Madonna and Elton John Settle Longstanding Feud After Encounter at ‘SNL’

A decades-long musical rivalry has finally reached its harmonious conclusion as pop icons Madonna and Elton John have officially reconciled.

The unexpected peace treaty was established backstage at Saturday Night Live, where John appeared as a musical guest alongside Brandi Carlile to promote their collaborative album Who Believes In Angels?

Madonna announced the reconciliation through her Instagram account on Monday, sharing a heartwarming photograph of the two music legends embracing. “Finally Buried the Hatchet!!!” the “Material Girl” singer declared in her post, describing how she made the deliberate decision to attend the NBC sketch comedy show specifically to confront John about their prolonged discord. Madonna explained that when they finally met face-to-face backstage, “the first thing out of his mouth was, ‘Forgive Me’ and the wall between us fell down.”

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The conflict between these musical powerhouses dates back to 2002 when John publicly criticized Madonna’s James Bond theme “Die Another Day,” dismissing it as “the worst Bond tune ever.” His public disapproval continued into 2004 at the Q Awards, where he questioned her nomination for Best Live Act by suggesting that lip-syncing performers “should be shot.” The verbal sparring intensified over the years, with John once referring to Madonna as a “fairground stripper” and “miserable cow.”

In her reconciliatory post, Madonna reflected on how John’s artistry had significantly influenced her own musical journey. She recalled sneaking out of her Michigan home during high school to attend his Detroit concert—an experience she described as life-changing. “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,” she wrote, expressing her confusion and hurt when someone she so deeply admired later publicly criticized her work.

According to Biography, John’s 2019 memoir offered additional context for his animosity, suggesting that Madonna’s comments about Lady Gaga—the godmother to John’s children—had fueled his displeasure. John took issue with Madonna’s suggestion that Gaga’s “Born This Way” had borrowed heavily from her own “Express Yourself,” interpreting it as an established artist unnecessarily disparaging a younger performer. Signs of thawing relations appeared last year when John praised Madonna’s AIDS advocacy work, particularly appreciating her tribute performances honoring victims, including Freddie Mercury.

The reconciliation appears to have opened creative doors as well. Madonna claimed John revealed he’d already composed a song specifically for her and expressed interest in collaboration—a development she described as “everything [coming] full circle.” John echoed the sentiment of healing by sharing Madonna’s post on his own Instagram story, adding the caption, “A healing moment.”

With John recently releasing his collaborative album with Carlile and Madonna reportedly working on Confessions 2, a sequel to her 2005 dance album, fans might soon witness the long-anticipated musical partnership between two of pop music’s most influential voices.