Boy George Speaks Out On George Michael: Their Friendship & Rivalry [VIDEO]

Boy George and George Michael have a striking number of things in common, and that aren’t related to their names. Both rose to fame in the Eighties: Boy George as a singer in Culture Club, and George Michael as a member of the pop duo Wham! Both came out as gay to the public during their musical careers. Both chose to switch to solo careers towards the end of the decade. The two also performed together as part of Band Aid’s 1984 Christmas charity single.

When George Michael died suddenly on Christmas Day of 2016, there was an overflow of grief, and Boy George tweeted, “I am thinking of George Michael’s family, friends and fans right now. He was so loved and I hope he knew it because the sadness today is beyond words. Devastating. What a beautiful voice he had and his music will live on as a testament to his talent. I can’t believe he is gone. I hope the Buddha will hold him in his arms.”

Now, a month later after the death, Boy George reveals that it wasn’t just love and friendship between the two singers — there was a touch of rivalry too.

“I think in the early days, we were in a bit of competition with each other,” Boy George said. “Both called George, both made soul music, so in the early days, we were really in competition. Then, later on, I started to really appreciate who he was as a musician. Round about Faith, I started to appreciate his talent.”

When the interviewer Andy Cohen asked Boy George if he ever had a feud with Michael, George admitted they did — sort of.

“It wasn’t really a feud. In the ’80s, everyone, me, Pete Burns, we used to all be really bitchy about each other,” Boy George said. “It was like the thing you did in the ’80s… Now it’s the Housewives that do it.”

There have been rumors that the feud originated from Michael’s reluctance to pubic come out. Boy George, however, insisted that he and the late George reached a place of peace and understanding in the later years.

Watch the interview below: