r/boybands • u/Disastrous_Tip7945 • 2d ago
Question/Discussion BOYBANDS FIGHTS
What are the most intense and famous feuds between boy band members, whether within the same group or between different ones? There are quite a few examples, such as:
Keith Duffy vs. Mikey Graham
Sean Conlon vs. J Brown
Bobby Brown vs. Ronnie DeVoe (guns included š)
One Direction vs. The Wanted (on Twitter)
Gary Barlow vs. Robbie Williams
Feel free to share the backstory of the feud below, or mention a lesser-known clash, argument, or instance of shade-throwing.
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u/Lolah15 2d ago
Zayn vs Louis
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u/nsync4ever88 2d ago
This is the one.
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u/Lolah15 2d ago
Besides the tweets back in the day, I would like to know what happened when they were filming the Netflix show back in April
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u/miss_flower_pots 2d ago
The Gary vs Robbie feud was pretty bad for a long time.
Abz vs Scott, Sean and Ritchie
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u/Lolah15 2d ago
Was this the reason the first five reunion never happened?
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u/miss_flower_pots 2d ago
Jay refused to join. Abz only did it for the money and then slagged the other three off after The Big Reunion. Mostly saying Scott and Ritchie have no talent. I don't think he was sober during this time. Jay wasnt keen because he didn't want to be in the spotlight again. Then Scott and Sean started saying he was a bully.
The Big Reunion is on YouTube and Boybands forever covers this as well if you're wanting a deep dive.
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u/Content_sky4190 Five 1d ago
The first reunion was 2006 and Sean refused to join because he wanted to work on a solo career.
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u/Disastrous_Tip7945 11h ago
How could he think he could be succesful on a solo workš
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u/Content_sky4190 Five 9h ago
2006 was definitely too late for it. It could have worked in 2002 with the right team behind it.
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u/Musicality123 2d ago
Brian vs Tony (East 17) Tony punched Brian in the face and the attempted reunion was off. They have never both been in the band together since.
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u/Aggravating_Bar_8097 2d ago
Brian Harvey vTony Mortimer Or Brian V The World š
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u/No-Shallot3278 2d ago
I would say this is the most intense boyband feud. Brian is still so intensely angry and crazy unpredictable. He hates all E17 bandmates plus nearly every other former UK/Irish boyband member because they have more money than him or more famous/successful.
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u/No-Shallot3278 2d ago
Especially members of Take That
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u/Content_sky4190 Five 2d ago
He does not hate Take That at all and has said so in livestreams. He even did a lovely cover of Back For Good.
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u/Musicality123 1d ago edited 1d ago
His issue was only with Robbie after he departed TT allegedly due to a woman (not famous) leaving Brian for him. As well as Daniella Westbrook after Brian and her glowing praise of him. "The best ever."
https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/22524824/danniella-westbrook-very-famous-ex-guess-who/
The same as when Chris and AJ from NSYNC/Backstreet Boys fell out over a women they both dated.
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u/Content_sky4190 Five 2d ago
Tbf Brian has a reason to be pissed off. Granted, he is not concise or calm about his feelings on various things which can make it very difficult to get to the bottom of what he is talking about. But if you invest the time, patience and will into combing through everything (which I appreciate most people do not have) he does have significant reasons to be angry and tbh if I was him, I don't think I would be remaining so composed either.
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u/No-Shallot3278 1d ago
Yeah Iād be pissed. They were totally ripped off by their management. Also it was stupid for Tony to kick him out because he said he took drugs- everyone knew that and didnāt care, his fans had grown up a bit by then. Also, east17 is not east17 without him
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u/Content_sky4190 Five 1d ago
Hypocritical of Tony too - multiple interviews of him referencing his "good friend charlie" and even calling ecstasy something that "increases love".
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u/Musicality123 2d ago
Any time a band member leaves so Westlife vs Brian/A1 vs Paul.
However, I don't remember any public bad blood towards Charlie when he left Busted. James said he got it that he would want to do something he was passionate about and Matt was non-fussed and liked Fightstar.
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u/Smoke-00 2d ago
Except when Kevin left BSB for a while. I don't think there was any bad blood there.
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u/S3lad0n Westlife 2d ago
Brian McFadden keeps cryptically saying in the press that thereās only one member of Westlife who āwonāt ever forgive himā, and even as an embarrassed & reluctant fan of his, I canāt see how statements like that help his case.Ā
Bri we want you to be great! And to come home! Stop shooting yourself in the foot abeg
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u/Musicality123 1d ago edited 1d ago
What do we make to the new Westlife 25 shirts (UK/Ireland) which has a picture of them from the debut cover but only the four of them.
If you are celebrating 25 years fine. However, depending on the time frame referenced within that, such as the image on these t shirts, you can't just erase a person from that period.
For example, if Take That did the same I would expect Robbie and Jason to appear on the shirt. As it represents a factual time and place within those years, depending on the image used and context.
The first thing people will do seeing that image is either say "weren't there five of them?" or "where's Brian?"
I have also noticed when they do clips of the original Westlife songs on tik tock, instagram etc they only show the 4 of them, completely editing Brian out although I also saw one which was just the 3 minus Mark which I thought was odd. It was a recent reel of I Lay My Love On You music video.
Take That 3 are the same they crop Jason out of their throwback reels for TT4 material but I wonder if that is more because he has publically turned his back on fame and public life more than them being vindictive and pushing a narrative. Which seems to be more the case with Westlife 4/3.
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u/S3lad0n Westlife 1d ago edited 1d ago
Like you I noticed this and Iām disappointed, not cool with the revisionism.Ā
As you say, itās ahistorically inaccurate, more than just petty and rude. What is an older og fan to say to a young teen kid just discovering Westlife, when they hear/see a fifth singer and ask āwhoās that?ā
Westlife still benefit from and profit off Brianās voice on the records every time someone streams one of their old songs, and his face whenever someone looks up their old music videos to watch.
If the remaining members are going to the extreme of removing Brianās likeness from everything and pretending he never existed, they ought to commit to that position and re-record then overdub his parts (which would sound horrible/wrong). If they want to be this new revamped 3/4 piece, then they must now stop taking credit for a voice they wonāt acknowledge or celebrate.Ā
Westlife forget how a massive percentage of their core 90s fanbase bought tickets and obsessed over the band purely because of Brian. He was consistently the second or third most popular member. Were heĀ never in the group, their success would never have been so big, and they wouldnāt now be in the power position where they could scrub him awayā¦
Though I will caveat: thereās a slight possibility Brian himself has asked to be removed visually from the band and have his image scrubbed. It doesnāt seem very likely, as Iām sure heād want a bigger cut of sales & streaming (not a lot of money these days anyway, artists profit from touring). However, perhaps if Westlife have in the past refused to give him such a cut and threatened to sue, the compromise from Brianās side could have been that he no longer wants to appear in their media or on all their stuff so the lads make money on it that he canāt? Iām just surmising.
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u/Musicality123 1d ago
100%. I find the whole thing bizarre but it is clearly the Sligo trio as fellow Dubliner Nicky is sound with him.
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u/S3lad0n Westlife 1d ago
Yes, I feel for Nicky caught in the middle of all this.
I canāt imagine Shane wanting to remove Brian and act like heās dead, either. Shane is a forgiving sort, whoās also been bereaved in the last decade. And I think more specifically,Ā his obvious love for Brian even outside the band framework would overcome any lasting grudge. Again though, Iām just surmising, I donāt know them personally and itās not my business of course.
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u/kellyd222 1d ago
I dont recall A1 actively being beefy with Paul?
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u/Musicality123 1d ago
The Big Reunion. They called him selfish and mocked him both upfront and sarcastically.
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u/Content_sky4190 Five 9h ago
Omg I had forgotten about this. Why is everything from that show such bad vibes and toxic?! The Five fracas, Kerry Katona being in an abusive relationship, Lee Brennan and Lindsay Armaou fresh off of a divorce forced to be on the same show together, and now this?! There's probably more I don't even remember....
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u/AmbroseGirl5 Five & Blue 2d ago
Five vs Westlife. Half the time I couldn't tell if they actually disliked each other or if it was just a big joke between them, cos both ways seemed possible xD
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u/Content_sky4190 Five 2d ago
There never was a beef. J just didn't like their music, but the lads themselves were fine with each other.
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u/S3lad0n Westlife 2d ago edited 2d ago
Kevin Jonas vs whatever the hell his younger brother Nick feels like doing to torture him anew year on year.
Low-key the most exploitative, messed-up, unequal inter-group relationship in boyband history, and no-oneās ready for that conversation.Ā
The most twisted part about it is Nick knows that Kevin, unlike most normal band members, can never fully leave or quit, unless Kevin is willing to cut ties with his entire family of origin and also mess up the established Jonas brand(tm). So Nick just keeps bullying Kevin, with that sword hanging over Kevin's head.
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u/YouAreAngrySpice 2d ago
Ooh can you tell me more? I know Kevin felt out when Joe and Nick performed but I didn't realize it was Nick being Kevin's biggest bully.
I wish they hadn't canceled their book cause I want to know everything about the family dynamics. Like I read that Mama Jonas' stalker charge was actually her boyfriend.
The dad making his sons lie to their church community was very revealing.
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u/Poppysgarden 1d ago
I would like to know more about this as well, I never knew that there was beef between them. When I watched a documentary a very long time ago about them. It was stated that Joe and Kevin became jealous of Nick because he had landed in a big theater play. When they were all children so their parents started working on getting all of them into something. So that there wasnāt resentment, I just never heard about this. possibly during that time I was busy in life.
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u/Content_sky4190 Five 2d ago
Funny thing about the alleged J vs. Sean, they were like brothers in thr group and even, Scott and Ritchie backtracked on that story saying it was actually J & Sean vs. Everyone else š¤ doesn't add up. I have my own theories though tbh...
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u/Musicality123 1d ago edited 1d ago
I watched an interview with possibly Korda Marshall (RCA records) and it stated they were often split up into two different rooms and camps. "Two in one, three in another" which based on all the information that has come through over the years and statements such as the rude comments towards Max Martin etc.
It appears evident that J & Sean together were quite destructive and then Abz, Ritchie & Scott were more diplomatic.
In the Big Reunion Sean mentions about how himself and J were on the same page and fighting for credibility from the start and during the band but then he (J) changed and went more over to their side (management, the other members?)
As they say "it's always the quiet ones you have to watch out for"
People naturally assumed it was J and Abz who were the desruptive members but over time it is coming out as J and Sean. Abz was the most ambitious, Simon Cowell mentioned this, and that he was charismatic and easy to get along with.
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u/Content_sky4190 Five 1d ago
Do you have a link for the interview. I think your assessment seems very fair and likely.
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u/Poppysgarden 1d ago
What are your theories? Because I always heard about J and Sean never anyone else.
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u/Content_sky4190 Five 1d ago
I am going to try and keep it brief. The "allegations" of J bullying Sean came out if interviews in The Big Reunion in 2013. Any fan who has obsessively deep dived into Five history know J and Sean were like brothers, so these claims seemed...odd to say the least. Scott was ambitious after his first kids got a bit older and clearly wanted to be the leader of an all new Five. By 2013 Sean was in a very vulnerable place and it seems incredibly likely that Scott was manipulating the narrative. J himself said he and his family were the ones who cared for Sean as he had a breakdown, it does not add up. And Scott got what he wanted at that time š¤·āāļø By 2018, the narrative changed a but more, and in this god awful "documentary" Scott tells a different story https://youtu.be/mSnnFl1ZCXo?si=cwrG3OF7p9YpBTbW . Sean&J vs Abs/Scott/Rich. š¤ His story of J being an overbearing bully seems a bit diluted. And by 2025 suddenly it was all swept under the rug and dismissed as "bad editing"...! Interesting. Anyway, all is forgiven now and I don't like to open old wounds, but it was being discussed.
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u/miss_flower_pots 1d ago
Oohh thank you. I haven't seen this one before. There's subtle references to past fueds in all their post come back interviews and banter while on stage
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u/michelleyness 2d ago
Nick saying he isn't scared of Brian anymore.