “Say My Name” came out and they weren’t in it.
Rumors of diva behavior and infighting with management swirled as new members joined the group. Five months later, new addition Farrah Franklin abruptly left the group, claiming she lost her identity in the process.
Beyoncé Knowles and Kelly Rowland were the only originals left standing with newcomer Michelle Williams being the sole “Survivor”.
Bill Maher vs. Howard Stern
These comic legends had it out for each other for over two decades. Back in ’97 on his talk show Politically Incorrect, Maher brought up Stern’s new film Private Parts for discussion. The next day, Stern ripped into Maher on the radio for bringing up his film on a political talk show. Stern angrily trashed Maher’s career and called him and his father, radio announcer William Maher Jr., “total bores.”
After 20 years of hostility, Maher visited The Howard Stern Show in 2019 and buried the hatchet. “I take full responsibility in us not getting along,” Howard told Bill. “Back in those days, look, we were both a–holes,” Bill said to Howard. “Isn’t it nice that we’re at this age now? Where we repair relationships.”
Rosie O’Donnell vs. Elisabeth Hasselback
In 2006, O’Donnell announced her triumphant return to television as a co-host on The View. The political chat show already had conservative ex-Survivor Hasselback on as a co-host, so adding the left-leaning O’Donnell was a recipe for heated conversation. However, O’Donnell’s hosting duties wouldn’t last long.
Three weeks before her contract was up, O’Donnell left the show early after her infamous fight with Hasselback. The two were at odds over comments O’Donnell made about the Iraq war, and things got personal. It was the only time The View used a split screen to capture the heated argument, and that was enough to fracture their relationship for years to come.
Kim Cattrall vs. Sarah Jessica Parker
For all the diehard Sex and the City fans that pined for a third movie, Cattrall let the most disappointing cat out of the bag. It turns out, Cattrall never felt a warm reception from Parker throughout the entirety of the series.
Cattrall went on to say the entire series was purely professional, twisting the dagger for every fan that believed in the fabulous foursome’s offscreen bond. Cattrall later wrote on Instagram…”You are not my family. You are not my friend,” and linked to a New York Post article diving into the “mean girl” culture Parker established on set.
Taylor Swift vs. Katy Perry
This sugary sweet pop star scuffle started when Perry started dating John Mayer, Swift’s former flame. To add insult to injury, Perry swiped her former dancers from Swift in the middle of Swift’s tour. A few diss tracks and cryptic tweets later, it was clear these ladies had “bad blood.”
The feud came to a head when Perry released her album, Witness. On the same day as Perry’s release, Swift sent her entire music catalog to streaming services, a move clearly meant to overshadow Perry’s success. Soon after, Perry sent Swift a literal olive branch to squash their beef. Things appeared to have smoothed over, as Perry and Swift hug it out in Swift’s music video for “You Need to Calm Down”.
Madonna vs. David Letterman
It’s the most legendary (and most awkward) late-night talk show interview of all time. On The Late Show in ’94, Letterman introduced Madonna as a star, “who slept with some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry.”
Viewers were stunned as a clearly irritated Madonna cursed at least 14 times, smoked a cigar on set and gave him her underwear to smell. Letterman continued to ask intimate questions about her sex life, and Madonna questioned his drug (and toupée) use. Needless to say, it was the highest ratings Letterman had in years.
Cardi B. vs. Nicki Minaj
Comparisons between the two female rappers started in 2017 when Cardi B broke into the mainstream with “Bodak Yellow”. Minaj responded to feud rumors by calling on the rap industry to stop pitting women against each other. However, their rap lyrics quickly indicated sour grapes on both sides.
Things came to a literal head at the Harper’s Bazaar NY Fashion Week party in 2018. After months of veiled threats, tensions boiled over and resulted in a high fashion melee that included an airborne shoe clocking Cardi B’s face. The dust has yet to settle on this epic rap battle.
Sean Penn vs. Lee Daniels
This feud was so major it had to go to court. When news outlets responded to reports Empire star Terrance Howard reportedly beat his wife, Daniels came to his defense. “Terrance ain’t done nothing different than Marlon Brando or Sean Penn.”
Penn filed a $10 million defamation lawsuit against Daniels in response. Daniels settled the case by publicly apologizing to Penn and making a huge donation to a charity benefiting Haiti. “Domestic violence is a very serious issue,” Daniels confessed. “I apologize again for the distress that this has caused Penn and his family.”
Elizabeth Taylor vs. Debbie Reynolds
When Taylor’s husband Mike Todd died in a plane crash, she sought comfort from friends and loved ones. Unfortunately for her longtime friend Debbie Reynolds, one source of Taylor’s comfort was Reynolds’ husband, Eddie Fisher. Tabloids ran so wild with details of Fisher and Taylor’s affair that Taylor released a statement, claiming: “You can’t break up a happy marriage. Debbie and Eddie’s never has been.”
Reynolds and Fisher eventually divorced, and the actresses went seven years without speaking. By chance, the two film legends were on board the same ocean liner to London in ’66 and reconnected. Reynolds sent a note to Taylor’s room, and Taylor responded with an invitation to dinner. Both of them had new husbands, so enough time had clearly passed for the two to reconcile their relationship.
Teri Hatcher vs. Other Desperate Housewives
Things were far from neighborly on the fictional street of Wisteria Lane. Desperate Housewives stars Eva Longoria, Marcia Cross and Nicollette Sheridan reportedly hated how Teri Hatcher acted like she was the star of the ensemble comedy. Sheridan even called Hatcher, “the meanest woman in the world.”
During an infamous Vanity Fair photo shoot, the cast’s tensions boiled over. Hatcher’s behavior triggered Cross to allegedly storm off set, confirming the rumors. When the show wrapped years later, the cast sent gifts to the crew, with Hatcher’s name left off the cards. Years later, Longoria claimed everyone is still very close with each other, adding “well, “99% of us are.”
Isaiah Washington vs. Other Doctors on Grey’s Anatomy
Derek Shepherd and Preston Burke were close coworkers on Grey’s Anatomy. Behind the scenes, things were far from professional with Isaiah Washington and costar Patrick Dempsey. Things came to a head when Dempsey and Washington got into a violent brawl on set after years of growing tension.
Reports claimed Washington later used a homophobic slur towards one of his other costars. TR Knight announced it was him that Washington attacked, coming out as gay to the world in the process. His foul behavior over 3 seasons on the show was enough to get him written off the show for good.
Terrance Howard vs. Robert Downey Jr.
In the first Iron Man movie of the Marvel franchise, Howard played the role of Colonel James “Rhodey” Rhodes. After the success of the first film, a sequel was in the works, but Howard was no longer part of the cast. The reason? Howard attributed his cut to a salary dispute, with the bulk of the funds going to Downey Jr. and the studio not having enough money for Howard.
A twist in the saga was later revealed by Howard, who alleged he got Downey Jr. the Iron Man role. Downey Jr. never confirmed that there was tension between the two actors, and later claimed he had no control over casting the sequels.
Sounds like sour grapes on a superhuman level.
Anjelica Huston vs. Hollywood
Recently, Hollywood icon Anjelica Huston opened up to Vulture about her life in a candid interview and revealed her feuds with several other icons. Take Oprah Winfrey. After Huston beat Winfrey for Best Supporting Actress at the ’85 Academy Awards, Winfrey avoided her at all costs. The only encounter they’ve ever had was when Winfrey stepped right in front of her during an intimate chat with Clint Eastwood.
Later, she revealed that actor Bill Murray was awful to her on the set of The Life Aquatic. “We were all in this little hotel, and he invited the cast to dinner, except for me.” She later ripped into other screen legends Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, judging their lackluster film choices in their later years.
Sounds like she’s had a lifetime of famous feuds!
Ja Rule vs. 50 Cent
This isn’t merely a feud that expresses itself through song lyrics. The two Bronx rappers have been at odds since 1999 after one of 50 Cent’s friends robbed Ja Rule. The bad blood led to several physical confrontations, including 50 Cent getting stabbed by Ja Rule in a recording studio.
Years of diss tracks and social media attacks later, 50 Cent claims the feud will not end until “one of us is gone.” His most recent stunt directed at his rival was beyond ruthless. He bought 200 front-row tickets to one of Ja Rule’s concerts on Groupon, just to keep them empty.
The Rock vs. Vin Diesel
For a film franchise about big cars and bigger attitudes, this feud seems rather fitting. When Johnson was cast in Fast and Furious 8, no one expected him to post on Instagram that some of his male co-stars were acting childish. Rumors about who he was referring to ran rampant.
Diesel later went on Facebook Live to assure fans they’d know the truth but didn’t mention any feuds on set. Things got stranger when Johnson finished filming and thanked his costars on social media, conspicuously leaving out Diesel. For two giant action stars that always get physical in their films, this feud feels surprisingly catty.
Jimmy Kimmel vs. Sean Hannity
Hannity started up a major talk show feud after Kimmel joked about Melania Trump’s accent. Hannity came to the First Lady’s defense and called Kimmel, “a despicable disgrace,” and an “a– clown”. Funnyman Kimmel took the bait and responded, calling Hannity, “the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey of a– clownsmanship.”
Hannity took things to the next level on social media, posting several clips from Kimmel’s former comedy series The Man Show, which ran from ’99 – ’04. He compared the outdated humor to disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein. Kimmel fired back to the accusations, and the two have been at odds publicly ever since.
Jay-Z vs. Kanye West
Kanye West has put his foot in his mouth over the years and has had his fair share of feuds. But no one saw this monumental hip-hop friendship coming to an end. In 2016, West went on a rant during his Saint Pablo tour and called out Jay-Z’s entire family.
That didn’t sit well with Jay-Z, who confessed that bringing his wife and daughter’s name into their problems was what created the rift. This was all during West’s hospitalization, so in time things may heal between these two major moguls.
Bette Davis vs. Joan Crawford
This Hollywood feud is one for the record books. These two film legends started butting heads over actor Franchot Tone. Davis had her heart set on Tone, but Crawford wound up marrying the actor. Ever since their marriage, the two actresses competed for roles and made their distaste for each other known.
The feud came to a head after they both starred in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? Davis was the only one to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Crawford reacted to this slight the only way a dramatic actress knows how: dramatically. She offered to accept the award on the other nominees’ behalf should they be unavailable to attend, which wound up happening. Ice cold.
Gwyneth Paltrow vs. Martha Stewart
The battle of the blonde lifestyle brands bubbled up in 2008 when Paltrow launched Goop. Stewart, the undisputed queen of the lifestyle brand, was far from supportive. With a cutting jab, Stewart proclaimed, “She’s a movie star. If she were confident in her acting, she wouldn’t be trying to be Martha Stewart.” Ouch, Martha.
Their subtle shade later found its way to the kitchen. Stewart released a recipe for pies called Conscious Coupling, a reference to Paltrow’s description of her “consciously uncoupled” divorce. Paltrow responded with some shade of her own, sharing a recipe for Jailbird Cake, a reference to Stewart’s prison sentence. We’re not gonna lie, this feud is kind of delicious.
Andy Cohen vs. Kathy Griffin
After Griffin’s infamous photo of her with Trump’s severed head (it was a clown mask and ketchup, calm down) went viral, Hollywood turned its back on her. CNN fired Griffin from the network’s New Year’s Eve Live broadcast and replaced her with Cohen. TMZ later caught Cohen for a street interview, where he bizarrely pretended not to know Griffin.
That’s when the gloves came off. Griffin worked with Cohen and the Bravo network for years, and Cohen’s interview was the last straw. Griffin released her own video, claiming Cohen asked her to do drugs with him and that he has no actual talent. With his back against the wall, Cohen confessed that his street interview was a mistake, but the pair haven’t made up.
Shirley McClain vs. Debra Winger
Another legendary Hollywood feud was between the stars of the 1983 dramatic film Terms of Endearment. Things didn’t go well when the two actresses first met for the film. MacLaine was an accomplished Hollywood actress, and Winger was a new star on the rise.
MacLaine didn’t enjoy Winger’s acting methods and wrote about them in her ’95 autobiography My Lucky Stars. MacLaine further alleged in her book that during rehearsals, Winger intentionally farted in her face.
How’s that for method acting?
Julianna Margulies vs. Archie Panjabi
Archie Panjabi’s exit from The Good Wife after 6 seasons raised red flags for fans. Many suspected she left because of tensions between her and Julianna Margulies. Things got really suspicious when the show confessed the actresses filmed their final scene together separately.
Margulies dismissed the gossip, claiming the director shot their scene that way to accommodate the schedule for a new show Panjabi was filming. Panjabi shot down that idea by Tweeting, “the show was not even in production at that time and I was in New York, ready to film the scene!” Sounds like The Good Wife cooked up some bad lies to make up for worse behavior.
William Shatner vs. George Takei
This feud appears to have started in the ’60s on the set of Star Trek. According to Takei’s autobiography To the Stars, Shatner’s legendary ego was no legend. In the book, Takei claims Shatner would pretend not to know him on set and prevented Takei’s character from ever taking command of the ship.
At Takei’s wedding in 2008, Shatner was notably absent from the ceremony while the rest of the cast attended. When questioned about his absence, Shatner claimed he wasn’t invited. He went on to allege Takei suffers from a “psychosis” and that there was never a feud. Takei says he did invite him, so maybe the invitation took a voyage where no mail has gone before?
R2D2 vs. C3P0
It turns out that all of the bickering between the lovable Star Wars droids had more vitriol to it than we thought. The actors behind the robots, Kenny Baker and Anthony Daniels, did not get along. Baker, who played R2-D2, was uncharacteristically vocal about his negative feelings towards Daniels.
Baker said Daniels kept to himself and avoided contact with the cast, claiming, “I just don’t like him and have never understood what his problem is.” In 2011, Daniels responded to the reported feud, telling The Mirror: “I never saw him. I mean, R2-D2 doesn’t even speak. He might as well be a bucket.”
Katherine Heigl vs. Shonda Rhimes
Shonda Rhimes is one of the most powerful people in television. With so many successful shows under her belt, an actor would be foolish to disrupt her recipe for success. Enter Katherine Heigl. Heigl was reportedly very difficult to work with on the set of Grey’s Anatomy.
Heigl’s waffling behavior about her time on the show created a media disaster for Rhimes. Every day was a new Heigl-related scandal. Things got so stressful, Rhimes got inspired to create Scandal, a show about crisis management.
At least something good came out of their feud!
