Madonna, Elton John end ‘decades’ long beef, ‘buried the hatchet’

Peace, glitter, and forgiveness have finally found their spotlight—because Madonna and Elton John just squashed one of music’s most famous feuds in true showbiz style, backstage at Saturday Night Live, no less.

In a surprise moment that fans probably never thought they'd see, the Queen of Pop and the Rocketman himself posed for a smiling selfie behind the scenes of the long-running sketch show, where Elton was performing with Brandi Carlile as the musical guest. 

Madonna posted the snap to her Instagram, and let’s just say… it came with a story worthy of its own biopic.

“We Finally Buried the Hatchet!!!” Madonna wrote. 

“I went to see Elton John perform on ‘SNL’ this weekend!! WOW. I remembered when I was in high school I snuck out of the house one night to see Elton perform live in Detroit. It was an unforgettable performance that helped me understand the transformative power of music. Seeing him perform when I was in high school changed the course of my life. 

I had always felt like an outsider growing up and watching him on stage helped me to understand that it was OK to be different, to stand out, to take the road less traveled by. In fact, it was essential.”

Of course, their backstage reunion wasn’t just about fangirling. Madonna candidly addressed the long-standing friction between them—something that clearly stung over the years.

“Over the decades it hurt me to know that someone I admired so much shared his dislike of me publicly as an artist,” she added. 

“I didn’t understand it. I was told Elton John was the musical guest on ‘SNL’ and I decided to go. I needed to go backstage and confront him. When I met him, the first thing out of his mouth was, ‘Forgive me,’ and the wall between us fell down. Forgiveness is a powerful tool. Within minutes we were hugging.”

Brandi Carlile, witnessing this reunion of pop royalty, summed it up best in the comments, “Whatever happens to this country the gays won today folks.”

The Madonna-Elton clash has been simmering since 2004, when Elton famously went off-script (and off-filter) during the Q Awards. 

“Madonna, best live act? F--k off,” he said onstage. 

“Since when has lip-syncing been live? Sorry about that, but I think everyone who lip-syncs on stage in public when you pay like 75 quid to see them should be shot. Thank you very much. That’s me off her Christmas card list, but do I give a toss? No.”

But hey—turns out time, perspective, and maybe a little Saturday night magic can heal even the fiercest of musical rivalries.