EXCLUSIVE: Inside Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger's Decades-Long Rivalry — Rolling Stones Rocker Always Thought Beatles Singer's Songs Were 'Cheesy'
Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger have had an on-again, off-again rivalry.
June 17 2026, Updated 2:37 p.m. ET
The Beatles and the Rolling Stones were founded months apart in the early 1960s in the U.K. and Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger's rivalry has spanned decades since – but their alleged feud has seemingly been reignited over the past few years with a few pointed jabs, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Tensions were sparked in 2020 after McCartney, 83, told Howard Stern that The Beatles were "better," going so far as to suggest that the Stones even followed in their footsteps throughout their rise to fame.
Paul McCartney Claims The Beatles Were the 'Better Band'
Paul McCartney claimed The Beatles were the 'better' band.
"We went to America and had huge success, then the Stones went to America," McCartney said at the time. "We did ‘Sergeant Pepper’ and the Stones did a psychedelic album. There was a lot of that."
"They are rooted in the blues. When they are writing stuff, it has to do with the blues. We had a little more influences," he continued carefully. "There’s a lot of differences, and I love the Stones, but I’m with you. The Beatles were better."
Mick Jagger Reveals Harsh 'Difference' Between The Stones and The Beatles
Mick Jagger pointed out the Rolling Stones still play stadium gigs.
Shortly after, Jagger, 82, hit back at McCartney's claims that the Beatles were the better band.
"The Rolling Stones [are] a big concert band in other decades and other eras, when the Beatles never even did an arena tour, Madison Square Garden with a decent sound system. [The Stones] started doing stadium gigs in the '70s and [are] still doing them now," he said during a 2023 appearance on Zane Lowe's Apple Music show.
"That's the real big difference between these two bands," added the Rolling Stones frontman. "One band is unbelievably, luckily still playing in stadiums, and then the other band doesn't exist."
Mick Jagger's Friendship With John Lennon
Mick Jagger was once friends with John Lennon.
Despite their rumored tensions over the years, things between Jagger and McCartney reportedly calmed down after the 82-year-old became pals with John Lennon.
"Mick was respectful towards John, but he always thought Paul was a cheesy songwriter who lacked the genius of his partner!" a source told Radar.
But that doesn't mean that Ever Present Past singer won't keep getting his jabs in.
"Don’t put it past Paul to go after the wrinkly rocker’s endless pursuit of young honeys — with Mick picking on the Beatle’s bad marriage to Heather Mills," the source noted. "Things are going to get a lot uglier!"
'An Element of Truth'
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Mick Jagger spoke out on the rumored tensions between the Rolling Stones and The Beatles.
Earlier this month, Jagger opened up on the supposed longstanding feud between the bands and how much of it was just for the cameras or the papers.
"I think there was an element of truth in it," Jagger shared with Willie Geist during a Sunday, June 14, sit-down on the Today show. "But I think there was an element of PR in it, too. But it was also London [versus] Liverpool, so it's a bit like L.A. [and] New York. Obviously, that was a good talking point for press to get on."
