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In a surprising turn of events, pop music titans Madonna and Sir Elton John have officially reconciled after a contentious public feud that spanned nearly two decades. The reconciliation occurred backstage at Saturday Night Live this weekend, where Sir Elton performed songs from his new album alongside Brandi Carlile.
Madonna, 66, took to Instagram Monday to announce the truce, writing, "We Finally Buried the Hatchet!!!" The "Material Girl" singer revealed she deliberately sought out Sir Elton backstage after his performance. "I needed to go backstage and confront him," she wrote. "When I met him, the first thing out of his mouth was 'Forgive Me' and the wall between us fell down."
Their dispute originated at the 2004 Q Awards when Sir Elton, now 78, publicly criticized Madonna's performances. "Since when has lip syncing been live?" he questioned, adding, "Anyone who lip syncs in public on stage when you pay £75 to see them should be shot." Madonna's team promptly denied the accusations, stating she did not "spend her time trashing other artists."
The animosity continued for years afterward. In 2012, before the Golden Globe Awards, Sir Elton claimed Madonna "didn't stand a f—ing chance" of winning Best Original Song. When she triumphed with "Masterpiece" from her film "W.E." over his "Hello Hello," cameras captured his visible displeasure during her acceptance speech.
According to CNN, Madonna acknowledged the emotional impact of their strained relationship: "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." She also revealed her long-standing admiration for the "Rocket Man" singer, noting, "Seeing him perform when I was in high school changed the course of my life."
Sir Elton responded positively to Madonna's reconciliation post, commenting: "Thank you for forgiving me and my big mouth." He praised her "groundbreaking work" as an artist and her HIV/AIDS advocacy since the 1980s. His heartfelt response emphasized unity in divisive times: "I'm increasingly distressed by all the divisiveness in our world at the moment."
The unexpected détente hints at potential creative collaboration between the music legends. "He told me [he] had written a song for me and he wanted to collaborate," Madonna revealed in her post, suggesting their newfound friendship might extend beyond personal reconciliation into professional partnership.
