Madonna and Elton John end decades-long feud backstage at 'SNL': 'We finally buried the hatchet'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Madonna and Elton John have finally ended their decades-long feud.

Their long-awaited reconciliation happened backstage at 'Saturday Night Live', where John performed over the weekend.

Madonna and Elton John end their long-standing beef

Madonna shared the moment on Instagram, posting a photo of herself with John Elton.

“We Finally Buried the Hatchet!!!” wrote Madonna, 66, on Monday, April 7. “I went to see @eltonjohn perform on SNL this weekend!! WOW.”

Elton John appeared on the April 5 episode of 'Saturday Night Live' as the musical guest alongside Brandi Carlile.

Madonna also looked back on how much John influenced her growing up. “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,” she wrote.

“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,” added Madonna.

The tension lasted for years until the recent face-to-face meeting during Elton John's 'SNL' appearance.

“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,” Madonna wrote in her post.

“I was told Elton John was the musical guest on SNL and I decided to go. I needed to go backstage and confront him," she revealed.

She added, "When I met him, the first thing out of his mouth was, ‘Forgive Me’ and the wall between us fell down."

Madonna revealed how quickly things turned around once they spoke. “Forgiveness is a powerful tool. Within minutes. We were hugging. Then he told me had written a song for me and he wanted to collaborate. It was like everything came full circle!! And you can tell everybody, This is Your Song……….💙🩵🩶🤍.”

Madonna and Elton John's feud began in 2022 

Their public feud began in 2002 when Elton John criticized Madonna’s James Bond theme 'Die Another Day' calling it “the worst [James] Bond tune ever."

John told the UK’s Sky News, “It hasn’t got a tune. James Bond themes are usually very camp and this one’s different. They should have gone for somebody like Lulu and Shirley Bassey, or maybe I’m in that league?”

He continued, "I don’t think it’s the best Madonna record and I’m a big fan," he had said per US Weekly.

In 2004, at the Q Awards, John took another jab at Madonna, saying, “Since when has lip-synching been live?”

He added, “Sorry about that, but I think everyone who lip-synchs 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 f*****g Christmas card list, but do I give a toss? No.”

Elton John shows gratitude to Madonna for forgiving him

Elton John responded in the comments section of Madonna’s post, writing, “Thank you for coming to see me at SNL. And thank you for forgiving me and my 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," John added.

"You were also one of the very first people to rise up against HIV/AIDS in the 80’s, bringing love and compassion to so many who desperately needed it," the 'Rocket Man' singer continued. 

He added, “I’m grateful we can move forward. 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."

John concluded by saying, "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!! ❤️❤️🚀🚀.”