After more than twenty years of public feuding, Madonna and Elton John have finally made amends.
Their long-standing conflict began in 2002 when Elton criticized Madonna’s James Bond theme song, “Die Another Day.” He later accused her of lip-syncing during live performances and expressed shock at her award nominations.
Despite Elton John’s previous apologies, it was not until Madonna took to Instagram on Monday night that the two music icons revealed they had reconciled. The turning point came after Elton’s recent performance with Brandi Carlile on Saturday Night Live, bringing an end to their decades-long feud.
“We Finally Buried the Hatchet!!! I went to see @eltonjohn perform on SNL this weekend!! WOW,” she captioned a photo of herself and Elton backstage. “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. I was told Elton John was the musical guest on SNL and I decided to go.”
Madonna went on to describe how she asked Elton for forgiveness as soon as she saw him and immediately felt the “wall between us” crumble.
“Forgiveness is a powerful tool. Within minutes. We were hugging,” the 66-year-old continued. “Then he told me had written a song for me and he wanted to collaborate. It was like everything came full circle!!”
In response, Elton thanked Madonna for coming to the SNL set in New York City and forgiving him and his “big mouth”.
“I’m not proud of what I said. Particularly when I think about all the groundbreaking work you have done as an artist – paving the way for an entire generation of female artists to succeed and be true to themselves,” the musician declared, before praising the Material Girl singer for drawing attention to the HIV/AIDS crisis in the ’80s. “I’m grateful we can move forward.”
To conclude, Elton John expressed his hope that his reunion with Madonna will lead to future collaborations, particularly regarding their support for the LGBTQ community.
“I’m increasingly distressed by all the divisiveness in our world at the moment,” the 78-year-old mused. “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!!”
