14 Celebrity Sibling Rivalries That Need Mom As a Referee
We can all agree that only children are weird, but that’s probably preferable to sharing a dinner table with someone in Oasis.
I’m Sorry, Mr. Jackson
Michael Jackson’s older brother Jermaine attempted to spin off a solo career, which included the diss track “Word to the Badd!!”, probably about Michael. When the Jackson 5 left Motown for Epic Records, they left Jermaine in the dust and replaced him with younger brother Randy. He got him back though — Jermaine quietly dated and then loudly married Randy’s wife.
Madonna and Her Brother Had Kind of a Billie Eilish/Finneas Thing Going on for a While
Madonna’s brother, Christopher Ciccone, was a critical part of her early success, serving as everything from her stylist to her artistic director. But his 2008 memoir, Life With My Sister Madonna, caused a six-year rift where they didn’t speak.
A Lifelong Feud Culminated in Oscar Competition
Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine competed over roles, love interests and of course their mother’s attention for their entire lives. They were both up for Best Actress at the 1942 Oscars (Joan won). After Olivia failed to notify Joan of their mother’s death in 1975, they never spoke again.
The Harbowl
John and Jim Harbaugh had a historic brotherly showdown in the 2013 Super Bowl (John won). Unfortunately, it sounds like they get along just fine, with John calling Jim “the best coach in football right now.” Them’s not exactly fightin’ words.
Shirley MacLaine Is a Bit Much, But Warren Beatty’s Kids Are Into It
Beatty has gotten so sick of hearing about woo-woo past-lives spirituality from his sister, MacLaine, that the two have endured long periods of estrangement over the years. They’ve made up in their old age — MacLaine says, “We are fine now. I think we’ve been through a couple of lifetimes together,” which must have been infuriating to hear — largely because “his kids are very interested in what I’m saying.”
The Six Glorious Years When the Jonas Brothers Were Broken Up
Kevin, Joe and Nick broke up in 2013 due to the usual “creative differences,” with a side of a “deep rift within the band.” Sadly, since 2019 they’ve been recording and touring again.
Adidas vs. Puma Is a Wartime Brother vs Brother Story (Only Dumber)
The Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory was founded in 1924 by Adolph and Rudolf Dassler, but wouldn’t survive World War II. When Adolph joined Rudolf’s family in a bomb shelter one night, he greeted them with a grumpy “Here are the bloody bastards again.” He was referring to the Allies, but Rudolf was sure he was talking shit about his family. They got into a fight and split off into two different companies.
‘You Have to Be King, Nanny Nanny Poo-Poo’
Prince William and Prince Harry have always had a strained relationship, largely stemming from the vastly different lives they’ve led despite being just two years apart in age. When he was six, Harry teased William that, “You’ll be King, I won’t; so I can do what I want!”
The Andrews Sisters Communicated Only Via Song
The famous trio behind “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” hated each other, despite (or because of) their four-decade career together. Things got so tense that at some point they stopped speaking to each other off stage.
Richard Attenborough Dunks on His Brother David
Richard and David have found extreme success in vastly different fields, and Richard likes to remind David who drew the short stick. He published an article called “How I Ended Up Signing Women’s breasts While Brother David Tickled Gorillas’ Chests,” in which he describes a documentary shot of his brother “in a cave, practically up to his knees in bat shit, while talking to camera as if attending a vicar’s tea party.”
The Baldwins Somehow Get Worse
For decades, Alec Baldwin was Hollywood’s go-to liberal loudmouth (which is what made his turn as conservative businessman Jack Donaghy such a surprise). We’ve all had quite enough of this guy by now, but somehow, Stephen Baldwin is even worse: He’s reportedly an anti-abortion zealot and an early Trump supporter. Stephen decided Alec’s tepid Trump impression “went too far,” and the two reportedly haven’t talked since the 2016 election.
One Osbourne Made It Safely Out of the Nest
There’s an older Osbourne sister who has refused to join the decades-long media circus. Aimee Osbourne said The Osbournes “didn’t really line up with what I saw my future as,” and Kelly has said, “We don’t talk. We’re just really different. She doesn’t understand me, and I don’t understand her.”
Julia Roberts Took Her Brother’s Ex’s Side
Julia and Eric Roberts had a close relationship growing up, but when Eric was going through a custody battle with his ex-wife, Julia took her ex-sister-in-law’s side and paid for her legal fees. Julia and Eric have since reconciled, with Eric conceding that “I was exhausting to be around: complain-y, blamey, unable to enjoy enjoyment.” That seems like an understatement, since Julia was in fact trying to protect her niece from her brother’s struggles with alcohol and drug addiction.
‘Mommmm, Liam’s Hung Over!’
Oasis had to pull out of the 2009 V Festival when Liam came down with laryngitis, and that became a sticking point between the bros for years. Noel famously hijacked the band’s website to announce “with some sadness and great relief” that he’d quit the band. He publicly accused Liam of canceling the 2009 gig because he was hungover, leading Liam to take him to court for defamation in 2011.
