Top 10 Celeb Feuds That Escalated Quickly

High-octane thrills and dangerous stunts weren’t the only challenges during the arduous several-month-long shoot of “Mad Max: Fury Road.” Stars Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy apparently had such a tense relationship on set that they almost came to blows over Hardy’s lateness and unprofessionalism. Shooting in the hot desert only exacerbated the situation. Theron exploded on Hardy for keeping the entire production at a standstill for three hours after their call time. While the shouting matches and tensions eventually eased between the two, it was reportedly a very uncomfortable experience for others on set.

Adapted from the Broadway hit, the film “Guys and Dolls” starred the legendary crooner Frank Sinatra and an unlikely musical lead. Marlon Brando, who could barely sing, was given the role of Sky Masterson—a part that Sinatra had wanted for himself. Instead, Sinatra was cast in the second lead role. The bad blood started right away. Hostility and ruined takes became par for the course on set. According to one Brando biography, things escalated to near-deadly heights. Brando was allegedly kidnapped and threatened by a group of criminals during production. The biographer places the blame at Sinatra’s door, as the singer was rumored to have mafia ties. Whatever the case may be, these two were like oil and water.

Generally, showbiz colleagues keep it cute in the press. Personal disagreements are usually covered up or just papered over with cordial politeness. That wasn’t the case between former “Sex and the City” co-stars Kim Cattrall & Sarah Jessica Parker. Though they were nearly inseparable on screen, Cattrall shattered the illusion with her admission that the co-stars were never friends. In 2018, she poured gasoline on the fire when Parker offered her condolences over the death of Cattrall’s brother. Cattrall let Parker know exactly what was what. It almost put the kibosh on any future appearances of her beloved character, Samantha. Cattrall made a long-awaited appearance on Season 2 of “And Just Like That…,” but without setting foot on the same set as her former co-star.

Eddie Fisher was a famous crooner who married two of classic Hollywood’s most beautiful movie stars. Unfortunately, he didn’t wait to divorce Debbie Reynolds before moving on to Elizabeth Taylor—whose husband, Mike Todd, had recently died. Reynolds and Taylor had been close for years before the affair. The scandal was massive, and the tabloids were all over the shocking turn of events. This was in the 1950s, a time when infidelity among Hollywood couples was not exactly the foregone conclusion it seems like today. Eventually, Reynolds and Taylor would patch things up, even resuming their friendship in the later years of their lives.

Co-stars of “The Fast & Furious” franchise may be family on screen, but that all seemed to change when Dwayne Johnson took a swipe at an unnamed co-star on social media. This may not seem like a huge deal, but you wouldn’t know that from the response. Fans and entertainment outlets were quick to uncover the tensions between Johnson and Vin Diesel. From there, the feud took on a life of its own. Despite insisting that the whole thing was blown out of proportion, rumors of a feud flared up again when Diesel publicly requested Johnson’s return to the series. Johnson didn’t take kindly to Diesel mentioning their deceased co-star, Paul Walker, and Johnson’s kids in his post.

In 2015, the former “Hannah Montana” star was clearly in her post-Disney era. Her on-stage antics at the 2013 MTV VMAs were nothing compared to the controversy she stirred up prior to her gig hosting the event. Cyrus commented on a Twitter spat between Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift, calling Minaj impolite. The rapper responded days later while she was accepting a Moonman for “Anaconda.” After she was done saying her thank-yous, Minaj addressed the host directly as she stood on stage just a few feet away. It was a moment that confused viewers and led to live, on-air tension we rarely see at award ceremonies.

Look, we all love Beyoncé. We all find it hard to contain our love for Beyoncé. But getting up on stage in the middle of someone else’s acceptance speech to tell everyone why they don’t deserve to win over Beyoncé? That’s a level of fandom we probably shouldn’t encourage. Kanye West’s notorious mic-stealing moment during Taylor Swift’s speech at the 2009 MTV VMAs inspired memes and speculation. Things died down until 2016, when West’s music video for “Famous” inspired a whole new round of speculation and mudslinging. West’s then-wife Kim Kardashian also got involved in the drama. This new development left fans questioning where things really stand with these celebs after all this time.


#3: Will Smith & Chris Rock

No one even really knew there was beef between Will Smith and Chris Rock until Smith sauntered up on the Oscars stage and smacked Rock in the face. Although the two had crossed paths professionally, there wasn’t really a sense of bad blood—just a few jokes Rock had made about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, over the years. After ad-libbing a joke about Jada’s baldness at the 94th Academy Awards, the host was as shocked as we all were when Will walked up and slapped him in front of the audience and cameras. It seemed like a stunt—until we realized it wasn’t. Later that night, Smith won the Oscar for Best Actor—but he also received a 10-year ban from all Academy events.

By 2024, things had heated up considerably since this duo’s 2019 single “Hot Girl Summer.” A lyric in Megan Thee Stallion’s “HISS” references Megan’s Law, the federal law that requires public access to the sex offender registry. This was thought to be a dig at Nicki Minaj’s husband, Kenneth Petty. While no one is named, it touched off a firestorm from Minaj. She posted ominous videos on social media and seemingly poked fun at Megan’s mother’s recent death and a foot injury Megan sustained from a gunshot wound. Minaj also released a diss track called “Big Foot,” which is a lot less ambiguous. Amidst the drama, both rappers’ songs were successful on the charts.

Rumors of a feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar have existed since at least 2013, but things got dialed up to 11 in 2024. Kendrick drew first blood with the song “Like That.” Drake responded with two tracks. In less than a month, the two rappers traded increasingly personal jabs, with allegations of actual crimes creeping into the lyrics. But it didn’t stop there. Drake even used AI to pull Tupac and Snoop Dogg into the fray. Mere months after “Like That” dropped, Kendrick followed up with “Not Like Us,” summarizing all his grievances and allegations against the Canadian artist. That’s when the feud got even more serious. Drake responded by filing two lawsuits.




Which of these feuds do you think was the most vicious? Let us know in the comments.