Madonna performing on The Celebration Tour in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Elton John at the grand premiere of his Never Too Late documentary.
simbernardo
Subscribe To
OUT MAGAZINE
OUT MAGAZINE
Subscribe To
OUT MAGAZINE
OUT MAGAZINE
Madonna and Elton John have shared a new photo of them together to declare that they've officially put an end to their infamous feud, which played out over the course of several decades.
Sign up for the Out Newsletter to keep up with what's new in LGBTQ+ culture and entertainment — delivered three times a week straight (well…) to your inbox!
The long-standing feud between John and Madge can be traced back to reports from 2002. Over the next two decades, the pop music icons exchanged scathing remarks about each other — fueling a never-ending feud that divided fans, media outlets, and even other musicians who were brought into this epic saga.
On Monday, April 7, the Queen of Pop herself shared a new photo of herself hugging John. In the Instagram caption, Madonna wrote the following statement:
"We Finally Buried the Hatchet!!!
I went to see Elton John perform on SNL this weekend!! WOW.
I remembered when I was in high school — I snuck out of the house one night to see Elton perform live in Detroit! It was an unforgettable performance that helped me understand the transformative power of music.
Seeing him perform when I was in high school changed the course of my life. I had always felt like an outsider growing up and watching him on stage helped me to understand that it was OK to be different — to stand out — to take the road less traveled by. In fact, it was essential.
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. I was told Elton John was the musical guest on SNL and I decided to go.
I needed to go backstage and confront him. When I met him, the first thing out of his mouth was, "Forgive Me" and the wall between us fell down.
Forgiveness is a powerful tool. Within minutes. We were hugging.
Then he told me had written a song for me and he wanted to collaborate. It was like everything came full circle!!
And you can tell everybody, This is Your Song… [heart emojis]"
A few minutes later, Elton John re-shared Madonna's post announcing that the two pop music juggernauts had made amends. John wrote via Instagram story:
"A healing moment, Madonna [heart emoji]."
The Instagram story was also audio-tagged with "Your Song," which Madge referenced in her Instagram caption.
Elton John shares Madonna's Instagram post announcing that the two singers have "buried the hatchet."
Instagram (@eltonjohn)
How long did the feud between Madonna and Elton John last?
Elton John and Madonna's feud lasted an estimated 23 years considering its official starting point and this new social media post shared in 2025.
Even though both artists made a few attempts to "bury the hatchet" over the years, their feud never really went away, as evidenced by this new post declaring that they've now declared that the feud is over… officially!
When and why did Madonna and Elton John fight?
Madonna and Elton John's public feud started on November 2002 after the Queen of Pop released a new theme song for the 007 film Die Another Day — which was named "Die Another Day" after the movie itself. As reported by CBS News, John dragged the song during interviews with the UK press, calling it "the worst Bond tune ever."
While John did acknowledge in those interviews that he was "a big fan" of Madonna's work (in a since-deleted story from Sky News), he also heavily criticized "Die Another Day," saying:
"It hasn't got a tune. James Bond themes are usually very camp and this one's different. (…) They should have gone for somebody like Lulu and Shirley Bassey, or maybe I'm in that league?"
Despite winning Oscars and Grammys for his work on "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from Disney's The Lion King, John never actually released a 007 song of his own, which Madonna fans speculated as the root cause behind his negative comments of "Die Another Day."
What did Elton John say about Madonna at the 2004 Q Awards?
Two years later, John took a second to drag Madonna's nomination in the "Best Live Act" category at the 2004 Q Awards while accepting his own "Songwriter Award" at the ceremony.
"Since when has lip syncing been live?" John asked while delivering his acceptance speech. "Anyone who lip syncs in public on stage when you pay 75 pounds to see them should be shot."
John concluded, "That's me off her Christmas card list, but do I give a toss? No."
Nonetheless, it is not crystal clear that Elton John and Madonna have reached a peace treaty… and are even teasing a possible collaboration between them!
This pop music resolution wasn't on anyone's bingo card for 2025, but fans couldn't be happier about this fabulous update.
Is the world healing? Well, the pop music world is! How wonderful life is… now you're in each other's worlds.
Recommended Stories for You
Did 'The White Lotus' waste Lisa's acting debut?