Madonna & Elton John Are Seemingly Mending Their Bond After Years Of Public Squabbles

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The music world is no stranger to bitter rivalries. From Jay-Z vs. Nas, to My Chemical Romance vs. The Used, and of course, Liam Gallagher of Oasis vs. Noel Gallagher of also Oasis, there's plenty of beef to go around, regardless of genre or style. One particularly drawn-out pop music battle is the iconic feud between Elton John and Madonna. However, after more than 20 years of public squabbles, they're finally ready to move on. Madonna and Elton first crossed paths in the mid-1990s, and seemed to get along reasonably well, if their lighthearted photoshoot at the 1995 BRIT Awards is anything to go by. 

They even shared the stage at Carnegie Hall three years later. But things took a turn in 2002, when Elton made an unprovoked jab at his fellow pop star. More specifically, the "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" hitmaker was definitely not feeling the love for Madonna's theme song for the James Bond film "Die Another Day" — and he made sure everyone knew it. In fact, Elton decried it as "the worst Bond tune of all time," during a chat with Sky News that November, adding, "I don't think it's the best Madonna record and I'm a big fan." 

The outspoken singer remained true to his word on the second part of that statement, given that he was spotted attending a Madonna concert just a few years later, in August 2008. Nevertheless, the jabs kept coming. For instance, Elton famously accused Madonna of lip-synching at the Q Awards in 2004, and even went as far as to proclaim that any performer who lip-syncs at concerts while charging high ticket prices "should be shot," (via the Los Angeles Times). On the bright side, things mostly got better from there.

While Elton John's remarks about Madonna in 2004 almost certainly marked the lowest point of their feud, it wasn't the last time a shot was fired from his side. Most notably, when Madonna won a Golden Globe over the "I Want Love" hitmaker, in 2012, his husband responded by trashing the iconic singer on social media. Madonna herself took the high road, though, telling reporters only, "[Elton's] brilliant and I adore him so he'll win another award," (via Billboard). Things then started to cool down in earnest, with Elton expressing regret for taking his personal issues with the "Like a Prayer" hitmaker public in his 2019 memoir "Me." Then, in 2025, the two stars finally came together to put their feud (which was admittedly rather one-sided) to bed once and for all. 

Madonna confronted the "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" hitmaker face-to-face behind the scenes of "Saturday Night Live" that April. However, that particular Saturday night, Elton wasn't looking for a fight. "The first thing out of his mouth was 'forgive me,' and the wall between us fell down," Madonna revealed in a  since-deleted Instagram post (via the BBC). "Seeing him perform when I was in high school changed the course of my life," she noted. "Over the decades it hurt me to know that someone I admired so much shared his dislike of me publicly as an artist. I didn't understand it." 

However, the Grammy winner's willingness to apologize for his past transgressions evidently went a long way. Madonna even teased a potential musical collaboration between the two, though sadly it has yet to materialize at the time of writing.