The Truth About Shenae Grimes-Beech And AnnaLynne McCord's Feud
Former stars of The CW's "90210" spin-off Shenae Grimes-Beech and AnnaLynne McCord are model besties. They make appearances together, collaborate on YouTube videos, and are now launching a podcast called "Unzipped" on Dear Media. Grimes-Beech told E! News that the idea for the podcast sprung while the two were catching up during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020. "We have so many mutual passions that are really just centered around people and stories and life and feelings and all of the things," she said. "I know we both have a lot of outside, external passions that people don't really know us for in the same way they know '90210.'" Grimes-Beech also said the project would be "a good excuse to be in touch a lot more frequently."
But for this pair of famous friends, it hasn't always been all hugs and kisses. In fact, the two "didn't speak for almost the entirety of [their] time on ['90210']," according to Grimes-Beech. So what exactly happened, and how did the two manage to make it right?
Shenae and AnnaLynne felt pitted against each other
Both Shenae Grimes-Beech and AnnaLynne McCord pinpoint coming of age in the spotlight as the catalyst for a lot of tension between them. Grimes-Beech was just 18 when she began working on "90210," and McCord was only 20. McCord told E! News it was "a very interesting period of a human creature's life, trying to find themselves in the world and then we were also in the limelight." Grimes-Beech also noted that media attention played a role. "I think the picture that the media painted ... of each of us as individuals obviously was through a very harsh lens," she said, "and while we knew for ourselves that a lot of the stories that were written about us weren't true ... it's hard not to get influenced on your perception of people when you're being fed that narrative the whole time."
McCord revealed it was not until the night before "90210" wrapped that the two were finally able to see eye to eye. "We had this whole, like, 'Oh my god I can't believe it's over!' And we go through this whole moment," she said. Just a few months later, she traveled to London to attend Grimes-Beech's wedding. "Ultimately, authenticity won out and in the journey towards authenticity," McCord reflected. "We deepened what is now a very beautiful bond and I am very grateful to have known this little human for as long as I have."