Hollywood's Nastiest Feuds Of All Time
Hollywood friendships come and go like fashion trends. While some stick around longer than others, many are cast away like bags of used clothing dropped off at your nearest Goodwill. Like low-rise jeans and velour tracksuits, some things aren't meant to last forever. The glow of Hollywood lights, red carpet events, and endless amounts of money may paint an illusion of a picture-perfect life, but the reality is there aren't many people that celebrities can trust. When that trust is broken, the fallout is front-page news.
As we've seen time and time again, celebrity beef can get nasty. In this day and age, everyone's got receipts. From Twitter fingers to scandalous screenshots, Hollywood stars' dirty laundry is just one click away. We've seen some Hollywood A-listers go from the best of friends to extreme enemies in the harsh spotlight of the public eye. They say to keep your friends close and enemies closer — and in the harsh world of Hollywood it rings even truer. From besties to backstabbers, we're breaking down some of the nastiest celebrity feuds of all time.
Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker hated each other on Sex and the City
"Sex and the City" fans grab a cosmopolitan because you'll need a stiff drink to dive into the drama between co-stars Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall. Sure, New York City fashion, endless handsome suitors, and the sisterhood pictured on the show seem quite hunky dory, but the real story is that Parker and Cattrall were anything but the close friends they portrayed onscreen.
The first whisperings of a feud between them began over salary disputes. According to The Telegraph, Parker started executive producing "SATC" in Season 2, meaning her salary was significantly higher than Cattrall's. The latter attempted (unsuccessfully) to negotiate a raise, leading to a rift between her and her co-stars, Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis. After being asked why she sat apart from her co-stars at the 2004 Emmy Awards, Cattrall told a reporter (via The Telegraph): "Are we the best of friends? No. We're professional actresses. We have our own separate lives."
Tensions increased towards the end of the series when reports suggested that Cattrall and Parker were longer on speaking terms. Tabloids also reported that Cattrall's refusal to sign on for a third installment of the "Sex and the City" movie franchise caused an even further divide. After years of back-and-forth in the press, the drama reached a head in 2018 when Parker commented on Cattrall's Instagram post offering condolences after her brother's death. "I don't need your love and support at this tragic time @sarahjessicaparker," Cattrall responded back.
Madonna and Elton John's feud is going on two decades
Madonna and Elton John's feud dates back to 2004 when the "Rocket Man" singer famously insulted the Queen of Pop for lip-syncing. After receiving the award for classic songwriter at the Q Awards (via The Hollywood Reporter), the singer took a jab at Madonna in his acceptance speech. "Madonna, best live act? F*** off. Since when has lip-syncing been live? Sorry about that, but I think everyone who lip-syncs on stage in public when you pay like 75 quid to see them should be shot," he exclaimed. The "Like A Virgin" singer's spokesperson responded after the show saying: "Madonna doesn't lip-sync, nor does she spend her time trashing other artists ... Elton remains on her Christmas card list whether he is nice or naughty."
While John has been notoriously more catty with his sparring partner (even his husband David Furnish insulted her), Madonna has been more respectful in how she responded to his criticism. "I hope he speaks to me for the next couple of years. He's known to get mad at me ... He'll win another award. I don't feel bad," she said at the 2012 Golden Globes (via ABC News) after beating John for best original song.
It seems like every time Madonna achieves a major accolade, John has something to say about it. Ahead of her 2012 Super Bowl Halftime Show performance, the singer went on Good Morning America to advise her, "Make sure you lip-sync good." With all this back-and-forth, these two frenemies may never make peace.
Bette Davis and Joan Crawford were bitter enemies
Silver screen actors Bette Davis and Joan Crawford had a decades-long feud fueled by their desire to outdo each other in their careers. Not only did they fight over outshining each other on-screen, but they took several jabs at each others' personal lives — making their feud go down as one of the nastiest in Hollywood history.
Davis rose to fame at a time when Crawford had already been known as a respected actor in the industry. In a feat that had never been done, Warner Bros. decided to debut Davis' name above the title of her comedy film "Ex-Lady" in 1933. The promotion for the film was overshadowed, however, as tabloids were more preoccupied with the news of Crawford's divorce, which led to the comedy tanking and sparking the feud between the women.
Crawford went on to marry Davis' on-screen love interest, and the two fought over movie roles, dressing rooms, and Oscar wins for decades to come. The two came together for one film in their career, the 1962 horror film "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" in which Davis plays Crawford's younger sister who terrorizes her. The actor reportedly only agreed to sign onto the film with Crawford if she wasn't sleeping with the director Robert Aldrich. "I didn't want him favoring her with more close-ups," Davis once reportedly said (via Slate).
The two actors took their feud to the grave — literally, as only their respective deaths stopped them from harboring ill will against each other.
Janet Hubert never liked her former co-star Will Smith
Janet Hubert may have played Will Smith's aunt on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," but the bond between the two offscreen was nonexistent. Fans speculated about a feud between the two after Hubert didn't return to the show after Season 3. Reports suggested that she was fired off the sitcom after tensions rose between her and the "I Am Legend" actor. Smith later cleared the air, telling an Atlanta radio station (via The Sun) that Hubert never liked him.
"I can say straight up that Janet Hubert wanted the show to be The Aunt Viv of Bel-Air Show," he admitted on the show in 1993. "She has basically gone from a quarter of a million dollars a year to nothing. She's mad now but she's been mad all along." He went on to add: "She said once, 'I've been in the business for 10 years and this snotty-nosed punk comes along and gets a show.' No matter what, to her, I'm just the Antichrist."
Hubert still has hard feelings, blaming Smith for her exit and telling TMZ in 2011: "There will never be a reunion ... as I will never do anything with an a**hole like Will Smith," she said. The actor claims Smith expected her to kiss his feet while filming together, adding, "He is still an egomaniac and has not grown up. This constant reunion thing will never ever happen in my lifetime unless there is an apology, which he doesn't know the word."
Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando's toxic feud
Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando were some of the biggest names in Hollywood in the 1950s. Though Sinatra was known for his voice and Brando was known for his acting, the two joined forces in the 1955 musical film, "Guys and Dolls." But their co-starring roles proved to be too much to handle, as the two men ignited a bitter feud while filming the movie. Their two clashing personalities and giant egos got in the way of the film's behind-the-scenes work, even though the two only shared three scenes together. It boiled down to Sinatra's anger at Brando getting the lead role, and his inexperience in music rubbing Sinatra the wrong way.
Resorting to name-calling, Sinatra dubbed Brando "Mumbles," referring to his lack of musical talent. Brando took his revenge by sabotaging Sinatra's eating scenes to try and make his co-star sick on cheesecake. The tensions rose to a point that production hired mediators to attempt to ease the insufferable communications between the men.
The bitter rivalry got so intense that Sinatra was rumored to have hired mob gangsters to abduct Brando after his estranged wife was reportedly caught spending time in Brando's dressing room. Three men pulled a gun on Brando and threatened him before eventually dropping the traumatized actor back off in the Hollywood Hills. Ultimately the two never stopped feuding, but "Guys and Dolls" went on to be a critically acclaimed success.
Katy Perry allegedly stole Taylor Swift's dancers
Taylor Swift's feud with Katy Perry ran so deep that she wrote a shade-filled song about it. The beef began when Swift told Rolling Stone in 2014 that her track "Bad Blood" was about someone in the music industry. The singer claimed that the person backstabbed her so badly that they became "straight-up enemies." Getting more detailed, she explained: "She basically tried to sabotage an entire arena tour. She tried to hire a bunch of people out from under me." The "I Kissed A Girl" singer seemingly responded at the time, tweeting, "Watch out for the Regina George in sheep's clothing ... "
Perry addressed their feud on an episode of "Carpool Karaoke" (via Paper), admitting that their fight was about backup dancers. "There are three backing dancers that went on tour with her tour, right? And they asked me before they went on tour if they could go, and I was like, 'Yeah, of course. I'm not on a record cycle ... But I will be on a record cycle in about a year, so be sure to put a 30-day contingency in your contract so you can get out if you want to join me,'" she explained. Perry revealed that after the dancers talked to Swift's management team, they were fired.
Despite the drama, Perry extended an olive branch to her former frenemy — literally. After finding the gift in her dressing room in 2018, Swift posted an Instagram Story thanking Perry (via Time), writing: "This means so much to me."
Cardi B threw a shoe at Nicki Minaj
Cardi B and Nicki Minaj's feud didn't have just insults flying at each other — but high heels. That's right, tensions reached so high between the two rappers that TMZ caught the "WAP" singer actually flinging her shoe at Minaj in 2018. These ladies haven't played nice, and fans have pitted the two against each other for years.
Though they had been rumored to be beefing for years, the public drama between the two began in 2017. After they were both featured on the Migos track, "Motorsport," Cardi B told CapitalXtra that Minaj's final verse on the track was different from the one she heard before its release. The "Barbie Dreams" rapper responded to the claims in an interview on "The Zane Lowe Show" saying, "The only thing with Cardi that really really hurt my feelings was the first interview she did after 'Motorsport' came out," she said. "She looked so aggravated and angry and the only thing she said was, 'Oh, I didn't hear that. I didn't hear that verse.' I was like what?"
Though the rappers appeared to be in good spirits with each other at the 2018 Met Gala, that year's Fashion Week ended in a brawl between the two. According to TMZ, Cardi B had attempted to resolve their beef, but after being reportedly elbowed in the face by Minaj's security detail, she threw her shoe in a fit of rage. While the two may never be friends, Minaj tweeted a call for positivity after the fight, which Cardi B reposted on Instagram.
Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan's early 2000s feud
Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton had a friendship that was the epitome of tabloid culture in the early 2000s. Paparazzi staked out their every move as they clambered in the back of sports cars and capitalized on their party-girl ways. Drama hit the fan in 2006 when Hilton's friend, Brandon Davis, blasted Lohan to the paparazzi, thus igniting a feud between the heiress and the actor.
"I think she's worth about $7 million, which means she's really poor," Davis said during an infamous video. "It's disgusting. She lives in a motel." The "Simple Life" star did little to defend her friend, even laughing at the remarks. Lohan fired back by making fun of Hilton's infamous sex tape in an interview with Elle (via TMZ).
After the media captured photos of Lohan, Hilton, and Britney Spears in a car together following the feud, fans speculated that the drama had been forgotten. However, years later in 2018, Hilton told a different story to Andy Cohen on SiriusXM's "Radio Andy" radio show. "[Lindsay] started chasing us ... and squeezed in [the car]. I didn't want to humiliate her in front of all the paparazzi and be like, 'Get out of my car,' so I was like, 'Whatever.'"
The two socialites eventually reconciled by 2022. "I just feel that we're grown-ups now ... We're not like in high school. I think it was just very immature and now everything is all good," Hilton said on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen."
Debbie Reynolds' husband left her for Elizabeth Taylor
In the case of actors Elizabeth Taylor and Debbie Reynolds, a messy love triangle was the source of their bitter rivalry throughout their careers. The women started as friends, with Reynolds following in the footsteps of the "Cleopatra" star in the early days of her acting career. "I was in awe of going to school with Elizabeth Taylor. And if anyone said they weren't, then they were lying. Or blind," she once told People.
Reynolds tied the knot to Eddie Fisher in 1955, and the pair became close friends with Taylor and her then-husband Mike Todd. All that changed, however, when Todd died suddenly in a plane crash leaving a grieving widow in his wake. Who was there to dry the tears? Well, Fisher of course, who got closer to Taylor after her loss.
Just one month after Todd's death, Fisher separated from Reynolds and began a relationship with Taylor. The news rocked Hollywood, but the "Three Little Words" actor defended her decision at the time. "A man doesn't leave a woman for another woman unless he wants to go," Reynolds told People (via Biography).
In a full circle end, Fisher and Taylor eventually divorced. Reynolds and her former frenemy ultimately mended their drama aboard a 1966 cruise they both happened to be guests on. Decades later, Taylor even offered Reynolds a place to stay during the 2001 terrorist attacks. They also went on to co-star together in the comedy film "These Old Broads" the same year.
Taylor Swift vs. Kanye West and Kim Kardashian
No one can forget Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift during her 2009 VMA acceptance speech. Though he later called Swift and she accepted the apology, their beef was far from over.
The two were on good terms for years until West dropped the 2016 track "Famous" with the lyrics, "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex / Why? I made that b***h famous." Though the "Jesus Walks" rapper claimed he asked Swift for permission, the "Red" singer had a different interpretation of events. While accepting her award for album of the year at the 2016 Grammy Awards she seemingly threw shade at West. "I want to say to all the young women out there, there are going to be people along the way who will try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame," she said during her speech.
Kim Kardashian stuck up for her then-husband, even releasing video footage of a phone call between West and Swift in which Kardashian claims Swift approved the lyrics beforehand. The video doesn't include West telling her the entirety of the lyrics, however. "Where is the video of Kanye telling me he was going to call me 'that b***h' in his song? It doesn't exist because it never happened," Swift wrote on Instagram (via the New York Daily News). While the trio may never be friends, Kardashian did spill on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen" in 2019, "I feel like we've all moved on."
Scooter Braun bought and sold Taylor Swift's masters
Taylor Swift has no shortage of celebrity beef. Whether she's beefing with ex-boyfriends or fighting with people in the music industry, the singer has been involved in quite a few public spats. Widely considered to be one of her most notable feuds, Swift had a public dispute with Scooter Braun, who purchased Swift's former record label, Big Machine Label Group, in 2019. The deal meant that the manager had acquired all the rights to Swift's masters after the singer's contract had expired with the label in 2018.
The "Blank Space" singer aired her grievances in a Tumblr post afterward, claiming that her music was robbed from her. She admitted that while she was offered a chance to earn back her albums one by one, she refused out of fear that she would sign the contract and the label would be immediately sold. "Now Scooter has stripped me of my life's work, that I wasn't given an opportunity to buy. Essentially, my musical legacy is about to lie in the hands of someone who tried to dismantle it. This is my worst case scenario," she wrote.
Braun eventually sold Swift's masters to Shamrock Holdings in a $300 million deal, and he denied the singer's claims against him. In an interview with Variety, he admitted: "I don't know what story she was told. I asked for her to sit down with me several times, but she refused." He added that her allegations about the deal were "not based on anything factual."
Olivia de Havilland's sibling rivalry with Joan Fontaine
Sometimes family bonds have the deepest wounds. Sisters Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine's feud is no different. Older sister de Havilland got her start in the film industry first, snagging a role in "A Midsummer's Night Dream" at 18 years old. Fontaine wanted to follow in her sister's footsteps, but de Havilland only agreed to help her sister on one condition — that she change her last name.
The sisters were constantly pinned against each other in the film industry. In 1942 they both received Oscar nominations in the same category, with Fontaine taking home the award for her role in "Suspicion." It led to animosity between the two, with Fontaine later telling the Associated Press (via The Progress-Index), "I felt Olivia would spring across the table and grab me by the hair. I felt age 4, being confronted by my older sister. Damn it, I'd incurred her wrath again!"
The end to their feud came with Fontaine's death in 2013, ultimately giving her older sister the last word. "Dragon Lady, as I eventually decided to call her, was a brilliant, multi-talented person, but with an astigmatism in her perception of people and events which often caused her to react in an unfair and even injurious way," de Havilland told the Associated Press (via USA Today) following her sister's death. The "Gone With The Wind" star died in 2020 at the age of 104.