Madonna & Elton John Have ‘Buried the Hatchet’ After Decades-Long Feud
April 8, 2025, 1:28 AM PDT — Pop music’s most enduring rivalry has finally come to a close as Madonna and Elton John announced they’ve “buried the hatchet” following a backstage reconciliation at Saturday Night Live on April 5. The Queen of Pop, 66, shared the news Monday via Instagram, posting a photo of the two icons embracing and hinting at a potential collaboration—a stunning turn after over 20 years of public jabs, mostly from John’s corner.
The feud, simmering since 2002, erupted when John slammed Madonna’s James Bond theme “Die Another Day” as “the worst Bond tune ever” in a Sky News interview. Tensions peaked in 2004 at the Q Awards, where John, accepting a Classic Songwriter nod, mocked Madonna’s Best Live Act nomination, saying, “Since when has lip-syncing been live? Anyone who lip-syncs in public on stage when you pay 75 pounds to see them should be shot.” Madonna’s team fired back, denying the accusation and insisting she didn’t “trash other artists.” The barbs continued—John called her a “fairground stripper” in 2012 and predicted “her career is over” after her Golden Globe win over him for “Masterpiece” that year, a loss his husband David Furnish labeled “embarrassing in its narcissism.”
Madonna’s Instagram post laid bare her side. “Over the decades it hurt me to know that someone I admired so much shared his dislike of me publicly as an artist,” she wrote, recalling sneaking out as a Detroit high schooler to see John perform—a night that “changed the course of my life.” Hearing he’d be SNL’s musical guest with Brandi Carlile, she decided to confront him. “The first thing out of his mouth was, ‘Forgive Me,’ and the wall between us fell down,” she recounted. “Within minutes, we were hugging.” John then revealed he’d written a song for her, sparking talk of a duet.
John, 78, commented on her post, thanking her for “forgiving me and my big mouth.” “I’m not proud of what I said,” he admitted, praising her “groundbreaking work” and HIV/AIDS advocacy. “I’m grateful we can move forward.” Posts on X erupted with fan glee—one called it “the collab we didn’t know we needed”—while others noted a 2016 truce when John apologized over dinner in France, per The Graham Norton Show. This time, though, the reconciliation feels final.
As Trump’s tariffs roil markets—a $5 trillion S&P 500 hit—and global headlines churn, the Madonna-John thaw offers a rare feel-good note. With John’s new album Who Believes in Angels? eyeing a UK chart-topper and Madonna teasing Confessions 2, their hatchet-burying could herald a musical milestone. For now, two legends have turned rivalry into harmony—one hug at a time.
