EXCLUSIVE: The Secrets Nancy Reagan Took To The Grave — From The Grudges She Held to The Bitter Feuds With Presidents and Fellow First Ladies Including Barbara Bush
The former First Lady was in a bitter battle with Barbara Bush.
March 10 2025, Published 2:35 p.m. ET
The secrets Nancy Reagan took to her grave have been revealed.
The former First Lady held onto grudges and had bitter feuds with presidents and their wives over the years, including Barbara Bush, RadarOnline.com can report.
On March 6, 2016, the former First Lady passed away at 94 years old.
On March 6, 2016, the former First Lady passed away at 94 years old.
After her death, a source revealed at the time: "Nancy's in the arms of the love of her life."
Despite passing away "at peace" – the former First Lady took a handful of grudges and secrets to her grave.
The insider added: "She secretly forgave some of those who offended her — but she died still bearing a grudge over others."
One of the many people Nancy feuded with was her husband Ronald Reagan's first wife, actress Jane Wyman, whom he divorced after eight years of marriage in 1948.
According to sources, Wyman previously claimed before her death in 2007 that Ronald loved her more than Nancy.
That didn't sit well with Nancy, and according to an insider, "Nancy hated Jane so much that she went so far as to burn the love letters Ronnie had kept from Jane over the years. She hated any mention of Jane — and was hurt deeply by Jane’s claims."
Ronald's first wife wasn't the only former lover Nancy had an issue with.
Ronald's first wife wasn't the only former lover Nancy had an issue with — she also had beef with Doris Day.
An insider explained: "Ron and Doris began an intense romance after he divorced Jane Wyman — and Ronnie was on the verge of proposing to Doris when her agent Marty Melcher swooped in and popped the question.
"Ronnie was crestfallen, but that didn’t stop Doris and him from maintaining a mutual-admiration society for many years afterwards, and they even co-starred in several films. They also communicated behind Nancy’s back for years— which Nancy knew.
"She was always very jealous of Doris. She went to her grave still seething over Doris and the special hold she had on Ron."
But Nancy didn't only have an issue with her husband's past lovers – she also feuded with author Kitty Kelley, who made bombshell claims about the former First Lady in a biography back in 1991.
In the book, Nancy was accused of having a White House affair with superstar Frank Sinatra and smoked marijuana.
According to the insider, the former First Lady ripped the book for publishing "lies" about her and "called the book trash."
The source added: "She never got over the book – and died still smarting over Kitty’s betrayal."
The First Lady ripped a 1991 book claiming it was all 'lies.'
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Nancy also had issues with her husband's vice president and his wife, George and Barbara Bush.
According to insiders, Barbara told close pals she felt like Nancy treated her and her husband like "hired help."
But within time, Nancy was able to mend that feud with Barbara.
Another issue Nancy was able to fix before passing away was with her own daughter, Patti, 63, who made shocking allegations about her mother and her "pill use" in a book – despite not talking for years before it was published.
The mother-daughter duo "reconciled" after the book because Nancy couldn't keep a grudge against her own child before her death.
