Fake feuds: successful women pitted against each other - From sports to Hollywood and even among royalty

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Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber -

The alleged feud between Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber began because of a fake narrative that the model "stole" her now-husband Justin Bieber from the pop superstar and actress. Since then it has contorted in the public view—even after Gomez already called for kindness from her fans. Things heated up online after speculation that Hailey and her friend Kylie Jenner were making fun of Gomez in a series of social media posts. A war of sorts began with people choosing sides on social media, even though neither woman played any part in it. 

But Gomez broke her silence on the matter and said, “Hailey Bieber reached out to me and let me know that she has been receiving death threats and such hateful negativity," she wrote on Instagram. "This isn’t what I stand for.  No one should have to experience hate or bullying. I’ve always advocated for kindness and really want this all to stop.”

Hailey then wrote on her Instagram, "I want to thank Selena for speaking out, as her and I have been discussing the last few weeks how to move past this ongoing narrative between her and I." She continued, "The last few weeks have been very hard for everyone involved and millions of people are seeing so much hate around this, which is extremely harmful," citing the divisiveness on social media. "Things can always be taken out of context or construed differently than they were intended. We all need to be more thoughtful about what we post and what we say, including myself. In the end, I believe love will always be bigger than hate and negativity, and there is always an opportunity to meet each other with more empathy and compassion." The two also followed each other on Instagram as a further show of peace. 

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Pink and Christina Aguilera -

Pink is extinguished the flames of an alleged feud with Christina Aguilera after she criticized the 2001 music video for 'Lady Marmalade.' During an interview with Buzzfeed UK, Pink had ranked the video in last place on a list of 12 of her most iconic music videos because, she said, "It wasn't very fun to make. I'm all about fun and it was like, a lot of fuss, and there were some personalities." She added, "Lil Kim and Mýa were nice," of their other 'Lady Marmalade' collaborators.  

Her comments quickly went viral as many believed she was "shading" Aguilera, but Pink quickly took to Twitter to shut the rumors down. "Y’all are nuts," said, referring to the shade she was being accused of throwing. "Xtina had s—t to do with who was on that song. If you don’t know by now- I’m not 'shading' someone by telling it over and over and over what actually happened." She continued, "I’m zero percent interested in your f—king drama. If you haven’t noticed- I’m a little busy selling," which she clarified to mean "tickets and albums and bake sales and s—." 

To really shut people up, Pink referred again to a kiss she and Aguilera once shared during a game of spin-the-bottle, "Also- I kissed xtinas mouth. I don’t need to kiss her a—." 

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Melissa Joan Hart and Lena Dunham -

Rumors started circulating that Melissa Joan Hart "has it out" for Lena Dunham, but the 'Sabrina the Teenage Witch' alum squashed them immediately on Instagram. Sharing a photo of a blind gossip item that claimed the actresses have "been frenemies for a long time (Lena's dad was friends with the creator of Clarissa Explains It All)," which also claimed their feud was due to Hart's "controversial (and chaotic)" views and "knack for alienating people in her life," Hart began her rebuttal.

"So I don't normally pay any attention to the tabloid rumor mill but numerous friends have asked me about my 'rivalry' with @lenadunham and I'm truly confused," she wrote in the caption. "We have no 'beef', and as far as I remember we haven't even had the pleasure of meeting let alone having enough of a relationship to warrant any time to discuss drag queens," referencing a part of the gossip that claimed the two had fought about child drag queens at a dinner party.

"Don't let them get you with flashy links as they pretend to give you hot gossip that doesn't exist," Hart continued. "I'm a fan of Lena's work and all that she does to support females in our industry and hope to share a latte someday. Please be careful not to get caught up in the hateful rhetoric of these sites that promote division and spew cr*p to make a profit."

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Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle -

As soon as Meghan Markle joined Kate Middleton as a new member of the royal family, the press started stoking a made-up rivalry between the two women. Whenever they wore an outfit that was remotely similar, magazines would be filled with "who wore it best" comparisons. Every facial expression was captured by tabloids and embellished with wild extrapolations about tensions between them.

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Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle -

A 2020 biography called 'Finding Freedom,' which had Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's collaboration, confirmed that Markle and Middleton didn't have the closest relationship. However, that's not the same as having a blood-boiling feud going on behind the scenes. Just because they weren't natural friends, the media portrayed them as natural enemies.

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Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle -

In Markle's explosive 2021 interview with Oprah, she referenced one single incident that occurred between the two on a particularly stressful day. Middleton allegedly snapped at Markle while under pressure, but apologized and sent her flowers afterward. Needless to say, Markle understands how intense the life of a royal can be, and how it can impact your mindset.

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Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera -

Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera both started out as child stars on the 'Mickey Mouse Club' and became teen pop sensations around the same time. They were both blonde, they both had powerful voices, and they were both huge stars.

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Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera -

The world was desperate to believe that the two were bitter rivals, fighting for their spot at the top. Aguilera had an incredible vocal range, but Spears always pulled more focus. Regardless of their similarities and differences, the two have always been supportive of each other. Yes, Spears and Aguilera have had issues on social media, with Spears calling Aguilera out for not speaking up during her conservatorship, and Spears making body-shaming comments about Aguilera's dancers, but the media conveniently leaves out the quick apologies the stars make to one another. 

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Pink, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera -

When Pink came along as a pop star with a different style, she was automatically labeled as "anti-Britney." She was the alternative, punk rock girl, so naturally, she was pitted against her more mainstream contemporaries. In a 2021 interview, Pink made it clear that those supposed rivalries were entirely fabricated, and that none of them wanted to be a part of it.

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Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan -

Figure skaters Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan were involved in one of the most infamous feuds of the 1990s. Kerrigan was the picture-perfect example of a figure skater: ladylike, delicate in her movements and presentation, and from an affluent background. Harding was comparatively disadvantaged and the press never let her forget it. In almost every video of her skating, the commentators mention how Harding is from “the wrong side of the tracks.”

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Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan -

There’s no doubt that Tonya Harding was tough and fiercely competitive, as all athletes must be to compete at that level, but the narrative of their rivalry skips over many details. Harding famously received a lifetime ban from skating in 1994 for allegedly organizing an attack on Nancy Kerrigan (Kerrigan was hit in the knee with a metal bar by a man associated with Harding’s ex-husband).

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Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan -

There’s evidence to suggest that Harding was in a physically and emotionally abusive relationship with her ex-husband, who seems to have been instrumental in the planned attack. It’s clear that the story isn’t as black and white as we may have believed back in the 1990s, when it was so easy to vilify Harding and sell papers about the ‘ultimate female feud.’

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Nina Dobrev and Nikki Reed - Nina Dobrev dated her 'Vampire Diaries' co-star Ian Somerhalder for several years before an amicable breakup in 2013. Somerhalder later began dating actress Nikki Reed and they got married in 2015. Dobrev left the show around the same time. Rumors flew that Reed was actually a close friend who had gone behind her back to start dating her ex, and that she left the show because of their marriage.

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Nina Dobrev and Nikki Reed -

In reality, the two women hadn't really known each other well and there was never bad blood between them. Dobrev maintained a good friendship with her ex and became friends with his new wife, too. Reed addressed the years of baseless rumors in a long Instagram post, ending with a sentiment we can all get behind: “Here's to putting an end to all those fake stories of on set jealousy, betrayal, made-up-friendships lost & women hating women."

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Kim Kardashian and Julia Fox -

Kim Kardashian's announced plans to divorce Kanye West, now known as Ye, was one of the biggest celebrity news stories of 2021. When Ye started dating Julia Fox at the end of the year, tabloids jumped to compare the two women simply because of their connection to the same man. 'Inside sources' spoke of rivalries and jealousy.

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Kim Kardashian and Julia Fox -

Julia Fox spoke out about it in a podcast interview: "Women are always just being pitted against each other and obviously there's 10 years of history that they have prior. I'm not going to — I don't want to ever step out of line and speak on something that I have no place speaking on." Even as the whirlwind romance ended, Fox said she continued to like Kim Kardashian's social media posts, as she had always done.

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Beyoncé and Shakira -

Both Beyoncé and Shakira are inimitable queens of pop. They are each multi-talented megastars with their own unique style. They made the ultimate collab with the 2006 song 'Beautiful Liar,' but there were reports that they had filmed their parts of the music video separately because there was tension between them.

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Beyoncé and Shakira -

Beyoncé was quick to squash the unfounded rumors. She told Latina magazine that they had a great time working on the song together and learning from each other, and that there was "no negativity or competitive energy, just love and respect."

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Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts -

Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts co-starred in the 1998 movie 'Stepmom.' They play the ex-wife and the new fiancée who absolutely loathe each other. No doubt rumors of a real-life beef between the two actresses made for a great story at the time.

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Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts -

Both actresses denied the claims and said they had a great relationship. True to form, Sarandon declared, ”If you make a movie with a male star, everyone assumes you’re f—ing. If it’s a female star, everyone assumes you’re fighting.” Almost two decades later, it was revealed that Sarandon's publicist had started the rumors of their feud.

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Jennifer Lopez and Mariah Carey -

Hostility between Jennifer Lopez and Mariah Carey was rumored to have begun as far back as 2002. Over the past two decades, minor comments from both women have been blown out of proportion to support the narrative of their "legendary feud." The two women are the same age and dropped their first singles the same year. Apart from that, they don't seem to have any connection.

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Jennifer Lopez and Mariah Carey -

Most of the comments they have made suggest that they simply don't know each other and aren't involved in each other's lives or careers. They may not collaborate or have a relationship, but that doesn't make a bloody rivalry.

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Lady Gaga and Madonna -

Lady Gaga is often compared to Madonna as an avant-garde female pop star who doesn't follow the script. They have supposedly been involved in a feud since the release of Lady Gaga's 2011 song 'Born This Way,' which many said sounded similar to Madonna's 'Express Yourself.' Madonna went on to describe the song as reductive in an interview later that year.

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Lady Gaga and Madonna -

However, when asked about their supposed feud, both women said the only issue they've ever had is about that one song. Madonna thinks Lady Gaga was inspired by her, Lady Gaga says she wasn't. Apart from that, they both say that they greatly respect and admire each other and don't see themselves as being in competition.

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Jessica Chastain and Jennifer Lawrence -

Jessica Chastain and Jennifer Lawrence were both up for the Oscar for Best Actress in 2013, but it went home with Jennifer Lawrence. That fact was enough for many to assume that Jessica Chastain was harboring a grudge against her fellow actress.

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Jessica Chastain and Jennifer Lawrence -

Chastain spoke out in support of Lawrence and condemned those who wanted to pit them against each other. "They were trying to get headlines and get clicks, were trying to fabricate a fake rivalry between Jennifer Lawrence and myself and I immediately came out and said this is a media myth that has to stop," she said. Chastain reiterated that she wanted to see other women succeed.

Sources: (E!) (MTV) (Refinery29) (TheThings)

See also: The women who changed Hollywood forever

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