Older Famous People Are Either 100% Supportive Or 100% Unsupportive Of Stars On The Rise, And The Dynamics Are Eye-Opening
Recently, a tweet of Lady Gaga showing love for younger musicians like Lil Nas X, SZA, and V from BTS at the Grammys went viral.
It sparked a conversation about how famous people treat each other, but more importantly, how older celebrities treat younger celebrities who are on the rise to stardom.
So, here are some examples of older celebrities uplifting *and* mistreating younger celebrities (to illustrate both sides of generational culture).
Warning: This post contains topics of verbal abuse, physical violence, and sexual harassment. Please proceed with caution.
1.Courtney Love and Olivia Rodrigo
How Courtney Love mistreated Olivia Rodrigo: When Rodrigo shared a photo for her 2021 concert film Sour Prom, Love claimed that she stole the concept from her 1994 album with Hole, Live Through This. Love posted a photo on Instagram (that's since been deleted) comparing the two images, with a caption that read: "Spot the difference! #twinning!"
Rodrigo responded to Love's Instagram post, commenting: "love u and live through this sooooo much."
Love then took to Facebook and wrote: "I've informed [Olivia Rodrigo] I await her flowers and note. I sure hope it's long. Does Disney teach kids reading and writing? God knows — let's see. Yes, this is rude. Rage inducing? Honey, if I had a dollar for every time this happens, I'd be real rich!"
2.Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo
How Taylor Swift uplifted Olivia Rodrigo: Swift sent Rodrigo a ring similar to one of her own after the success of "drivers license," celebrating the rise of a new and groundbreaking pop artist. Swift has also given Rodrigo public praise for her 2021 success, commenting "I say that's my baby and I'm really proud" on her Instagram posts.
3.Madonna and Lady Gaga
How Madonna mistreated Lady Gaga: When Gaga released "Born This Way" in 2011, Madonna accused her of copying her 1989 hit "Express Yourself." Madonna's been known for criticizing Gaga's music career, calling it "reductive" and claiming that Gaga "[makes a] statement about taking something that was in the Zeitgeist 20 years ago, and turning it inside out and reinterpreting it."
![Madonna saying Gaga is "reductive" in an interview; Gaga in "Gaga: Five Foot Two" saying: "I admired [Madonna] always, and I still admire her"](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/fymcVBSNnm.upmZpNeh19w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTE0Nzg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/buzzfeed_articles_778/532264c124fa8c16b45f771c09a619f2)
At the 2019 Oscars, Madonna and Lady Gaga embraced behind the scenes in a very loving photo. From an outsider's perspective it looks like they "made up," but we still don't know the true nature of their relationship.
4.Lady Gaga, Jon Batiste, and SZA
How Lady Gaga uplifted Jon Batiste and SZA: Backstage at the 2022 Grammys, Gaga congratulated Batiste for sweeping the awards with four wins, including Album of the Year. She thanked Batiste and SZA for their contributions to the music industry, and how their artistry makes her feel proud to be a musician.
5.Nicki Minaj and Cardi B
How Nicki Minaj mistreated Cardi B: In 2017, Minaj insulted up and comer Cardi B in her verse on "Swish Swish." Disrespecting Cardi B in Minaj's songs became a pattern, even in "MotorSport" (a song both artists were featured on later that year). Cardi refused to be filmed with Minaj in the music video unless she removed the original diss lyrics: "If Cardi B the QB, I'm Nick Lombardi." Minaj changed her verse, but they were never filmed in the same shot. Things came to a head at the Met Gala in 2018 when Cardi B allegedly threw a shoe at Minaj.
Cardi B then posted a video on her Instagram story detailing what actually happened at the Met Gala, calling out Minaj for lying (and all of the drama around "MotorSport").
Minaj's mistreatment of Cardi B feels a bit ironic, considering Lil' Kim criticized Minaj when she was rising to fame in the late 2000s. Lil' Kim released a diss track in 2011, titled "Black Friday" (a dig at Minaj's album Pink Friday) accusing Minaj of copying her fashion style, lyrics, and overall persona.
6.Denzel Washington and Michael B. Jordan
How Denzel Washington uplifted Michael B. Jordan: Washington is known for mentoring young POC in Hollywood, sometimes enjoying the process more than acting. Jordan fell under his wing when Washington directed him in the 2021 film, A Journal for Jordan: "He wants me to be the best version of myself," said Jordan. "He doesn’t want me to be another him."
In a 2018 interview with the New York Times, Washington said: "That’s why I’m still in the race, and I’m passing the baton. What a lot of people don’t know is when you pass the baton, you keep running behind the other runner — you don’t just stop. I’m like, 'Make the turn, bring it home!' I like helping people — I want to see them do well."
7.Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka
How Serena Williams uplifted Naomi Osaka: When the crowd at the US Open in 2018 booed Osaka for beating Williams, Williams wrapped her arm around the new tennis pro and used her platform to call out the crowd's toxic behavior.
8.Jimmy Kimmel and Billie Eilish
How Jimmy Kimmel mistreated Billie Eilish: In a 2019 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Eilish was quizzed on Kimmel's favorite celebrities from the '80s. Kimmel asked her if she knew musicians from his childhood, like Van Halen, Run-D.M.C., and Huey Lewis — when she said no, Kimmel responded in shock. He used the gen wars discourse and shamed Eilish for not knowing these famous people from the '80s (because, well, how could you NOT be 100% in tune with celeb culture from three decades ago?!).
People immediately went to Twitter to defend Eilish, including Eddie Van Halen's son, Wolf Van Halen. He tweeted: "If you haven’t heard of @billieeilish, go check her out. She’s cool. If you haven’t heard of @VanHalen, go check them out. They’re cool, too. Music is supposed to bring us together, not divide us. Listen to what you want and don’t shame others for not knowing what you like."
Eilish appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2021, and wasn't afraid to vocalize how Kimmel mistreated her in their 2019 interview — she then turned the tables, and quizzed Kimmel on Gen Z culture.
9.Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade
How Kobe Bryant uplifted Dwyane Wade: Growing up, Wade idolized Bryant's impressive basketball skills, hoping to play just like him one day. The two NBA stars were initially competitive when Wade was drafted in 2003 (seven years after Bryant), but down the line, Bryant mentored him. Wade recalled being nervous turning 34 years old in 2016, and his status as a basketball player — he revealed the sound advice Bryant gave him. "Just work your ass off," Bryant said. "Get your body physically ready for what it's about to endure, and push it. Push it to those limits now, so when it's time in the season, you're ready for it.'"
In a 2020 interview shortly after Bryant died, Wade reflected how his idol impacted him. He said: "After we got done doing three sets [of workouts], Kobe said: 'You're just like me.' From that moment on, I've had his respect — and for me, as a young kid coming into this league, [there] was one person that I wanted the respect from. [There] was one person I wanted to look at me as equal, look at me eye to eye — and it was Kobe Bryant."
10.Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett
How Lucille Ball uplifted Carol Burnett: Ball gave new comedienne Carol Burnett career advice backstage after seeing her in Once Upon a Mattress in 1959. Burnett's career ebbed and flowed in the beginning, and when she didn't have any job opportunities, Ball hired her as a guest star on The Lucy Show before she got her big break in 1967 with The Carol Burnett Show.
11.Howard Stern and Rihanna
How Howard Stern mistreated Rihanna: In 2012, Howard Stern insulted Rihanna on his show for refusing to answer a question about her personal life during a press conference. He criticized her appearance, dating life, and music career, saying cruel things like: "[Rihanna] gets this look on her face and she's like: 'How dare you bring up my personal life.' Who are you? You sing — you're lucky someone's at your press conference."
Stern has a long history of mistreating his celebrity guests (especially young women), crossing boundaries that make them feel uncomfortable. His language about Rihanna was offensive, and suggested that just because a woman is famous and in the public eye, it allows celebrities (aka older men) to ask them anything they want to.
12.Kanye West and Taylor Swift
How Kanye West mistreated Taylor Swift: When Swift won her first moonman at the 2009 VMAs, West interrupted her speech by saying: "Imma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time." Their relationship has been turbulent ever since — in his 2016 song "Famous," he rapped: "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex — why? I made that bitch famous." The music video was even more problematic, with West showing a naked Swift next to him in bed.
West had a phone conversation with Swift, and claimed that she approved the "I made that bitch famous" lyric (when in reality, she didn't). He failed to mention that he'd rap that second line in his song.
In a 2019 interview with Rolling Stone, Swift said: "When I heard ['Famous'], I was like: 'I'm done with this. If you want to be on bad terms, let's be on bad terms, but just be real about it.' Getting close to you, earning your trust, detonating you. I really don’t want to talk about it anymore because I get worked up, and I don’t want to just talk about negative shit all day."
13.And Whitney Houston and Brandy
How Whitney Houston uplifted Brandy: Houston surprised humongous fan Brandy during a rehearsal for the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in 1995. During their first meeting, Houston checked in on 16-year-old Brandy and asked how she was handling her newfound fame in the music industry. Two years later, Houston took Brandy under her wing when the iconic singers starred in Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella together.
Houston showed her support for Brandy well into the 2010s. The weekend Houston died in 2012, she "crashed" an interview with Brandy, Monica, and Clive Davis during Grammys weekend.
She passed a note to Brandy, and when asked about what the note said, Brandy revealed: "I'm going to just not say what it was, and just keep it to myself for my own personal reasons. Whitney meant everything to me — she's the reason that I sing."
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