20 notable celebrity feuds

Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel have made names for themselves due to their formidable action star status. They even appeared together in The Fate of the Furious in 2017. Indeed, this film seems to have been the major turning point in their relationship, as the two men showed that they have very different ideas of what constitutes professionalism and how to create a character. There were subsequent call-outs and social media posts, but ultimately, the two seem to have settled their differences and seem to still see one another as brothers.  

Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando were giants of classical Hollywood, and it’s probably for this reason that the two men had a very difficult working relationship, most notably on the set of the musical Guys and Dolls. Many things contributed to their mutual dislike, but what explains it is the simple fact that they were two men with titanic egos thrown into the same film. Sinatra restored to calling Brando unflattering nicknames, while Brando infamously flubbed numerous takes of a scene in which Sinatra's character has to eat cheesecake, leading his co-star to have to devour quite a lot of the sweet treat.  

Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy made for a memorable pair in the hit film Mad Max: Fury Road, with the two portraying reluctant allies in a grim post-apocalyptic world. Theron plays the formidable warrior Furiosa, and Hardy portrays the title character. While they might have had chemistry on-screen, it was altogether different on the set. The two locked horns repeatedly during the film, and Theron was particularly distressed by Hardy’s aggression and his remarkable lack of professionalism (particularly his tendency to show up late). Things became so tense between the two that they very nearly got into a fight. 

Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis were one of the most dynamic duos in Hollywood history, a double act that achieved success in films, TV, and popular culture generally. From 1946 to 1956, they were a dynamic duo, but the two parted ways — not on entirely good terms — in 1956. Much of this stemmed from Martin's belief that Lewis was taking over too much of the act. After the split, the two became successful in their solo careers, but their friendship had taken a significant blow. They wouldn't reconcile until 1976, thanks in large part to the efforts of their mutual friend Frank Sinatra. 

Even though many Hollywood feuds have at least some justification, the one that erupted between stars George Clooney and Russell Crowe is a notable example of an unforced error. In this case, the tension erupted when Crowe took a potshot at Clooney for the latter's willingness to appear in commercials. He even went so far as to call Clooney a "Frank Sinatra wannabe." Clooney wasn't shy about commenting on the feud in public. It ended up being a relatively minor feud, as such things go, and the two were able to restore quasi-amicable relations.

Will Smith was one of the biggest sitcom stars of the 1990s, thanks to his starring role on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. While Smith’s character exuded a careless sort of charisma, things were much tenser behind the scenes, particularly between Smith and Janet Hubert, who played Aunt Vivian. Eventually, Hubert left the show to be replaced by Daphne Maxwell Reid. The two shared barbs and backstage accounts over the years over who was to blame for her departure, but they eventually reconciled during the reunion show. As is often the case in Hollywood, big personalities can sometimes take over a production. 

Perez Hilton is certainly no stranger to feuds, and he has frequently and publicly clashed with several big-name celebrities. This includes Lady Gaga, with whom he had a very public and vitriolic feud. Depending on who one believes, he either said horrible things to her at a party, or she used him for his gossipy connections. Either way, it continued to escalate, and Gaga even went so far as to call Hilton out during an interview with Howard Stern. Unlike many other feuds, which reached a measure of detente, the two have never been able to come to any understanding.

Being family doesn't always mean two people get along in Hollywood. In fact, some of the most famous and enduring feuds have been between family members, including the father/daughter pair of Jon Voight and Angelina Jolie. In large part, the feud between the father and daughter stems from Voight's infidelity toward Jolie's mother, Marcheline Bertrand. They have had moments of apparent reconciliation over the years, but these are usually marred by some new outbreak of disagreement, most recently over their diverging points of view about the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. 

Few celebrity feuds have played out as publicly as the one between Will Smith and Chris Rock . As most people know, the whole thing played out during the 94th Academy Awards, when Will Smith strode onto the stage and slapped Chris Rock in the face after the latter made a joke at the expense of Jada Pinkett Smith. It was a moment that immediately ricocheted around the internet, particularly on social media (though it was censored in some places, including the United States). There was significant fallout for Smith, and though the feud was quite public, there have been signs the two might be able to work their way back toward a friendship.

Truman Capote was one of the most noteworthy authors and public figures of the 1950s and 1960s, thanks to works like "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and In Cold Blood, as well as his flamboyant personality. His fame grew when he published "La Côte Basque 1965" in Esquire, which revealed the personal lives of some of his female best friends, and while the story sold well, it cost him a great deal, earning him the shame of those who had been his friends. The publishing of the chapter and its aftermath would later be dramatized in the second season of the show Feud, in which Capote is played by Tom Hollander.

Elton John is truly one of the giants of music, and he hasn't been afraid to criticize some of his fellow musicians, often in unsparing terms. In 2004, for example, he didn't hold back when criticizing her for lip-syncing during her live performances, which he felt was unprofessional and unbecoming of a musician. Even more scathingly, he once stated she looked like a "fairground stripper." Madonna, for her part, has largely opted to keep quiet, and she even went out of her way to be gracious to him. 

At one time, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie were the best of friends, and they were always seen in public together. They even had their own show, The Simple Life. However, they had a very public rift in the middle of the 2000s, though the exact cause of their disagreement remains somewhat vague, even to the principals. Paris would only ever say that Richie knew what she did, while Richie would claim the two just naturally grew apart. Though they never recaptured the closeness that they once enjoyed, they seem to have at least found a measure of peace since Richie still refers to Paris as her friend.

Carol Burnet has a well-earned reputation for being a comedic giant, and she had particular success with her sketch comedy series The Carol Burnett Show. One of her success stories was Vicki Lawrence, who would star in her own sitcom, Mama’s Family. However, the latter would prove to be a bit of a fault line in their friendship since Burnett was, as Lawrence noted in her autobiography, going through a divorce from Joe Hamilton, the producer for Mama’s Family. It took them some time, but eventually, they were able to repair their friendship.

For many years, Johnny Carson was one of the most recognizable hosts in America, thanks to his long-standing perch at The Tonight Show. One of his frequent guests was the sharp-tongued Joan Rivers, who also frequently sat in for him as a guest host. However, the friendship wasn’t to last, and when Rivers signed on for her own show without telling Carson about it first, it offended him so much that he never forgave her for the transgression. The feud lasted for the rest of Carson’s life, and, unfortunately for Rivers, her show could never find its feet.

Sibling rivalry was one of the throughlines of the careers of Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine, at one time two of the biggest and most successful stars in classic Hollywood. According to many, the two were rivals throughout their childhood, extending into their careers in the movies, particularly since de Havilland found success first (though Fontaine would be the first to win an Oscar). The two had their ups and downs throughout their lives, but things grew acrimonious when their mother got sick. The feud would last until Fontaine died in 2013 (de Havilland herself would pass away in 2020). 

While all celebrity feuds take place in the public's view, some are more extravagantly public than others. Take, for example, the bitter feud between music giants Taylor Swift and Kanye West. The drama started when West infamously interrupted Swift's acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Music Video Awards, and it has had many ups and downs since then. There were leaked (and doctored) phone calls, tweets, reconciliations, and recriminations galore. Things went to some very unfortunate places, particularly for Swift, who has been very open about the toll the whole fiasco took on her mental health. 

The unbreakable bond between the four women of the hit series Sex and the City wasn't nearly as enduring in real life, and there was particularly bad blood between stars Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall. Rumors have swirled for years about the precise nature of their disagreements, and both actresses have, at times, tried to dispel the idea that there's bad blood between them. Things began to take a turn for the worse in the late 2010s and into the 2020s, however, particularly when Cattrall claimed she was merely colleagues with her castmates and not their friend. Cattrall also very publicly spurned Parker's sympathy after the death of her brother.

Late-night television has been the site of numerous feuds over the years, but few have been quite as contentious as that between David Letterman and Jay Leno, the latter of whom took over The Tonight Show after Johnny Carson's retirement. It had been widely expected that Letterman would be Carson's heir, and Letterman was quite resentful that Leno was chosen instead. Their falling-out was particularly sad, given the fact the two had actually been friends before all of this transpired. This wouldn't be the last time Leno was embroiled in a feud with a late-night host, as he would later lock horns with Conan O'Brien.

The feud between Debbie Reynolds and Elizabeth Taylor is the stuff of soap opera drama, and, as one would expect, it centered on a man. In this case, the man was Eddie Fisher, who was married to Debbie Reynolds from 1955 to 1959. Unfortunately, he began an affair with Reynolds' dear friend, Elizabeth Taylor. A divorce followed, and then Fisher married Taylor (the two would divorce in 1964). The result was a circus, and the narrative soon coalesced that Reynolds was the good girl and Taylor the temptress who stole her husband. At least there was a bit of a happy ending, as Reynolds and Taylor ultimately put their ugly past behind them and became friends again.

The feud between Joan Crawford and Bette Davis is arguably one of the best-known from classic Hollywood, thanks in no small part to the first season of Ryan Murphy's series Feud, which dramatizes their sparring on the set of the film Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? However, their dislike for one another had deep roots, though it is true that they made life miserable for one another during the filming of Robert Aldrich's hit film. Part of it was romantic — centering on Franchot Tone — but it was also due to their personalities. Both were women in a notoriously cutthroat industry, and both were major stars with big egos. However, there's no question Baby Jane was a success.