Sylvester Stallone, who turned 80 on July 6, 2026, has had a decades-long feud with fellow actor Richard Gere, not Arnold Schwarzenegger, as many might assume. The rivalry began with a physical altercation on the set of the 1974 film The Lords of Flatbush and resurfaced in 2019 when Elton John described a dinner party where both actors vied for Princess Diana's attention.
The Fistfight That Started It All
According to a Reddit post citing a book excerpt by Quentin Tarantino, Stallone forced Gere to leave the production of The Lords of Flatbush after a fistfight. The post read: "Sylvester Stallone beat up Richard Gere on the set of Lords of Flatbush in 1974 before either were famous. Sly’s the best."
Stallone later confirmed the tension in a 2006 interview with Ain't It Cool News. "We never hit it off," he said. "He would strut around in his oversized motorcycle jacket like he was the baddest knight at the round table."
The fight erupted during an improv session. "One day, during an improv, he grabbed me and got a little carried away," Stallone recalled. "I told him in a gentle fashion to lighten up, but he was completely in character and impossible to deal with."
The Hot Dog Incident
The breaking point came during a lunch break in Coney Island. Stallone was eating a hot dog in the back of a Toyota when Gere entered with mustard-covered chicken. "He proceeds to bite into the chicken and a small, greasy river of mustard lands on my thigh," Stallone explained. "I elbowed him in the side of the head and basically pushed him out of the car."
Word spread quickly, leading to Gere's departure from the film. His role was recast with Perry King. "To this day, [he] seriously dislikes me," Stallone told MTV in 2006. "He even thinks I’m the individual responsible for the gerbil rumour. Not true, but that’s the rumour."
Rivalry Over Princess Diana
The feud reemerged in 2019 when Elton John published his autobiography, detailing a dinner party he hosted with Stallone, Gere, and Princess Diana shortly after her separation from Prince Charles. John wrote: "Straight away, Richard Gere and Diana seemed very taken with each other."
John observed Stallone's displeasure. "Judging by the kind of looks he kept shooting them, Diana and Richard Gere's newly blossoming friendship was not going down well with Sylvester Stallone at all. I think he may have turned up to the party with the express intention of picking Diana up, only to find his plans for the evening ruined."
During dinner, both actors disappeared. John's partner, David Furnish, found them in the corridor preparing to "settle their differences over Diana by having a fistfight." After the meal, Diana and Gere returned to the fireplace, and Stallone "stormed off home," snapping: "I never would have come if I'd known Prince f****n' Charming was gonna be here. If I'd wanted her, I would've taken her!"
Stallone vs. Schwarzenegger: A Playful Rivalry
In contrast, Stallone's rivalry with Arnold Schwarzenegger was more playful. The two competed and traded insults throughout the 1980s and 1990s but eventually mended fences, starring together in films like the Escape Plan franchise.
