5 Explosive Star Feuds: Who Said What?

Hollywood stars are just like us – they get into fights with their friends and colleagues. Only unlike the rest of us civilians, their skirmishes and feuds go down in history. From leading ladies battling it out over men and social media wars of words to epic slaps witnessed by millions of people around the world, these explosive celebrity feuds have captivated audiences, sometimes more than the movies and music the stars are famous for. 

Hollywood feuds have been going on since the old days. One of the most (in)famous rivalries involved two major Hollywood players, Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. The leading ladies reportedly hated each other for several decades stemming from, you guessed it, a man. "Why am I so good at playing bitches?" Davis wrote in her 1987 memoir. "I think it's because I'm not a bitch. Maybe that's why Miss Crawford always plays ladies." Joan did her own part in dissing Bette. "I don't hate Bette Davis, even though the press wants me to; I resent her. I don't see how she built a career out of mannerisms instead of real acting ability. She's a phony, but I guess the public likes that," she once said. 

Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall played BFFs on Sex and the City, but they weren't wearing Best Friends necklaces in real life. Cattrall, who opted out of the third SATC movie, revealed that she and Parker were never pals in some interviews, which SJP claimed left her "gutted." When SJP shared condolences after the death of Cattrall's brother in 2018, Cattrall wasn't having it. "So I'm writing to tell you one last time to stop exploiting our tragedy in order to restore your 'nice girl' persona," she wrote on social media. Parker went on to tell The Hollywood Reporter, "I just wish that they would stop calling this a 'catfight' or an 'argument,' because it doesn't reflect [reality]. There has been one person talking."

It wasn't Will Smith's 2022 Oscar win that left people talking about the Fresh Prince star. Smith shocked the entire world when he walked up onto the stage and slapped comedian Chris Rock, who had made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith. At first, shocked viewers and attendees thought that maybe it was an award show stunt. However, that wasn't the case. Smith was allowed to keep his Academy Award and has since apologized many times, though he wasn't back at the show in 2023 to give out any awards. Rock, of course, has used the slap as a punchline during standup shows. 

The Kanye and Taylor feud started at the 2009 MTV VMAs, when the rapper shocked the country-slash-pop star by walking up onto the stage during her acceptance speech and declaring that she didn't deserve the award. He ended up apologizing, retracting the apology, and so on. However, when he released his song Famous in 2016, rapping "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex / Why? I made that b**** famous," the feud was ignited, with West's wife at the time, Kim Kardashian, getting involved after Taylor denied approving the lyrics. Taped phone calls were leaked and hidden clues in music videos were identified by eagle-eyed fans, with Taylor retracting from the public eye as a result. To this day, it still isn't clear who was telling the truth. 

When Hollywood marries into the Royal Family, you can bet a little drama with ensue. Shortly after Prince Harry revealed he was dating Suits star Meghan Markle, rumors began to swirl that the Royals weren't exactly thrilled about the union. From catfights between Meghan and William's wife, Kate Middleton, to brotherly tension between Harry and Will, there was much speculation that Harry and Meghan weren't exactly getting their happily ever after in the UK. However, many of the rumors were confirmed when Harry and Meghan dropped their royal Megxit bombshell, leaving behind their life as working members of The Firm and heading back to the United States. In the years since both Harry and Meghan have openly discussed what went down behind closed palace doors, though other members of Harry's family have remained tight-lipped.