Matty Healy is not impressed with what Azealia Banks has to say about one of his friends.
In December 2024, The 1975 frontman found himself defending Charli XCX after Banks criticized her appearance.
“Charli used to be soooo pretty. Ugh,” the rapper wrote via X on December 3 alongside a clip of Charli XCX’s “Break the Rules” music video. “Boaaa, I swear them Weho gays be having the girls questioning themselves meanwhile they all scraping k off a cookie sheet, eating cold bossanova and sharing panties. Tuh.”
Although Banks describes her X page as “rantings of a lunatic” in her profile, the warning didn’t stop Healy from speaking out against her words. (Charli is also engaged to Healy’s bandmate, George Daniel.)
Celebrity feuds are so captivating that there’s even an award-winning Ryan Murphy anthology TV series devoted to the topic. While some A-list beefs seem inevitable — Nicki Minaj vs. Cardi B, for example, or Jef Holm vs. Arie Luyendyk Jr. — others seem to come out of nowhere. Freddie Prinze Jr., for instance, spoke ill […]
What came next, however, was an unexpected beef that included deactivated accounts and even a cease and desist notice.
Keep reading to keep track of Healy and Banks’ very public disagreement:
How Did Matty Healy and Azealia Banks’ Feud Begin?
George Daniel, Matty Healy, Charli XCX, Ross MacDonald and Adam Hann David M. Benett/Getty Images
After Banks criticized Charli’s appearance, Healy decided to address her comments directly online.
“Azealia you seem to have a blind spot when it comes to your ‘reads’. All the women you attack seem to be culturally relevant, attractive, divisive and NICE people,” the 1975 frontman wrote via X on December 3. “I think this makes you jealous cos you’re so talented but everything else about you is a failure. Just rap bro.”
In response, Banks said her initial comments weren’t even a read. “I’ve known Charli since she was 16 and always thought she was absolutely gorgeous, but there’s a stark contrast between this and this,” Banks retorted via X alongside two pics comparing the Brat artist’s looks from 2014 to 2024.
The conversation got more heated when Banks wrote that Healy’s fiancée, Gabbriette Bechtel, looks “like Frankenstein” — which led Healy to respond.
“I’ll f—ing slap you so hard I’ll get a Guinness world record for the highest a rat some b—h calls a wig has ever flown,” Healy wrote at the time in a since-deleted tweet, per multiple outlets.
Did Matty Healy Apologize to Azealia Banks?
Azealia Banks Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
On December 5, the rocker expressed regret for his actions online.
“I just feel dreadful about how I acted violent — I think Azealia and all obvious flawed people all deep down have a heart and I hate that I have contributed to her mental fragility,” he wrote via Reddit. “She’s a human. … Tbh at this point I feel gross even having said anything negative ever about anything — if it’s contributed to this culture. I’m not here saying this cos I feel bullied and scared. I’m embarrassed man. And I’m sad.”
Banks, for her part, was not impressed with Healy’s Reddit apology.
“The point of it all …. that really makes it a non apology… was Matt Healy apologizing for himself publicly, and not having enough respect to apologize to ME just as publicly,” she wrote via X. “Clearly you can understand how this situation is bring[ing] up LOADS of PTSD, and still set up to disregard any modicum of basic respect that I deserve.”
Healy has since deactivated his account.
Charli XCX thinks of Matty Healy as a brother, and as anyone with siblings can tell you, that means their relationship is filled with love and, at times, frustration. Healy’s band, The 1975, is set to appear on the Brat remix album, a star-studded take on Charli XCX’s 2024 album whose moniker and aesthetic have […]
How Is Azealia Banks Making Her Drama With Matty Healy a Legal Matter?
On December 8, Banks shared a copy of a cease and desist notice allegedly sent to Healy by her legal team. In the letter, she demanded a public apology from The 1975 singer as well as a request for a $1 million settlement.
“Your attacks against my client’s professional reputation, your overt racial epithets and your most recent threats of physical violence against my client have been well-documented since you published them worldwide online,” Banks’ attorney, Wallace J. Collins III, wrote in the letter. “Your removal of the damaging attack posts and your acknowledgment that your reaction was inappropriate does not undo the damage, but rather constitutes evidence of an admission of guilt by you.”
Collins said he had drafted a summons and complaint per Banks’ request, but that “I have usually found it beneficial for all parties to try to resolve such matters amicably without the need for court intervention.” Us Weekly has reached out to Healy’s team for comment.
