8 Forgotten Celebrity Rivalries
Published on February 27, 2015. Updated April 3, 2017Celebrity rivalries are just one of those things that naturally seem to happen. We think that it is because Hollywood is filled with so many fragile egos and, when they bump up against each other, bad things happen. We all know about many of the current celebrity rivalries. Taylor Swift and Katy Perry can’t stand each other and it is mostly because of their association with John Mayer. Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey are also two dueling divas. We figured now would a good time to look at some forgotten feuds – the ones from many years past. Here are 8 that many people have already forgotten!
8. Gwyneth Paltrow and Winona Ryder
Gwyneth Paltrow and Winona Ryder were the best of friends back in the ‘90s. When Paltrow broke up with Brad Pitt, she stayed with Ryder. When she began dating Ben Affleck, she hooked her friend up with his best friend, Matt Damon. Their friendship seemed pretty solid until they suddenly stopped speaking for no apparent reason.
Rumor has it that Paltrow and Ryder fell out because gwyneth stole the script for “Shakespeare in Love” from Winona’s apartment. The “Iron Man” actress has denied it but, in a blind item on her website GOOP, she alluded to a falling out that she had with a former friend, which many believe is Ryder. “Back in the day, I had a ‘frenemy’ who, as it turned out, was pretty hellbent on taking me down. This person really did what they could to hurt me. I was deeply upset, I was angry, I was all of those things you feel when you find out that someone you thought you liked was venomous and dangerous,” she wrote. “I restrained myself from fighting back. I tried to take the high road. But one day I heard that something unfortunate and humiliating had happened to this person. And my reaction was deep relief and happiness.”
Featureflash / Shutterstock.com s_bukley / Shutterstock.com7. Bill Murray and Chevy Chase
These two men became rivals back when in the day. Bill Murray had been brought on “Saturday Night Live” to replace Chevy Chase who had left to pursue a film career, as well as a relationship with a woman. The cast was pretty unhappy with Chase. When he returned to host an episode, the cast reportedly asked Murray to confront him. The two traded insults backstage and then punches; however, it is all good now.
“It was really a Hollywood fight, a ‘Don’t touch my face!’ kind of thing,” Murray said. “Chevy is a big man, I’m not a small guy, and we were separated by my brother Brian [Doyle-Murray], who comes up to my chest. So it was kind of a non-event. It was just the significance of it. It was an Oedipal thing, a rupture. Because we all felt mad he had left us, and somehow I was the anointed avenging angel, who had to speak for everyone. But Chevy and I are friends now. It’s all fine.”
Featureflash / Shutterstock.com Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com6. Conan O’Brien and Jay Leno
Conan O’Brien doesn’t like Jay Leno. Back in 2004, he was told by NBC execs that he would take over the “Tonight Show” in 2009. When that time came, Leno was given a new show “The Jay Leno Show,” which would air at 10 p.m., and O’Brien took over “The Tonight Show” at 11:35 p.m. Ratings for both shows ended up being lackluster. NBC execs then decided to move Leno’s show to 11:35, with O’Brien’s show airing at 12:05 a.m. While Leno jumped at this opportunity, his rival didn’t. He ended up leaving NBC as a result and Leno again took over “The Tonight Show.”
O’Brien reportedly is still bitter with Leno over this and considers him responsible for why his show failed. Before leaving NBC he said, “Hosting The Tonight Show has been the fulfillment of a lifelong dream for me, and I just want to say to the kids out there watching, you can do anything you want in life. Unless Jay Leno wants to do it, too.”
Featureflash / Shutterstock.com Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com5. Christina Aguilera and Pink
Christina Aguilera and Pink worked together on the set of their music video for “Lady Marmalade” and they really didn’t get along. According to Pink, Aguilera came onto the set with her manager, who didn’t say hi to any of the other singers, and demanded to know which part required the most singing and then declared that his client would have it. Pink responded with, “Hi! How are you? So nice of you to introduce yourself, I’m Pink. She will not be taking that part. I think that’s what the f**king meeting is about.”
The feud has continued over the years. Pink fell out with her songwriting collaborator, Linda Perry, when she learned that she was collaborating with Aguilera. “I took it really personally when she started working with other artists, particularly artists I didn’t like…I don’t think imitation is the highest form of flattery, I think it’s annoying…We had a falling out and I took it personally,” she said.
DFree / Shutterstock.com Featureflash / Shutterstock.com4. Debbie Gibson and Tiffany
Debbie Gibson and Tiffany were the ‘80s versions of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. These two pop icons were young, hot and talented, so the media had a field day creating stories about how much they disliked each other. Since they were the only two female pop singers during that period, no one believed that they could have been friends; however, Gibson has insisted that there was never any feud between them. They have both said that they respect the other and that they have always been fans of each other’s music. “It’s been mutual admiration, always,” Gibson said.
These two proved that there were no hard feelings when they teamed up together in 2011 for a summer concert titled Journey Through the ‘80s. They performed their own material, as well as covers of Stevie Nicks, Guns ‘N’ Roses and Reba McIntire songs. That same year, they also co-starred in a Syfy original movie, “Mega Python vs. Gatoroid,” which featured a catfight between them.
s_bukley / Shutterstock.com Featureflash / Shutterstock.com3. Joan Crawford and Bette Davis
Joan Crawford and Bette Davis had one of the most notorious rivalries in Hollywood history. It reportedly began when Crawford signed an exclusive contract with Warner Brothers, which was the same studio Davis had a contract with. Things came to a head when they played two aging sisters in the horror film “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?” “It’s proper to say that they really detested each other, but they behaved absolutely perfectly,” the director said. The claws were out after filming ceased, as David was the one who received an Oscar nomination for her performance.
A British reporter by the name of Michael Thornton claims that the two actresses were bitter enemies because Crawford was bisexual and had made a move on Davis earlier on in their careers, who promptly rejected her. Crawford got the ultimate revenge years later when she married Franchet Tone, the longtime love of her rival. All we know for sure is that these two were in constant competition with each other and it looked pretty consuming.
2. Steve McQueen and Paul Newman
Actors Steve McQueen and Paul Newman had quite the rivalry. According to Newman, McQueen was the one who created it. They first met on the set of the movie “Somebody Up There Likes Me.” Newman was cast in the lead role while McQueen had a small supporting part. The film ended up launching Newman’s career. He garnered much attention and acclaim for his role and he quickly established himself as one of the hottest new stars in Hollywood. McQueen was jealous of Newman’s success and set out to become a bigger star.
Almost 20 years later, these two found themselves sharing the screen once again in the movie “The Towering Inferno.” McQueen insisted that he have the same number of lines as his rival, which meant shooting additional scenes to equalize the dialogue. He also insisted that they got equal billing. Newman later revealed that he regretted his decision to co-star with McQueen. “For the 1st time, I fell for the goddamn numbers. I did this turkey for a million and 10% of the gross, but it’s the first and last time, I swear,” he reportedly said.
C20TH FOX/WARNER BROS1. Al Pacino and Robert De Niro
Al Pacino has said that he and Robert De Niro had a fierce rivalry earlier on in their careers, but not anymore. We think this might stem from the original “The Godfather” movie. A then-unknown De Niro was reportedly also up for the role Michael Corleone, but Pacino beat him out, along with Warren Beatty and Jack Nicholson. In the sequel, however, De Niro was cast as the young Vito Corleone. They didn’t share any scenes together though. Both actors received Academy Awards nominations for their performances. De Niro won, but Pacino ended up losing out.
Since “The Godather II,” they both have co-starred in films like “Heat” and “Righteous Kill,” which we can only assume means that the fierce rivalry is over. Now they have to contend with the fact that some of their fans get them confused, which would probably stir up another rivalry if they weren’t so old.