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The Longest-Running Feuds in Hollywood

Celebrities feuding with one another is nothing new. Since the Golden Age of Hollywood, stars have been bickering and throwing insults at each other over the pettiest things. What else would you expect when you're working with big personalities getting paid millions of dollars? 

However, some celebrities are better at the art of feuding than others. For those that are experts at holding a major grudge, what starts as a seemingly insignificant clash on set can turn into a decades-long feud that leaves them simmering and seething. After a while, they can't even remember what they were fighting about in the first place...but that hasn't stopped them from staying mad at each other! 

Today, we're taking a look at some of the longest-running celebrity feuds that Hollywood has ever seen. These angry stars have escalated things to the point where no one is willing to say they're sorry, and it doesn't look like most of these fights will be resolved any time soon.

From infidelity to jealousy over paychecks, these celebrities have been at each other's throats for decades with no signs of backing down. There's no fight that they aren't willing to pick! 

Let's get this drama started! 

Joan Crawford & Bette Davis

Joan Crawford & Bette Davis

Celebrity feuds are a dime a dozen these days, but no one butted heads more spectacularly than actresses Joan Crawford and Bette Davis back in the day. The two were both respected titans in the Golden Age of Hollywood, but they just couldn't help but try to best one another. 

Their fight allegedly began over a man back in the 1930s, but that quickly morphed into a general hate for one another. The two famously starred in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? in 1962 despite being rivals, and there was plenty of drama and fighting on the set between the two—especially when Bette Davis was nominated for an Oscar but Joan Crawford wasn't. 

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Madonna & Elton John

Madonna & Elton John

It pains us to think that two superstars of the pop music world could be at odds with one another, but apparently there's a lot of bad blood between legends Madonna and Elton John. Their feud began back in 2002 when Madonna recorded the theme song for the newest James Bond movie, Die Another Day

It turns out that Elton John wasn't a huge fan of the song and wasn't afraid to make his opinions known publicly. But he didn't stop there and went on to describe Madonna herself as a "nightmare." Since then, things have been icy between these two musical superstars, and it doesn't look like they'll be reconciling any time soon! 

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Taylor Swift & Kanye West

Taylor Swift & Kanye West

At this point in time, who isn't feuding with Kanye? The rapper hasn't done much to make himself beloved by his fellow celebrities, and it seems like everyone has beef with him. But before Kim K, Pete Davidson, and the rest, there was his viral feud with fellow musician Taylor Swift. 

Things went south between the two all the way back in 2009 at the MTV Video Music Awards. During Swift's acceptance speech, West stormed the stage and said that Beyonce should have won instead. Since then, he's also dissed her in a song and said that he's the reason she's famous. We can't imagine these two patching things up any time soon! 

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William Shatner & George Takei

William Shatner & George Takei

Celebrities will feud anywhere...including in space! Despite both starring on the hit sci-fi classic Star Trek, actors William Shatner and George Takei couldn't stand each other. That was decades ago, but it seems like these two are still snipping at each other and making digs whenever they can! 

Their quibbling has ranged from accusations of putting out a fire for publicity purposes to wedding invitation snubs, and honestly, everyone is over it at this point except for Shatner and Takei themselves. If you want to fight then fight! But this backbiting and snark is just annoying and embarrassing for two grown men. 

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David Letterman & Oprah

David Letterman & Oprah

David Letterman and Oprah are both titans of the talk show world, and honestly, it's no surprise that these two big personalities butted heads and didn't always see eye to eye. However, it's still crazy to think that these two feuded with each other for a good 25 years! Talk about holding a grudge! 

Their rift all began when Oprah appeared on Letterman's show in 1988. Oprah says the experience was "uncomfortable" but never got any more specific than that. However, afterwards, the two very publicly ignored and snubbed one another, so something must have made them fight. They finally buried the hatchet in 2013 when Letterman appeared on Oprah's Next Chapter. 

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Elizabeth Taylor & Debbie Reynolds

Elizabeth Taylor & Debbie Reynolds

Elizabeth Taylor's personal life was such a hot mess, that we almost suspect she thrived on drama. Well, she got plenty of it when it came to her best frenemy, fellow actress Debbie Reynolds. The two quickly bonded when they met, but things went south after Taylor stole Reynolds' husband, Eddie Fisher. 

Unfortunately for everyone involved, the relationship between Taylor and Fisher also soured, and she left him in 1964 and began her most famous and tumultuous marriage to Richard Burton. Time heals all wounds, though, because Reynolds and Taylor eventually reconciled when they starred in 2001's These Old Broads, written by Reynolds' daughter, Carrie Fisher. 

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Sarah Jessica Parker & Kim Cattrall

Sarah Jessica Parker & Kim Cattrall

Money can ruin any friendship, and that's exactly what happened to Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall. After the success of season one of Sex and the City, Sarah Jessica Parker managed to negotiate a pay raise and an executive producer credit for herself. Cattrall also attempted this, but she got shot down. 

This caused a rift between the two that got so bad, that by 2009 the two stars weren't even talking to each other anymore, despite the fact that they continued to work together! The two never patched things up because by 2017, Cattrall was publicly insulting Sarah Jessica Parker, going as far as to say that the two had never been friends.  

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50 Cent & Ja Rule

50 Cent & Ja Rule

Rapper feuds are nothing new, but none of them have been quite as long-lasting and acrimonious as the one between 50 Cent and Ja Rule. Their beef started more than two decades ago back in the late '90s, and the two have been going at one another ever since. 

50 Cent claims that Ja Rule started it after he spotted 50 Cent with a guy who robbed him. However, Ja Rule claims that it all began when 50 Cent got angry he was snubbed at a music video shoot. However this feud started, the two have been trading barbs in diss tracks and public statements ever since. Ja Rule went as far as to claim that he "owned" 50 Cent's soul in 2017. 

©"Dont Be Mike With 50 Cent", Sohowarrior19/CC BY-SA 4.0, ©"Ja Rule in 2016", WebSummit/CC BY 2.0

Will Smith & Janet Hubert

Will Smith & Janet Hubert

The Fresh Prince of Bel Air was a major breakthrough for Will Smith and his career. However, the show wasn't such a positive experience for every other cast member. In fact, Smith and Janet Hubert (who originally played Aunt Viv) frequently butted heads on the set until she was ultimately fired and replaced. 

The two have disparaged one another in the press for years at this point, and we don't see them making up anytime soon. Things got so bad that, when asked about a potential Fresh Prince reunion in 2011, Hubert said, "I will never do anything with an a**hole like Will Smith." 

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Alyssa Milano & Shannen Doherty

Alyssa Milano & Shannen Doherty

The witchy show Charmed was magical TV in the late '90s and early 2000s. Fans may have loved the main cast, but there was trouble brewing behind the scenes between actresses Alyssa Milano and Shannen Doherty. The two allegedly fought so much that it made Doherty leave the show after three seasons. 

No one is quite sure what made these two hate each other so much, as they have only very vaguely addressed the problems they had. During a 2013 interview Milano chose her words carefully but did reveal that "We were on the air with her for three years and there were definitely some rough days."

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Brandy & Monica

Brandy & Monica

In the 1990s, singers Brandy and Monica jointly released a single called "The Boy is Mine." The song is all about two women fighting over a man, but it turns out that the two were actually feuding in real life too. We're not sure if there was a man involved, but Monica did admit to getting into a real fistfight with Brandy. 

The two seemingly made up in 2012 when they released another song together, but since then, they've been caught bickering on social media from time to time, which has led most people to think that there's more drama brewing between these two behind the scenes! Who knows what they'll be fighting about next! 

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Mariah Carey & Jennifer Lopez

Mariah Carey & Jennifer Lopez

Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez are both..."big" personalities, to say the least. So, it should surprise no one that these two proud divas have managed to subtly feud with one another for years. The origin of their beef has to be one of the dumbest in history, but it's also gone on to be one of the most memorable origin stories too! 

It all started with an innocent interview question. When Carey was asked about Lopez, she famously replied, "I don't know her." Years later, Carey said that she couldn't believe people were still obsessed over her answer, but we have yet to see any proof that these two famous ladies have actually put their feud behind them. 

(Images via Instagram [1][2])

Jerry Lewis & Dean Martin

Jerry Lewis & Dean Martin

Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin were originally one of the funniest comedic duos in Hollywood history. However, after a decade of working as a pair, the two split up in 1956, which devastated fans. The two didn't have a major public fight, but several behind-the-scenes problems led to a long and growing rift between the two. 

Personality clashes between Lewis and Martin were only made worse when Jerry experienced a higher level of fame than Dean, but he wasn't the one who caused the split—in fact, he found not working with Martin to be a very painful experience. It took more than 20 years for them to patch things up, but they eventually became friends again in the 1980s. 

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Orson Welles & William Randolph Hearst

Orson Welles & William Randolph Hearst

Orson Welles might have been difficult to get along with for most people, but he was also a brilliant and creative filmmaker. After the success of his radio drama, The War of the Worlds, he turned his sights on movies and secretly began making a film about newspaper mogul William Randolph Hurst which would become Citizen Kane

When Hearst found out about the project, he was furious and went on a warpath to attack Welles and his film. This included banning even a mention of the movie in his newspapers, which was financially devastating for the film. Despite Hearst's best efforts though, Citizen Kane would go on to be one of the most well-known movies of all time. 

Public Domain via Carl Van Vechten

George Clooney & Russell Crowe

George Clooney & Russell Crowe

You'd think that two rich and famous actors would have better things to do than bicker about each other in the press, but that's not the case with George Clooney and Russell Crowe! These two have been making snide comments about one another since 2013, and it doesn't look like either is ready to apologize. 

It all started when Clooney said in an interview that he deserved an apology because Crowe was "insulting the sh*t out of me." Crowe allegedly had been calling him a "sellout" and a "Frank Sinatra wannabe". These days, the two aren't brawling in the streets or anything, but it doesn't seem like Clooney ever actually got that apology from Crowe! 

© White House/Pete Souza, © Eva Rinaldi/CC BY-SA 2.0

Kim Kardashian & Chloe Grace Moretz

Kim Kardashian & Chloe Grace Moretz

Kim Kardashian certainly doesn’t get along with everyone but one of her surprisingly longest feuds is with Chloe Grace Moretz - the former child star and actress from films like (500) Days of Summer, Kick-Ass and Dark Shadows. The feud started all the way back in 2016 when Kim Kardashian posted a nude, but censored, photo of herself on Instagram in front of a mirror.

In a reply to the post, Moretz said, “I truly hope you realize how important setting goals are for young women, teaching them we have so much more to offer than just our bodies.” Fans of Kardashian jumped on Moretz and accused her of slut-shaming. Kim’s response was to call her a hypocrite as Moretz had posed nude for Nylon in 2015.

Then in 2017, Moretz called Kardashian “sad” in a Variety interview and had also sided with Taylor Swift in a dispute with Kanye West. On top of that, Kardashian also sent out a new fragrance to Moretz as a duplicitous gift that she was sending out to all her haters and enemies.

(Image via Instagram; Instagram)

Paris Hilton & Nicole Richie

Paris Hilton & Nicole Richie

Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie started out as an iconic Hollywood pair known for their reality show The Simple Life. In the early 2000s, Paris Hilton was the biggest deal and had the distinguishment of being famous for being famous. It didn’t matter is she did anything because her partying lifestyle put her at the top.

Together, Hilton and Ritchie partied like is was nobody’s business until it got out of hand. They started growing apart, and after getting arrested and spending time in jail, Ritchie seemed to want to have nothing to do with Hilton. It was also alleged that Ritchie had shown Paris Hilton’s sex tape at a party which cause an even greater rift between the two.

Although the feud is not going strong, the two have not really reconciled since.

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Paris Hilton & Lindsay Lohan

Paris Hilton & Lindsay Lohan

Paris Hilton also had a long-lasting feud with Lindsey Lohan that started back in 2006. The two Hollywood party girls formed a friendship that ended just as quickly as it started. One thing led to another, and apparently, Hilton ended up hitting Lohan – at least according to Lohan herself.

In response to this claim, Hilton called her a pathological liar on Instagram. After that, Lohan dated Hilton’s ex in May of that year, then they both ended up in rehab and prison. By 2019, the feud was still going on as Hilton took to Watch What Happens Live to call Lohan “beyond lame and embarrassing.”

As of 2021, however, Hilton claims the feud has ended and congratulated Lohan for her engagement to Bader Shammas, whom she married in 2022.

 

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Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick

Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick

Feuds aren’t just for the young and immature. Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick had one later in life, in fact. In her mid-70s, in 2017, Franklin had beef with Warwick over comments made at Whitney Houston’s funeral five years earlier. They even aired out the feud publicly through the Associated Press.

Warwick called Franklin out for not being at Houston’s funeral when she was her godmother. Franklin called the comments “libelous” and expressed that she was not at the funeral due to the controversy surrounding Houston’s drug abuse at that time - which ended up claiming her life.

The two were said to have clashed again at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival but the feud ended in 2018 when Aretha Franklin died. Nevertheless, the feud was never resolved and Franklin had claimed that Dionne Warwick had never liked her and they had never been friends.

(Image via EVA HAMBACH/AFP/Getty Images; Kingkongphoto & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel  Maryland, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons)

Angelina Jolie & Jon Voight

Angelina Jolie & Jon Voight

This feud was probably one of the saddest there was because it involves family. In case you didn’t know, Jon Voight is the father of Angelina Jolie. However, he cheated on her mother and left her when she was just a baby. For years, they maintained a somewhat cordial relationship but that ended with Jolie’s marriage to Billy Bob Thorton.

When it came time to adopting her child Maddox, Thorton almost blew the adoption by leaking the secret before the adoption was even approved. Voight dug himself an even bigger hole when he told the media that Jolie had mental and emotional problems. She cut off communication with Voight until 2010 but they certainly did not reconcile immediately, and things may not be perfect, but he at least has a relationship with his grandchildren now.

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Justin Bieber & Orlando Bloom

Justin Bieber & Orlando Bloom

Once Lord of the Rings star Orlando Bloom was married to model Miranda Kerr and they even had a child together. But things eventually fell apart, and allegedly Justin Bieber may have been part of the reason. It is said that Justin Bieber and Miranda Kerr were having an affair while she was still married to Bloom.

The rumor is that Bieber and Kerr had exchanged flirty texts and possibly even more. In response to this, Bloom punched the Canadian singer at a restaurant in Ibiza – and that part is true. More evidence points to the affair by the fact that Bloom was spotted sharing a cigarette with Bieber’s ex Selena Gomez.

(Image via Georges Biard, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons; Instagram)

Jay Leno vs. David Letterman & Conan O’Brien

Jay Leno vs. David Letterman & Conan O’Brien

The talk show host feud of the century began after the iconic Johnny Carson relinquished his hosting duties on The Tonight Show. David Letterman, who hosted Late Night in the time slot after The Tonight Show was expected to take up the mantle but NBC executives disagreed, feeling that Letterman’s brand of humor was not right for the show.

So, instead The Tonight Show host position was given to Jay Leno. Letterman was obviously unhappy with this decision and went to CBS to do the Late Show with David Letterman. Conan O’ Brien took over NBC’s Late Night until the early 2000’s when Jay Leno departed the show. Conan briefly took over as The Tonight Show host but the ratings were not what NBC executives expected.

In response to this, they brought Jay Leno back to his original timeslot and they tried to move Conan to a different timeslot. But Conan was not having any of that and quit. Various talk show hosts jumped in support of Conan, including Letterman who made jokes at Jay Leno’s expense. But both Conan and Letterman hold a grudge against Leno to this day.

(Image via Al Levine/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images; Wendy Perl/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images)

Anthony Daniels & Kenny Baker

Anthony Daniels & Kenny Baker

Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker, better known as C3PO and R2D2, are one of film’s most iconic pairings. The droid companions are best buds onscreen, but off-screen, it was another story. The two actors did not get along in the least. Baker actually believed Daniels to be one of the rudest people he ever met.

Daniels is said to be disrespectful to many and refused to join Baker for any Star Wars fan appearances. Daniels also showed no respect for Baker as an actor, claiming that the role of R2D2 didn’t require any real acting and that it could be played by anyone. And his sentiments haven’t changed even after Baker’s death in 2016.

(Image via Eamonn McCormack/WireImage/Getty Images; Gordon Tarpley from Tampa, USA, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons)

Gabrielle Union & Simon Cowell

Gabrielle Union & Simon Cowell

 Simon Cowell certainly seems to have quite the reputation for being a jerk but most of the other judges on his shows seem to just brush it off. For Gabrielle Union, however, that was not so easy. She joined America’s Got Talent in 2019 and left after just one season. Showing no consideration for the show’s crew, she had enough.

During her time on the show, she had witnessed discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender, as well as racism. A great deal of attention was also put on the appearance of the show’s female judges. And Cowell, who was the show’s producer, seemed to be okay with it all. And to make matters worse, he even smoked around Gabrielle Union, who is allergic to cigarette smoke.

(Image via John Shearer/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images; Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images)

Demi Lovato & Selena Gomez

Demi Lovato & Selena Gomez

Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez were once childhood friends, growing up together as they became Disney Channel stars. They had known each other since they were toddlers, but some things are not meant to last and the two would grow apart as their personal issues got in the way of their friendship.

According to US Weekly, Levato felt their friendship was not always reciprocated on Gomez’s part, which was partly why they stopped being friends. While the two reportedly have no disdain for one another, the two have not reconciled. As of 2022, the two are not even following each other on social media.

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Donald Trump & Rosie O'Donnell

Donald Trump & Rosie O'Donnell

Donald Trump and Rosie O’Donnell have had an ongoing feud that lasted before he even became a presidential candidate. Back in 2006, she referred to him as a “snake-oil salesman, and blasted him for his failed relationships, as well as for going bankrupt. And, of course, Trump fought back.

Trump called her a “loser” and attacked her for getting weightless surgery. On Twitter, after Rosie returned to The View, Trump called her “rude, obnoxious and dumb.” While Rosie had not really instigated any fights since back in 2006, Trump continued to attack her, continuing to call her a “loser” several times over. In 2017, she questioned his mental health. Will these two ever be friends? Safe to say – probably not.

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Lauren Conrad & Heidi Montag

Lauren Conrad & Heidi Montag

Lauren Conrad and Heidi Montag of the hit reality series The Hills has a feud that started when Montag started dating Spencer Pratt from the show. At that point, Montag and Conrad’s relationship started to fall apart as Conrad and Pratt hated each other. Shortly after they started dating, Montag moved out.

The friendship they once shared ended at that point, likely due to feelings of betrayal. While there may not technically be an ongoing feud per se, the two have never reconciled as friends. Montag has regrets as to how they parted and had no idea she would never speak to each other again.

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Olivia de Havilland & Joan Fontaine

Olivia de Havilland & Joan Fontaine

Olivia de Havilland & Joan Fontaine were part of a family feud from the moment of Fontaine’s birth. Since that time, Havilland had never wanted to share the spotlight with her baby sister. Engaging in verbal and physical altercations, they never got along in their childhood and continued into adulthood.

The two became rival actresses and Joan Fontaine changed her last name at the request of her bosses who felt there should not be two actresses with the name de Havilland. The two competed for the role of Melanie in Gone with the Wind, which Olivia won and in 1940 they were both up for the same Academy Award. Joan Fontaine won that year, and a few years later, Olivia earned her own award while snubbing her sister, who tried to congratulate her.

The relationship had brief moments of tranquility, but they never truly reconciled and now that Fontaine passed away in 2013, they never will.

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Martha Stewart & Gwyneth Paltrow

Martha Stewart & Gwyneth Paltrow

This has to be one of the most enjoyable feuds on the list to be sure. The actress and former model have both made a career out of inspiring homemakers, so when considering their clashing ideas, a feud between the two just kinds of makes sense, to be honest.

In the past, Stewart has criticized Paltrow’s acting, as well as her Goop lifestyle brand. In response to this, Paltrow created her very own dessert to mock the now ex-con Martha Stewart, called the Jailbird Cake. The feud has certainly not ended and we’re hoping to hear some even juicer developments in the future.

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Lady Gaga & Perez Hilton

Lady Gaga & Perez Hilton

Perez Hilton is certainly no stranger when it comes to feuds with celebrities but with Lady Gaga, it was a lot different. Lady Gaga and Perez Hilton actually used to be friends. However, animosity grew between the two and on one occasion, Perez Hilton drunkenly criticized Gaga and her album “Born This Way.”

Gaga felt betrayed by Hilton and cried. However, Perez Hilton has his newfound interpretation of events and believes Gaga used him to say nasty things about her rivals. While he was never asked specifically to write about people, he believed that based on the conversations they had, and his status as her best friend, it was expected of him in some way.

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