Why are Róisín Murphy and Boy George beefing? X back-and-forth explored

The British-Irish singer Róisín Murphy and the '80s pop legend Boy George have become embroiled in a heated online exchange on X after Róisín Murphy accused the singer of humiliating her years ago. Their brawl on X has sparked debates among fans and followers.

Boy George, whose actual name is George O'Dowd, started the argument on October 11 2025, when he took to X to defend himself against internet trolls who were disparaging his pro-trans position. The Culture Club vocalist posted an old photo of himself as a teenager along with the caption:

"I could list a hundred celebrities, artists, that wouldn't piss on you if you were on fire, let alone bother responding to lies and bullshit. Some of my haters are even academics which proves that being able to retain information has zero to do with emotional intelligence. If you think I'm stupid how fucking dumb must you be? Why do all these twats never have a picture of themselves on their profiles? Isn't it obvious? Ugly people with ugly souls!"

His comment did not take time to go viral. Soon, 52-year-old Murphy entered the discussion.

Róisín Murphy reacted angrily to George's remarks, bringing up an early meeting in which she claims the "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" hitmaker made fun of her appearance:

"You're just beyond horrible, George. All that nasty, nasty b*tchiness is coming back to you. I remember the first time we met in Miami, and the first thing you said to me was, "Oh, you're not as pretty as I thought you were."

She continued to charge George with missing "talent and charm," saying:

"I was young, and you made me feel ashamed in front of a lot of people. Why? You have grifted all these years with such little talent and zero charm. Now, time's up.'"

A user had commented:

"He’s not in a position to take the high moral ground with his history."

To which Róisín Murphy acknowledged and replied:

"Out prowling.. trying to cancel people, when he’s been allowed to come back from such depravity and cruelty. You’d think he’d be grateful.. but no. He also a total hypocrite, when it comes to “trannies” and “pronouns."

Murphy replied to a user's comment suggesting she include Boy George's misogyny in her book:

"There’s more I know about him, don’t I @BoyGeorge? But I’ll save it for the book!"

A day later, George replied, claiming that he doesn't recall ever meeting Róisín Murphy and stated that she is a "woman who desperate wants to be a drag queen" on October 12:

"I couldn’t get through all the replies but I saw the post from @roisinmurphy. Who I don’t remember meeting ever? Totally bonkers post from a woman who desperate wants to be a drag queen."

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Róisín Murphy's own controversy resurfaces

Róisín Murphy's remarks surfaces two years after she was heavily criticized for her stance on puberty blockers. She called them "f*****, absolutely desolate" in a 2023 Facebook post, stating that children need to be protected. She wrote:

"Puberty blockers are f*****, absolutely desolate, big pharma laughing all the way to the bank. Little mixed-up kids are vulnerable and need to be protected, that’s just true. Please don’t call me a terf, please don’t keep using that word against women."

Following the backlash she received, she went on to write a long apology, which Róisín Murphy posted on her story:

"I have been thrown into a very public discourse in an arena I'm uncomfortable in and deeply unsuitable for. I cannot apologise enough for being the reason for this eruption of damaging and potentially dangerous social-media fire and brimstone.To witness the ramifications of my actions and the divisions it has caused is heartbreaking."

She continued:

"I've had a personal Facebook account for years. The morning I made these comments I was scrolling and I brought up a specific issue that was only broadly related to the original post."

Murphy concluded:

"I am so sorry my comments have been directly hurtful to many of you. You must have felt a huge shock, blindsided by this so abruptly. I understand fixed views are not helpful but I really hope people can understand my concern was out of love for all of us."

Following this, two of her London gigs and signings at Rough Trade East in London were supposed to have taken place. Hit Parade, her fifth solo album, was being released around the same time, but which were canceled as a result of the issue, which many referred to as an example of cancel culture.

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