Family Feud: 5 Famous Sibling Rivalries
Little is known yet about what caused the alleged fight between Jay Z and Solange Knowles, his wife Beyonce's sister, at the Met Gala this year. While no one is quite sure whether Solange has it in for her big sis or the bad blood is reserved for her bro-in-law, one thing is clear: No one feuds quite like family. Here are five other famous familial fights that have kept the celebrity rumor mill buzzing.
Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine
These two sisters win the record for longest silent treatment ever with a feud that started in the early 1940s and lasted for over a half century. The issue started when they were both nominated for an Academy Award and little sister (and newcomer to Hollywood) Joan walked away with the Oscar. Olivia won hers five years later, but the damage was done. It wasn’t until Joan’s death in December of 2013 that the hatchet was finally buried for good.
Eppie and Pauline Lederer
If those two names don’t ring a bell, it might be because you know them better as identical twins Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren. Eppie took over the Ann Landers column in 1955. As her success rose, her twin sister attempted to duplicate it with a competing column, “Dear Abby.” The rivalry intensified as the sisters competed with dueling columns. When their feud became the subject of gossip, the sisters were forced to reconcile – or at least, make us think they did.
Eric and Julia Roberts
Despite a 10-year age difference, Julia and her brother were once quite close – Julia even lived with her big brother after moving out of her parents’ house. But after Eric started having issues with drug and alcohol abuse and split with Kelly Cunningham, his longtime girlfriend, Julia sided with Kelly and helped fund her legal defense to gain custody of their daughter. Fortunately, the pair seems to have worked out their differences and now speak kindly about each other in the media.
Ashlee and Jessica Simpson
Nowadays it’s hard to find a photo of these celeb sisters without smiles, but there was a time when rivalry threatened their happy relationship. Ashlee came into the music scene four years after her older sister and penned “Shadow,” a song that hinted at years of feeling jealousy and neglect as her sister rose to fame. Since then, though, the shared experiences of coping with tabloid slams and navigating celebrity motherhood appear to have brought the sisters back together again.
Serena and Venus Williams
These two tennis stars can quite literally be referred to as rivals. While they’ve faced off on the court on multiple occasions (amidst rumors that one or the other had received family pressure to lose matches on purpose), they’ve both been ranked the World #1 champion at some point in their careers – and when they’re not facing off, they almost always watch each other’s games.
Liam and Noel Gallagher
Brothers and former Oasis bandmates Liam and Noel Gallagher’s feud attracted plenty of media attention in 1994. After Liam altered the lyrics of one of Noel’s songs, a brawl ensued and the band’s split quickly followed. Though Liam eventually dropped a lawsuit against his brother for causing the breakup, the brothers still keep their distance.