John Lennon’s son Sean Ono breaks his silence on ‘feud’ with half-brother Julian
John Lennon‘s youngest son Sean Ono Lennon is speaking out in the face of rumors of a feud with his half-brother Julian Lennon that have circulated for decades.
The 49-year-old guitarist and singer — who is the late Beatle’s son with his second wife, 92-year-old Yoko Ono — has long been rumored on social media to be estranged from his older brother, who Lennon shared with his first wife, Cynthia Lennon.
But Sean — who recently delivered a bizarre rant about Disney’s latest live-action flop — cleared things up on Monday when he reposted a fan’s post about his relationship with his 62-year-old sibling, who is also a singer and songwriter.
‘Here, we do not accept comparisons and erroneous creations of fights about two people that john lennon loved the most: his children :),’ wrote a John Lennon fan account, which Sean reposted to his Instagram Stories, who added, ‘Peace and much love.’
The post featured a sweet black-and-white image of Julian, who was around 23 at the time, as he rested his hands on Sean’s shoulder affectionately at the 1986 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, where both joined in a celebration for the induction of Elvis Presley.
Sean, who would have been around 11 at the time the photo, has been dogged by rumors that he and Julian have been estranged for years, but much of it seems to be driven by social media users expressing distaste for one — or both — of his famous parents.
Earlier this month, a user on X (formerly Twitter) collected a sampling of TikTok videos in which users suggested a rift between Lennon’s lookalike sons because their father wrote the moving ballad Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) for Sean.
The song was featured on Lennon’s 1980 collaborative LP Double Fantasy, which alternated between songs written and performed by himself and Yoko.
It was released less than a month before Lennon was shot and killed outside his apartment building on December 8, 1980.
Many of the posters seemed to think that Lennon had abandoned his first son, with the tribute to Sean as evidence, but they ignore the fact that Lennon was reported to have written the 1968 Beatles song Good Night for Julian.
The song, which closed out the band’s double LP known as the White Album, was sung by Ringo Starr at Lennon’s request.
Other TikTok users have highlighted Julian’s past statements criticizing his stepmother as evidence of a family split.
One user posted an excerpt from a talk show appearance in which the singer said he had had to buy back family items that were auctioned off by Yoko, whom he witheringly referred to as ‘her highness.’
He noted that the two had a rocky relationship, as she was the executor of his father’s estate, so he feared any criticisms he made about the enforcement of Lennon’s will could result in him being cut out completely.