Gwyneth Paltrow-Angelina Jolie’s Feud: How Did It Start With Paltrow’s Controversial Statement?

Gwyneth Paltrow’s 2014 comment sparked backlash and tension with Angelina Jolie, leading to long-running feud rumors between the two stars.

Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie may not have had a public falling-out, but there has been noticeable tension between the two actresses, and it appears to trace back to a single controversial comment made by Paltrow in 2014.

That year, Paltrow sparked backlash after claiming in an E! Online interview that being an actress was “much harder” than a traditional 9-to-5 job, especially while raising kids.

She explained,

I think it’s different when you have an office job, because it’s routine and, you know, you can do all the stuff in the morning and then you come home in the evening.

When you’re shooting a movie, they’re like, ‘We need you to go to Wisconsin for two weeks,’ and then you work 14 hours a day and that part of it is very difficult.

I think to have a regular job and be a mom is not as, of course there are challenges, but it’s not like being on set.

She further added,

It’s much harder for me.

I feel like I set it up in a way that makes it difficult because … for me, like if I miss a school run, they are like, ‘Where were you?’ I don’t like to be the lead so I don’t [have] to work every day, you know, I have little things that I like and obviously I want it to be good and challenging and interesting and be with good people and that kind of thing.

Her comment, understandably so, sparked immediate backlash.

Among those who publicly disagreed with Paltrow’s view was Angelina Jolie.

While Jolie never directly mentioned Paltrow by name, she shared her own take in an interview shortly afterward, making a clear point that she understood her privileged position and did not compare herself to parents working multiple jobs.

Since then, fans have been side-eyeing the two stars for signs of tension.

While they haven’t gone full Hollywood feud (yet), that moment definitely lit the spark for what many see as a quiet, slow-burning rivalry.

How Angelina Jolie Shut Gwyneth Paltrow Down

Angelina Jolie, long known for her humanitarian works and grounded public persona, did not let Gwyneth Paltrow’s 2014 comments slide without offering her two cents on the matter.

Angelina Jolie in a still from Maria | Credits: Netflix.

While Jolie didn’t call Paltrow out by name, her response was widely interpreted as a direct rebuttal.

In an interview shortly after the controversy, Jolie told The New York Daily News,

I’m not a single mom with two jobs trying to get by every day, I have much more support than most people, most women in this world.

And I have the financial means to have a home and health care and food.

When I feel I’m doing too much, I do less, if I can.

And that’s why I’m in a rare position where I don’t have to do job after job.

She openly acknowledged the privilege she holds compared to most working women.

She made it clear that she is not a single mother struggling with multiple jobs to make ends meet, a reality many women face daily.

She further added,

I can take time when my family needs it.

I actually feel that women in my position, when we have all at our disposal to help us, shouldn’t complain.

Consider all the people who really struggle and don’t have the financial means, don’t have the support, and many people are single raising children.

That’s hard.

Jolie’s response resonated with both the media and the public.

And one can say it sort of helped mold how both actresses were viewed moving forward.

Paltrow, already associated with her high-end lifestyle brand Goop, since the have faced criticism multiple times for appearing disconnected from the real world.

Jolie, on the other hand, has been seen as more real and down-to-earth.

How Gwyneth Paltrow’s Comment Sparked One of Her Biggest Controversies

What Gwyneth Paltrow perhaps underestimated in 2014 was how deeply her comments would affect the general public.

Working mothers across the internet immediately took issue personally and voiced their opinions.

Gwyneth Paltrow in Se7en | Credits: New Line Cinema.

Blogs, social media, and even major publications criticized Paltrow’s perceived lack of awareness.

One of the most viral responses came in the form of an open letter published in the New York Post, and it scathingly detailed the daily struggles one has to go through to put food on the table.

Mackenzie Dawson wrote,

Thank God I don’t make millions filming one movie per year’ is what I say to myself pretty much every morning as I wait on a windy Metro-North platform, about to begin my 45-minute commute into the city.

Whenever things get rough, all I have to do is keep reminding myself of that fact.

It is my mantra

But the backlash wasn’t just public, it also came from within the industry.

They pointed out that many work the same grueling hours, often with far less support and pay.

Many noted that Paltrow’s statement ignored the realities of blue-collar jobs in Hollywood the people who show up hours before actors and leave hours after (via TIME).

Although no direct feud between the two stars followed since then, the moment fueled speculation of tension between them.

Was Jolie’s classy clapback a dig? What do you think? Drop your thoughts below!