Celebs Who Can't Stand Fantasia Barrino
Fantasia Barrino has the voice of an angel, and there's no doubting that. The star won America's hearts on Season 3 of "American Idol" all the way back in 2004 (yes, it really was that long ago!), wowing the country week after week with her incredible powerhouse voice. But there's also no doubt that the star hasn't exactly been afraid to speak out with that same powerful voice because Barrino is no shrinking violet.
Barrino — who's actually a grandmother, if you can believe that — has been very vocal about her struggles with confidence and self-acceptance over the years, sharing how getting herself to the point she's at now was a tough journey. "There are some women, my age and older, that are still going through [a lack of self-esteem]," she told People in 2016. "Every time they look in the mirror, it's 'Maybe I need to change...' But no! Accept who you are. Be confident. Be bold. Rock it," she continued, making it pretty clear she's learned how to make sure she stands up for herself. "I'm just at that place where I'm good. I'm a woman now. I wouldn't change a thing," she added.
So now we know this sassy star certainly knows how to stand up for herself. Unfortunately, sometimes that can mean ruffling a few feathers at the same time.
The American Idol fall out
In one of the most infamous "American Idol" dramas ever, Fantasia Barrino and Jennifer Hudson made no secret of the fact they didn't get along in the early days of their careers. This seemed to stem from Hudson's shocking elimination during Season 3 (the season Barrino won) when she was sent home in seventh place. Of course, Hudson wasn't too happy and appeared to throw shade at those who stayed in the competition during an April 2004 interview with MTV. "I don't think it was based on talent, but if it was, I was robbed," she claimed.
Barrino later admitted she didn't exactly get along with Hudson on the show — and beyond. She revealed they "bumped heads and had words" during an interview with Entertainment Weekly in 2007, before admitting she was also left "hurt" that she didn't get the infamous "Dreamgirls" role that won Hudson an Oscar. "I remember calling Jennifer. She picked up the phone and I said, 'Heifer, you took my part!'" Barrino admitted. But it sounds like the drama all subsided and the two buried the hatchet, with Barrino admitting the call was all in jest, and the two even ended up duetting on the song "I'm His Only Woman."
There's still a chance we could see more drama between these two, though (musical drama, of course!) as Hudson admitted to V-103 Atlanta in August 2021 that she'd be open to Verzuz battle with Barrino. Yes, please!
'Tasia vs. Keyshia
In another R&B feud you may or may not remember, Fantasia Barrino and Keyshia Cole have been open about the fact they haven't exactly seen eye to eye over the years. These two had a "Fallin' Out" (get it?) after an incident on BET's "106 & Park" back in 2005 when Cole apparently ruffled Barrino's feathers by welcoming her to the stage by introducing her as "the girl that won 'American Idol,'" per Lipstick Alley.
Things then only appeared to get worse when the two both toured with Kanye "Ye" West in 2007, with VIBE Vixen speculating that the two "almost came to blows" while backstage. As for what the "Free Yourself" hitmaker had to say about it all? She claimed that they "saw each other and [they] had some words." She clarified that it "was nothing like a fight," but admitted that "there may have been a little, you know..." as she raised her finger and suggested hands could have been in one another's faces. Yikes. Barrino then appeared to address the rumors that Cole's introduction affected her, noting that she felt people from shows like "American Idol" were not always "taken seriously."
But it sounds like this once boiling over feud had the heat turned down to more of a simmer... "It's all good now," Barrino confirmed in 2007 of where she stands with Cole, noting that they'll probably never be "best friends" but she was "raised to give props where props are due."
Fantasia's wedding fiasco
Did Fantasia Barrino have some drama with her bestie's man? Well, that was the big rumor back in April 2014. It was claimed that "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" and Xscape singer Kandi Burruss's new husband, Todd Tucker, supposedly wasn't too happy with Barrino's appearance at their wedding (which was all filmed for the Bravo docu-series "Kandi's Wedding") after she allegedly, well, let's just say allegedly spent a little too much time at the bar.
It was claimed at the time that Barrino supposedly gave what National Enquirer (via Radar) claimed was a "foul-mouthed speech" (complete with plenty of expletives, apparently!) in front of everyone, which supposedly left Burruss "horrified" and Tucker "furious." However, Burruss reps denied that she was upset about the incident at her nuptials, telling TMZ later that month that the reality star was "NOT horrified in the least" about the "American Idol" alumni's somewhat eccentric speech, and, contrary to the bold reports, actually "laughed her big a** off" over it.
Something that may be quite telling, though? Burruss's rep didn't reveal how Tucker actually felt about the whole thing amid claims he was seeing red, which could potentially suggest he didn't find the speech quite as entertaining as his new wife.
Paul Mooney's disrespectful comments
Comedian Paul Mooney didn't exactly have the nicest things to say about Fantasia Barrino during a controversial radio appearance on the Atlanta station Majic 107.5/97.5. This one is particularly contentious as it came shortly after Barrino's tragic suicide attempt, which she's spoken pretty candidly about in the years that have followed.
Mooney — who died in May 2021 — made the very controversial comments about the star we're guessing he probably regretted in August 2010, in an interview that appears to have been pretty much scrubbed from the internet (for obvious reasons). He claimed while speaking to Carol Blackmon that Barrino "needs her butt whooped," before shockingly adding, "If she was my child, she would have woke up in a straight jacket."
Barrino didn't appear to publicly respond to Mooney's seriously outdated comments, though she has spoken candidly about the tragic time in her life multiple times since. During an August 2010 interview with "Good Morning America," she claimed she felt she "was just overloaded with everything" and life "became heavy for [her] to the point that [she] just wanted to be away from the noise." Barrino heartbreakingly continued of her attempt to take her own life, "I think it was just six years of everything, of me holding all that stuff on the inside and not letting it out... I got very, very tired."
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Fantasia's cover story furore
Who knew it was possible to get in such a nasty feud after appearing on a magazine cover? Well, that's exactly what happened to Fantasia Barrino and Jet in February 2013, with the singer slamming the magazine after claiming it used an old photo she didn't approve of for the cover. Barrino shared the cover on Twitter with the words "FALSE FALSE FALSE," writing in the since-removed posts, "This saddens Me!! It is clear that this picture is 10 Years Old and Jet magazine Puts it on the Cover!! After I send them the NEW LOOK AND DIRECTION.. SAD!!" while demanding "a public apology" (via E!).
Jet's editor-in-chief, Mitzi Miller, issued an apology, which claimed the magazine was "honored to have Fantasia grace the cover" and it was "unfortunate that Fantasia is displeased with the cover selection" though it "[stood] by its decision," per The Urban Daily. It was then that things really turned nasty. Miller clearly wasn't happy with the entire furore and made that clear on Facebook, taking a low blow jab at Barrino's illiteracy. "The fact that I wasted an hour of my workday writing a press release to address an issue created by a person who cannot even read it is just...," she wrote, according to NewsOne.
Miller later apologized for her "lack of sensitivity," calling it, "a thoughtless comment made during a moment of frustration. It was unprofessional and not representative of the Jet mission, which is to uplift."
Kim Burrell's not-so-Christian mix-up
Buckle up for more drama because we're coming in hot with more tension. This one involves Fantasia Barrino and gospel singer and pastor Kim Burrell, who made no secret of the fact that she's not exactly a big fan of the "Truth Is" hitmaker. Also involving Jennifer Hudson (it seems like these two just can't escape one another!), this drama went down in 2019 after Burrell mistakenly thought Barrino had landed the role of Aretha Franklin in the 2021 movie "Respect," when it had actually gone to Hudson.
Burrell called out Barrino on stage (seemingly in church, of all places), claiming she thought Le'Andria Johnson should have landed the role over Barrino (who, you'll remember, was never actually involved in the project). "I was watching her sing tonight, and I was just shaking my head. If they're going to make a movie about Aretha, if they know a real singer, they'll call you. If they want to do Aretha any kind of justice," she said, speaking indirectly to Johnson. Making it even more personal, she claimed Fantasia "ain't no Le'Andria." Ouch. As the crowd responded, Burrell hit back, "Why y'all don't like to tell the truth? Ain't no way in the world." Double ouch.
Barrino appeared to clap back while on stage herself, per Walt B Connection. She didn't name names but continued in her lengthy monolog, "We are all God's children. Act like it."