Julian Lennon clarifies alleged feud with brother Sean is "such bull"

19 December 2023, 16:44 | Updated: 15 January 2024, 12:53

Despite many believing there to be resentment between John Lennon&squot;s sons, Julian Lennon said rumours of a feud between him and half-brother Sean Lennon are "such bull." — Despite many believing there to be resentment between John Lennon's sons, Julian Lennon said rumours of a feud between him and half-brother Sean Lennon are "such bull.". Picture: Getty

By Thomas Curtis-Horsfall

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Being the sons of John Lennon must come with as many pros as it does cons.

Of course, there's the luxury of life being The Beatles' superstar's offspring. But that comes with the weight of the band's legacy, and the expectation of such a legacy.

Coupled with the fact that Julian Lennon and Sean Lennon lost their father at such a young age, you could understand why the pair's lives might be anything but normal.

The half-siblings also may've had a fractured relationship over the years, given the nature of Julian's upbringing.

Born to John and Cynthia in 1963, Julian was left with just his mother to raise him effectively after John eventually moved on with Yoko Ono.

You could understand why his relationship with Sean - who was born in 1975 and who John dedicated his life to in order to become a better father - may have caused some resentment between the two.

In a new interview with Esquire however, Julian has moved to dissolve any misconceptions about the Lennon brothers, saying rumours of their so-called feuds are "such bull".

Julian and Sean together in 2019. (Photo by Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images). Picture: Getty

John Lennon's eldest son discussed attending the premiere of Peter Jackson's Get Back documentary with his younger brother in 2021, with Sean initially having reservations about going.

"He felt overwhelming pressure. And I didn’t particularly want to go," Julian said. "But he said he felt obligated to go, so because I love him so much I said, 'Listen, I’m coming with you. We'll face the demons together.'"

"And it’s funny because there's always been, especially in the UK press, 'Lennon Sons Feuding,' this, that. We've never had a fight in our life. It's such bull."

Though there hasn't been the level of resentment between the pair that fans of The Beatles might expect, he acknowledged that it's not always been plain sailing, mainly because of his father's legacy.

"I posted lots of happy pictures of us [Sean and me] doing nothing but smiling, laughing and acting like idiots," he said.

"This was important for me and for the peace and for family, because there has been friction, no question, in the past between everybody."

"But we're all getting a bit older, and as we get older we lose people and we realise now what's most precious in life."

Julian has remained close to Sean throughout their lives, especially after their father was murdered. (Photo by Lynn Goldsmith/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images). Picture: Getty

Julian's sentiment about letting sleeping dogs lie extends to his father's former bandmates in Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, as well as the band's offspring.

"The love for Sean, and the love for Yoko, and Stella [McCartney], and Paul, and Mary [McCartney], and Dhani [Harrison] and Zak [Starkey] — it's a big old, weird family," Lennon added. "But as they say, families are always a bit screwed up."

Family reunions have been on the tip of everyone's tongue when it comes to Beatles fans in recent months, with a reported project in the works between Julian and Sean.

Though Ringo's son Zak Starkey - former drummer for The Who and Oasis - shutdown talk of a Beatles' children off-shoot in a hilarious way.

Responding to the question, he joked: "If we had spent three years sleeping on flea-infested mattresses in the back room of a Hamburg club it might have chemistry."

"But we have been swaddled in silken robes in houses so big that it's too far to go and make a piece of toast - seen?"