Madonna and Elton John have officially buried the hatchet after more than 20 years of public feuding. Their heartfelt reunion took place backstage at Saturday Night Live this past weekend. The moment, shared by Madonna on Instagram, marks a significant healing between two of the most influential figures in contemporary music.
The reconciliation occurred on April 5, 2025, during Elton John’s appearance as the musical guest on SNL, where he performed alongside Brandi Carlile. Madonna, now 66, made a deliberate decision to attend the show after learning of John’s participation, driven by a desire to address their long-standing rift. What could have been a tense confrontation quickly turned into a poignant moment of forgiveness and understanding.
In an emotional Instagram post, Madonna recounted the encounter, writing,
“I was told Elton John was the musical guest on SNL and I decided to go. I needed to go backstage and confront him.”
However, the meeting took an unexpected turn when John, 78, immediately apologized.
“The first thing out of his mouth was, ‘Forgive Me’ and the wall between us fell down,”
Madonna shared.
Within moments, the two were embracing, a powerful testament to the healing power of forgiveness.
The reunion was captured in a photo posted on Madonna’s Instagram, showing the two legends posing together backstage with Elton’s classic hit “Your Song” playing softly in the background. Fans and followers flooded the post with support, celebrating the end of a decades-long conflict.
The feud between Madonna and Elton John first erupted in 2002 when John criticized Madonna’s James Bond theme “Die Another Day,” calling it “the worst Bond tune ever” and dismissing its lack of melody. The tension escalated in 2004 at the Q Awards, where John, while accepting the Q Classic Songwriting Award, took a sharp jab at Madonna’s live performances, questioning,
“Since when has lip-synching been live?”
His remarks, which included a sarcastic comment about her exclusion from his Christmas card list, drew widespread attention and deepened the rift.
Over the years, the feud flared up repeatedly. John reportedly called Madonna a “miserable cow” after she declined to perform at his bachelor party before his wedding to David Furnish. In 2012, Furnish expressed skepticism about Madonna’s Golden Globe win for Best Original Song, further fueling the animosity.
Despite their public clashes, Madonna’s post revealed a deep admiration for John that dated back to her youth. She recalled sneaking out of her house as a high schooler in Detroit to see him perform, an experience she credited with shaping her understanding of music’s transformative power.
“Seeing him perform when I was in high school changed the course of my life, It helped me understand that it was OK to be different—to stand out.”
she wrote.
This revelation added a layer of poignancy to their reconciliation, suggesting their conflict was particularly painful for Madonna because she respected John’s artistry.
“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 admitted.
In the comments section of Madonna’s post, Elton John responded with a heartfelt apology.
“Thank you for coming to see me at SNL. And thank you for forgiving me and my big mouth,”
he wrote.
He expressed regret for his past statements, acknowledging Madonna’s groundbreaking contributions to music and her early advocacy against HIV/AIDS in the 1980s—a cause close to John’s heart through his Elton John AIDS Foundation.
Looking forward, John emphasized unity in a divided world:
“I’m increasingly distressed by all the divisiveness in our world at the moment. Both you and I have wholeheartedly been accepted and embraced by communities who are under threat around the world. By pulling together, I’m hopeful that we can make great things happen for those who really need support. And have a lot of fun doing it!!”
The reconciliation has sparked excitement among fans with the possibility of a future collaboration. Madonna revealed that John had written a song for her and expressed interest in working together, calling it a chance to bring their journey “full circle.” Brandi Carlile, who performed with John on SNL, added a lighthearted comment to Madonna’s post:
“Whatever happens to this country the gays won today folks,”
celebrating the significance of the moment for their many LGBTQ+ fans.
The reunion of Madonna and Elton John is a powerful example of forgiveness in an era marked by division. As John noted in a repost on his own social media, this truly is “a moment of healing” for the two artists and their millions of fans worldwide.
By moving past their grievances, they’ve opened the door to new creative possibilities and reminded us of the human capacity for growth and reconciliation.
As the music world watches eagerly, the hope is that this newfound harmony will inspire new music and a legacy of compassion and collaboration from two of pop culture’s most enduring figures.
