Hollywood feud for the ages: Why did Elizabeth Taylor and Debbie Reynolds hate each other?
Over the years, there have been a number of truly bizarre and intense feuds that just don’t make sense, such as the tense relationship between Elizabeth Taylor and Debbie Reynolds, who famously hated each other.
Naturally, there have been many infamous Hollywood feuds throughout the years, with actors like Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep allegedly coming to blows during the heated production of Kramer Vs Kramer or the strained relationship between Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy that nearly destroyed the Mad Max franchise. While it isn’t something we should enjoy, the general movie-going public has always found entertainment through clashes between the stars, following the disagreements and on-set arguments as closely as the plot of these films. But there’s a suggestion that the feud between Taylor and Reynolds is perhaps the starting point.
Both Taylor and Reynolds are Hollywood icons, known for being true stars through performances in Cleopatra, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Singin’ in the Rain, becoming synonymous with the golden era of filmmaking and the glittery productions that exude joy and passion in every frame. However, while both women were initially friends, they found themselves pushed apart and driven against each other in a fashion that feels reflective of a dramatic film plot, whipping the media up into a frenzy as their feud became the centre of the limelight.
The actors had had similar beginnings to their career, starting out in the business at a young age with Taylor forming a contract with MGM as a teenager and Reynolds later joining the studio at the age of 17. Naturally, with the two of them working on the same lot, the pair became friends, with Reynolds saying, “We went to school together on the lot, when she was in between films. I was just a beginner, and she and I were not in any manner alike, but we got along very well because I was in awe of going to school with Elizabeth Taylor. And if anyone said they weren’t, then they were lying. Or blind.”
Reynolds later moved abroad during the Korean War to perform for the troops and met another artist, Eddie Fisher with the couple fell in love and had a child together called Carrie. Around the same time, Taylor married film producer Mike Todd for the third time, and Reynolds and Fisher were invited to the ceremony to celebrate their union. However, in a tragic turn of events, Todd was killed in a plane crash, with Carrie Fisher later revealing that her father helped Taylor through this difficult period in her life. But alas, this then led to a scandal, and an affair began between Taylor and Fisher, with Fisher later divorcing Reynolds and marrying Taylor.
There is nothing more scandalous than celebrity romance, especially if broken hearts are involved, and Fisher’s family later discussed the intense scrutiny their father faced from the press and how detrimental this was to their family as a whole.
In Todd Fisher’s 2018 memoir, he detailed this turbulent period in his father’s life, writing, “Eddie was declared a philandering, opportunistic loser, and Elizabeth was labelled a bad-girl, home-wrecking slut. Debbie, the good girl, the innocent, unsuspecting victim, and single mom, was globally embraced with love and sympathy.” While it was imaginably painful and extremely difficult, Reynolds continued working and tried her best to ignore the chaos provoked by the media as her former friend and ex-husband began a new life together.
Surprisingly, Reynolds and Fisher’s friendship was later resurrected. The pair randomly found themselves on the same cruise in 1966 and reconciled their connection. Their newfound friendship remained strong until Taylor’s death in 2011, showing that their bond was ultimately stronger than any feud.
