Inside Bette Midler's Feud With Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian is no stranger to controversy, but all publicity is good publicity, right? That's debatable, but Kardashian is very familiar with holding her own in a celebrity beef. For instance, most people are aware of the Kardashian family's ongoing issues with Blac Chyna. She has publicly slammed Lindsay Lohan. And then, there's the never-ending animosity between Kardashian and Taylor Swift, which she inherited from her husband Kanye West, thanks to his infamous interruption at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.
Most fans who have been keeping up with her are well-aware of those feuds, but what about Kardashian's beef with Bette Midler? Yes, that's actually a thing — well, kind of. At this point, the "beef" is more one-sided with Midler taking jabs at Kardashian and her family, but the reality star eventually chimed in with some clever quips.
In 2011, Midler tweeted that Kardashian "looked so pure in that white gown" at her wedding that she "almost forgot about her sex tape." She later poked fun at Kardashian's breakup from second husband Kris Humphries with not one, but two tweets. In all fairness, Midler wasn't the only one joking about the pair splitting after 72 days of marriage, but Midler might've actually been telling a joke from a fan's perspective, instead of a hater's. After all, Midler revealed in 2011 that she named her pet chickens after the three Kardashian sisters. Even though it's unclear if Midler is a Kardashian stan or a Kardashian hater, but she tweets about the star a lot.
Kim Kardashian and Bette Midler used to fan out over each other
While Bette Midler loves poking fun at Kim Kardashian, she's posted some complimentary remarks as well. In 2012, Midler tweeted, "Ok, great pic of Kim K. on cover of @nymag...she looks like someone returned from a war. Stunning." She also tweeted that she would've "died and gone to heaven" if Kardashian and Kanye West attended a Halloween charity event she was affiliated with.
Before Midler even started posting about Kardashian, the reality star gushed in 2010, "OMG I just met Bette Midler! She said she watched the show! DYING! Beaches is my all time favorite movie! I really love her!" Two years later, she posted, "I just LOVE LOVE LOVE Bette Midler!!! Beaches is [one] of my favorite movies of ALL TIME!!!" The actress saw Kardashian's tweet and wrote, "Ok!! @kimkardashian loves #Beaches!! Thanks for the tweet, Kim; big kiss!"
A year later, when Kardashian was pregnant with her first child, North West, Midler tweeted, "I know it's so last week, but @KimKardashian would look adorable in the maternity clothes they have just on my block!! I buy them myself!!" In response, Kardashian said, "Let's go shopping!" It's unclear if that shopping trip actually happened, but Midler seemingly slammed haters who dissed Kardashian for her pregnancy weight gain in 2013, writing, "Hey folks. North Korea has a nuclear missile, and we're concerned about Kim Kardashian's weight? I love the USA!" That's far from the last time Midler mentioned Kardashian on social media.
Kim Kardashian was in on the joke... for a little bit
In 2014, Bette Midler continued to joke about Kim Kardashian's marriage track record, tweeting, "Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are officially married now. It's rude to say 'I give it a year,' so I'll say, 'I give it two reality shows.'" Then in 2015, Midler appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! for a segment dedicated to Kardashian tweets, and no, it had nothing to do with the many times Midler posted about the reality star herself. Instead, Midler sang tweets that Kardashian wrote, which the reality star seemed to find amusing since she tweeted, "Hahaga [sic] I love you @BetteMidler."
Midler even joked about West's 2020 presidential run way back in 2015 when she tweeted, "Kanye West says he'll run for president in 2020. Who'd be in his cabinet? Kim Kardashian for Secretary of the Posterior?"
Later that year, Midler continued her trolling with a unique response to the birth of Saint West, Kardashian's second child. The actress wrote, "Kim Kardashian gave birth to a baby boy! Internet haters immediately criticize him for being born nude – 'See, typical Kardashian!'" While the KKW Beauty founder didn't acknowledge that remark about Kardashian family nudity, she clapped back at Midler the following year for similar comments.
Bette Midler criticized Kim Kardashian for nudity
In March 2016, Kim Kardashian posted a nude selfie, prompting Bette Midler to tweet, "If Kim wants us to see a part of her we've never seen, she's gonna have to swallow the camera." After years of shade, Kardashian responded, tweeting, "hey @BetteMidler I really didn't want to bring up how you sent me a gift awhile back trying to be a fake friend then come at me #dejavu." TMZ reported that the gift was a tree that Midler planted in Kardashian's honor for a charity.
Midler claimed in response, "I never tried to fake friend you. Looks like anyone can take a selfie but not everyone can take a joke..." That's when Kardashian posted, "hey @BetteMidler I know it's past your bedtime but if you're still up and reading this send nudes #justkidding." Kardashian stopped tweeting about Midler's take on the photo, but the actress kept going, writing, "@KimKardashian wants me to send her my nudes! I'll send them right over but the lighting's bad right now since she threw all that shade!"
In 2018, Midler revealed, "Forgot to tell you, on Valentine's Day,@KimKardashian sent me a heart shaped cake with her perfume inside! I made her Haters List! #PROUD." That year, Kardashian sent V-Day-themed perfumes to some of her "haters," including Pink, Taylor Swift, Blac Chyna, and Midler, of course. However, it's still tough to tell if Midler is a hater or a fan, given the mix of content throughout the years.