Unexpected Celebrity Feuds We Never Saw Coming

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Unexpected Celebrity Feuds We Never Saw Coming

Celebrity feuds are so captivating that there’s even an award-winning Ryan Murphy anthology TV series devoted to the topic. While some A-list beefs seem inevitable — Nicki Minaj vs. Cardi B, for example, or Jef Holm vs. Arie Luyendyk Jr. — others seem to come out of nowhere.

Freddie Prinze Jr., for instance, spoke ill of Kiefer Sutherland in July 2014 by calling his former 24 costar “the most unprofessional dude in the world.” The prior year, George Clooney revealed that Russell Crowe once apologized to him for “insulting the s—t out of [him],” though the Catch-22 actor had a “Yeah, whatever” response to Crowe’s claims of being misquoted. And around the same time, Kanye West admitted he “took it back to high school for a little bit” with Jimmy Kimmel after trashing the late-night comedian for spoofing an interview of his.

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But these tiffs aren’t even the most surprising celebrity feuds. One wouldn’t think the 2019 comedy Poms would have stirred up any drama, but the movie caused a war of words between actresses Angelica Huston and Jacki Weaver. In another recent example, Ariana Grande clashed with Piers Morgan after he criticized Ellen DeGeneres and Little Mix online.

Scroll down for more details on these conflicts and other celebrity feuds that caught the public off-guard.

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Hilarie Burton and Candace Cameron Bure

Ahead of the premiere of her first Christmas movie with Great American Family after leaving Hallmark, the Fuller House alum made headlines when she said that her new network would “keep traditional marriage at the core.” In a November 2022 interview with The Wall Street Journal, she added: “My heart wants to tell stories that have more meaning and purpose and depth behind them. I knew that the people behind Great American Family were Christians that love the Lord and wanted to promote faith programming and good family entertainment.”

Burton, who previously appeared in several Hallmark movies, slammed Cameron Bure for her comments in a series of social media posts. “Bigot. I don’t remember Jesus liking hypocrites like Candy,” the One Tree Hill alum tweeted. “But sure. Make your money, honey. You ride that prejudice wave all the way to the bank.”

In a second post, she addressed Great American Media president and CEO Bill Abbott, who formerly helmed Hallmark. “Now they’re just openly admitting their bigotry,” Burton wrote. “I called this s–t out years ago when Abbott was at Hallmark. Glad they dumped him. Being LGBTQ isn’t a ‘trend.’ That guy and his network are disgusting. You too Candy. There is nothing untraditional about same-sex couples.”

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Matthew Perry and Keanu Reeves

Ahead of his memoir’s November 2022 release, the Friends alum made headlines for excerpts where he questioned why Reeves “still walks among us” when actors including River Phoenix and Heath Ledger have died. When the comments sparked backlash — in part because of Reeves’ close friendship with the late Phoenix — Perry apologized for his remarks. “I’m actually a big fan of Keanu. I just chose a random name, my mistake,” the Whole Nine Yards star said in an October 2022 statement. “I apologize. I should have used my own name instead.” 

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Nicki Minaj and Latto

An argument took place between the two female rappers on Twitter in October 2022. Minaj tweeted her discontent for not being considered for any rap categories for the Grammys arguing that if her song “Super Freaky Girl” wasn’t in consideration, neither should Latto’s song “Big Energy.” The Rap Game alum responded shortly after, writing, “Damn I can’t win for losing… all these awards/noms I can’t even celebrate.” Latto later revealed on Twitter the two performers talked privately but returned to social media to publicly address Minaj’s subtweets. “I’ve ignored countless subtweets since March and instead addressed u in the dm. You’re asking why I didn’t speak up in ur defense… it’s the same answer I gave u when u asked why I didn’t congratulate you. Ur literally older than my mom tryna be a bully @NICKIMINAJ,” she wrote.  

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Doja Cat and Noah Schnapp

The Grammy winner called out the Stranger Things actor for his “borderline snake” behavior after Schnapp went public with her DMs about her crush on his costar Joseph Quinn. “To be fair, this is like a kid. Noah, I don’t know how old he is, but he’s not even like over 21. When you’re that young, you make mistakes, you do dumb s–t. I’m trying to be super fair. … But the fact that Noah did that, like, went and posted a private conversation between me and him is so unbelievably, like, socially unaware and whack,” Doja said in a July 2022 Instagram Live. Schnapp did not immediately respond.

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Jimmy Kimmel and Marjorie Taylor Greene

During an April 2022 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the late-night host questioned the far-right politician’s opinions while discussing the Supreme Court nominations. “This woman, Klan mom, is especially upset with the three Republican senators who said they’ll vote yes on Ketanji Brown Jackson, who’s nominated for the Supreme Court,” he explained during a segment on April 5, before quipping about the 2022 Oscars scandal. “Where is Will Smith when you really need him?” In response, Greene wrote via Twitter that she had reported “this threat of violence against me” to the Capitol Police.

“Officer? I would like to report a joke,” Kimmel responded to Greene’s tweet.

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Will Smith and Chris Rock

Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars in March 2022, leaving the Academy and viewers at home alike stunned.

Jada Pinkett Smith has been open about her hair loss for years. When Rock made a crack about the actress, who had a buzzcut, being in G.I. Jane 2, Will walked on stage at the Los Angeles awards show and slapped the presenter. “Keep my wife’s name out of your f–king mouth,” Will yelled after he returned to his seat.

Later, when he won best actor for his role in King Richard, Will apologized — though not to Rock. “I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees,” he said during his tearful acceptance speech. “Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father just like they said about Richard Williams. Love will make you do crazy things.”

The feud didn’t start at the 2022 Oscars, though. Rock previously made jokes at the Gotham alum’s expense. In his 2016 Oscars monologue, the Everybody Hates Chris alum mocked her for boycotting the ceremony amid the Oscars So White controversy. “Jada says she’s not coming. Protesting. I’m like, ‘Ain’t she on a TV show?’” he said at the time. “Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna’s panties. I wasn’t invited! Oh, that’s not an invitation I would turn down!”

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Abhishek “Shake” Chatterjee and Nick Lachey

The controversial Love is Blind contestant got into a heated argument with Lachey during the season 2 reunion episode, when he was called out for placing too much importance on physical appearance. After Shake said that it was “nature” and “we’re animals,” the host fired back at the veterinarian: “No, you treat animals. We’re human beings. There’s a big difference.”

After the episode aired, Shake slammed Lachey in a since-deleted Instagram post. “You put a doctor on the show… of course you were going to see some critical thinking,” he wrote in March 2022. “Speaking of which, @nicklachey you’re a massive twat for your comment dragging vets. You do realize that becoming a veterinarian considerably more difficult than becoming a human doc right?”

He continued: “Also consider learning how to be an impartial host before the season 3 reunion airs. Sorry I didn’t play along with your narrative like the rest of these puppets. Say hi to @vanessalachey for me.”

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Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Rosie O’Donnell

The former talk show host apologized to the Quantico alum in a February 2022 TikTok video after an “awkward” restaurant run-in when she mistakenly assumed that Chopra Jonas’ dad was author Deepak Chopra. “I just want to apologize to her and to everyone who thought it was really inappropriate of me. Sorry. Sometimes I f–k up. I did at Nobu,” the comedian said at the time. “Nick Jonas, I apologize and to the Chopra wife, I apologize too.”

The Baywatch star clapped back via Instagram Stories, asking O’Donnell to “take the time” to Google her name in the future or “reach out directly” before publicly apologizing. She concluded, “We ALL deserve to be respected for our unique individuality and not to be referred to as ‘someone’ or ‘wife’ especially in a sincere apology. If we can learn to respect our differences in an authentic way, the world we raise our children in will be amazing.”

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Vin Diesel and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson

In August 2016, the Jumanji star kicked off a years-long feud with his costar when he referred to unnamed male costars in The Fate of the Furious as “candy asses.” Though he didn’t name Diesel as the target of his ire, the Bloodshot star later responded in an Instagram video, saying, “Honestly, give me a second and I will tell you everything. Everything.”

Some of the duo’s costars waded into the fray, with Michelle Rodriguez acknowledging the tension between the pair and chalking it up to friendly rivalry. Tyrese Gibson, however, accused the former wrestler of being to blame for the initial production delay of F9 in October 2017. At that point, Diesel defended the Rampage actor, saying no one person was to blame and that the franchise simply needed “maintenance.”

By the time of the August 2019 premiere of Fast spinoff Hobbs & Shaw, the duo had seemingly squashed their beef. Johnson thanked Diesel by name in an Instagram post about the film, saying, “I’ll be seeing you soon, Toretto.”

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Chrissy Teigen and Alison Roman

In May 2020, the New York Times food columnist made headlines for her controversial remarks about Teigen’s growing cookbook and cookware empire, implying that the Lip Sync Battle cohost was a sellout. After being widely panned on Twitter, Roman issued two lengthy apologies to the Cravings cookbook author and Tidying Up’s Marie Kondo.

“I need to formally apologize to Chrissy Teigen and Marie Kondo. I used their names disparagingly to try and distinguish myself, which I absolutely do not have an excuse for,” she wrote. “It was stupid, careless and insensitive. I need to learn, and respect, the difference between being unfiltered and honest vs. being uneducated and flippant.”

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Mason Disick and Jeffree Star

After the eldest son of Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick, who was 10 at time, called the YouTube personality “spoiled AF” in March 2020, Star fired back. 

“I had $500 in my bank account six years ago …” the beauty guru wrote in a self-deleted tweet. “Maybe he’s confused with his own privilege versus mine being self-made, hopefully his father can educate him soon! ⭐”

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Jacki Weaver vs. Anjelica Huston

Huston shaded Weaver’s film Poms in May 2019, telling Vulture that an “old-lady cheerleader movie” sounds “humiliating.” Weaver later described her reaction to the dig to Vanity Fair: “I said, ‘Well, she can go f—k herself.’ … And I thought, ‘That’s a bit mean and petty.’ … I would say she must be going through menopause, but she must have had that ages ago.”

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50 Cent vs. Lala Kent and Randall Emmett

In April 2019, 50 Cent called Kent a “hoe” when she revealed on Vanderpump Rules that Emmett, her boyfriend, bought her a Range Rover after the first time they slept together. The diss set off a heated Twitter exchange between the two, during which the rapper demanded that Emmett, a fellow producer on the Starz series Power, pay him $1 million that 50 claimed he owed.

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Chelsea Handler vs. Angelina Jolie

Handler has openly criticized Jolie over the years, calling her a “homewrecker” in 2010 and saying she seemed “like a demon” in 2013. And in 2016, amid Jolie’s divorce from Brad Pitt, Handler said the actor “married a f–king lunatic.” By April 2019, the comedian had changed her tune. “I’m upset that I was so upset with Angelina Jolie,” she said on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen at the time. “I realized she’s probably just trying to do her best too.”

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Ariana Grande vs. Piers Morgan

The pop star had a bone to pick with the British pundit in November 2018 after he criticized Ellen DeGeneres for “drooling over famous men’s bodies” and Little Mix for selling “nudity” and not just records. Grande tweeted: “Ellen is an incredible & kind human being.. I use my talent AND my sexuality all the time because i choose to. women can be sexual AND talented. naked and dignified. it’s OUR choice. & we will keep fighting til people understand. i say this w all due respect but thank u, next.” In February 2019, the singer said she and Morgan had a “productive conversation.”

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Debra Messing vs. Susan Sarandon

After duking it out on Twitter throughout the 2016 presidential election, Messing once again called out her feud partner in September 2018 after Sarandon commented that Donald Trump indirectly inspired women and people of color to run for office. “STFU SUSAN. Oh yes, PLEASE let’s give Trump CREDIT,” the Will & Grace star tweeted, to which the Oscar winner responded, “Debs, before you get yourself all self-righteous try clicking on the video and listening to what I actually say.”

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Kim Kardashian vs. Tyson Beckford

In July 2018, Beckford shamed Kardashian’s appearance on Instagram, calling her body ‘not real’ and conjecturing that a doctor ‘f—ked up on her right hip.’ The reality star clapped back, writing, ‘Sis we all know why you don’t care for it.’ (She later had to address accusations that her clapback was homophobic.)

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Jane Fonda vs. Megyn Kelly

After Kelly surprised Fonda by asking her about plastic surgery in a September 2017 episode of Megyn Kelly Today, Fonda referenced the awkward exchange on Today in January 2018 after Grace and Frankie costar Lily Tomlin joked about Fonda’s “first face-lift.” Fonda responded, “Who are you, Megyn Kelly?” For her part, Kelly commented that the actress “appears to be fixated on an exchange I had with her months ago.”

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Neil Patrick Harris vs. James Woods

The two actors clashed in July 2017 after Woods posted a photo of a couple with their young, “gender creative” son at a Pride celebration and said the boy would grow up to be a murderer. “Utterly ignorant and classless, Mr. Woods,” Harris tweeted. “I’m friends with this family. You know not of what you speak, and should be ashamed of yourself.” The Shark alum responded, writing, “Using one’s child as a social justice propaganda doll is tantamount to child abuse. This is not about homophobia. Nice try though.”

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Chloe Grace Moretz vs. Kim Kardashian

Commenting on Kardashian’s tendency to post nude selfies online, Moretz tweeted at the reality star in March 2016 to say she hopes the reality star “realize[s] how important setting goals are for young women, teaching them we have so much more to offer than just our bodies.” Kardashian lashed out at the Greta actress, writing, “Let’s all welcome @ChloeGMoretz to twitter, since no one knows who she is. your nylon cover is cute boo.”

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Miley Cyrus vs. Nicki Minaj

Minaj called out Cyrus live on air at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards in August of that year after the “Mother’s Daughter” singer criticized Minaj’s “not so nice” comments about Taylor Swift in The New York Times. “And now back to this bitch that had a lot to say about me in the press,” the rapper said on stage, giving the spotlight back to Cyrus. “Miley, what’s good?”

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Howard Stern vs. Lena Dunham

Stern dissed both Dunham and her HBO show, Girls, on his radio show in January 2013, saying, ”It’s a little fat girl who kinda looks like Jonah Hill and she keeps taking her clothes off and it kind of feels like rape. … I don’t want to see that.” The shock jock later apologized for the comment, and Dunham called into his show to take issue with his assessment. “I’m not that fat, Howard,” she said.

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Jon Hamm vs. Kim Kardashian

“Whether it’s Kim Kardashian or Paris Hilton or whoever, stupidity is certainly celebrated,” Hamm told Elle UK for its April 2012 issue. The KKW Beauty founder didn’t take the slight sitting down. “I respect Jon and I am a firm believer that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and that not everyone takes the same path in life,” she tweeted at the time. “We’re all working hard and we all have to respect one another. Calling someone who runs their own businesses, is a part of a successful TV show, produces, writes, designs, and creates, ‘stupid,’ is in my opinion careless.”