Elon Musk vs Mark Zuckerberg, and 13 Other Celebrity Brawls

Will Smith and Chris Rock

The Slap heard ‘round the world. Less than an hour before winning an Academy Award for Best Actor, Will Smith walked on stage during the May 2022 ceremony and slapped presenter Chris Rock in response to a joke the comedian made about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. The incident generated worldwide attention and resulted in a 10-year ban from Academy events, and Rock made jokes about the incident in a Netflix comedy special one year later.

Prince William and Prince Harry

Prince Harry dropped several bombshells with his 2023 memoir Spare, from his drug use to the loss of his virginity, but one passage that drew particular attention was his claim that his brother, Prince William, assaulted him during an argument about Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle. “He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor,” Harry wrote, adding that William “looked regretful” and apologized to him afterward.

Andy Dick and Jon Lovitz

Despite starring on the comedy series NewsRadio together, there was no love lost between comedians Jon Lovitz and Andy Dick. Lovitz had publicly blamed Dick for the 1998 death of Phil Hartman, claiming Dick providing drugs to Hartman’s wife drugs indirectly led her to commit the murder-suicide. In 2007, Dick reportedly told Lovitz, “I put the Phil Hartman hex on you—you're the next to die,” leading Lovitz to smash his back and head into a bar.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Shia LaBeouf and Tom Hardy

Shia LaBeouf has been involved in several barfights over the years, but he’s also been accused of tussling with his co-stars in the past. Tom Hardy claimed while filming the crime drama Lawless (2012), Hardy got into a dust-up, and LaBeouf knocked him out with one punch. “He’s a bad, bad boy … He’s a scary dude,” Hardy said. LaBeouf himself said media reports about the fight were “a bunch of b–lshit,” and that the two actors were just playfully wrestling.

Bette Davis and Joan Crawford

Arguably the most legendary feud in Hollywood history, Bette Davis and Joan Crawford despised each other for decades when they were both cast in the film What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, in which Davis’s character imprisons and assaults Crawford’s. Crawford requested a body double for scenes in which Davis beat her character, not trusting Davis not to really hurt her, and urban legend has it Davis actually kicked Crawford in the head during one scene.

Bill Murray and Lucy Liu

Lucy Liu starred as one of the titular angels in the 2000 film Charlie’s Angels, along with Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore, with Bill Murray providing comic relief as their assistant. There were few laughs behind the scenes, however, with Murray reportedly insulting Liu and her acting abilities so harshly that she threw a few punches at him. “I stood up for myself, and I don’t regret it,” Liu later said. Murray did not return for the 2003 sequel.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Kim and Kourtney Kardashian

The Kardashian sisters provided an endless source of drama during their long-running reality series Keeping Up With the Kardashians, but it reached another level during the 18th season premiere in 2020, when Kim and Kourtney had an argument about work ethic and time commitments. The two got into an on-camera fight, and Kim slapped Kourtney so hard that she literally knocked her bronzer makeup off her face.

Justin Bieber and Orlando Bloom

In what The Guardian described as “history’s most pathetic celebrity scuffle,” pop megastar Justin Bieber and actor Orlando Bloom were caught on camera tussling with each other in an Ibiza restaurant in 2014. The fight allegedly began when Bieber made some crude remarks about Bloom’s ex-wife, prompting Bloom to throw a punch at Bieber. Others restaurant patrons reportedly applauded after Bieber was forced to leave.

Richard Pryor and Harvey Keitel

Released in 1978, the crime drama film Blue Collar starred Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel, and Yaphet Kotto as auto workers who get so fed up with management and union brass that they decide to rob the union headquarters. The three actors got along horribly during filming, with Pryor reportedly punching Keitel at one point. But the worst moment of filming came when Pryor allegedly pulled a gun on director Paul Schrader for wanting to film too many takes.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Kid Rock and Tommy Lee

While backstage at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, musician Tommy Lee pulled his ex-wife Pamela Anderson onto his lap, according to her memoir. That didn’t sit well with Anderson’s then-husband Kid Rock, who got into a brawl with Lee. Rock claimed Lee had long antagonized the couple and said of the fight, “I did what any man would do.” Lee said he was minding his own business when Rock punched him, though he called it “more like a b–ch slap.”

Usher and Chris Brown

Though singers Usher and Chris Brown are long-time friends, the two got into a brawl at a Las Vegas roller rink in May 2023. Brown attempted to talk to singer Teyana Taylor and allegedly became angry when she ignored him, prompting Usher to intervene, leading to a fight that left both musicians with bloody noses.

Jaime Foxx and LL Cool J

The behind-the-scenes drama of the Oliver Stone football movie Any Given Sunday (1999) proved just as intense as the film’s sports scenes. Things got a bit heated between Jaime Foxx and LL Cool J during their scenes on the football field, with LL Cool J reportedly getting so annoyed with Foxx’s constant remarks that the rapper punched him in the face. Foxx suffered cuts to his lip and tongue, which required 16 stitches.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Isaiah Washington and Patrick Dempsey

Isaiah Washington was famously fired from the hit medical drama series Grey’s Anatomy as the result of a shoving match between him and co-star Patrick Dempsey during filming in 2006. As the two actors quarreled, Washington reportedly used a homophobic slur to describe co-star T.R. Knight, who was not involved in the fight. Washington later said he did not mean it as a slur, joking: “I love gay. I wanted to be gay. Please let me be gay.”

Colin McEvoy joined the Biography.com staff in 2023, and before that had spent 16 years as a journalist, writer, and communications professional. He is the author of two true crime books: Love Me or Else and Fatal Jealousy. He is also an avid film buff, reader, and lover of great stories.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o7XOoKmaqJiue6S7zGianqSVl7%2BqwMieqmifZGmAcYKVamponZyku2651KyiZqWRp7huxtScop6qkpq%2FqHnCnqOemqKewbp5xaKeoayj