From an outside perspective, we look at comedy duos and just assume that they get along behind the scenes. But as it turns out, there are a number of famous comedy as well as dramatic duos that are far from friendly once the curtains close or lights go off.
For some professional partners, once they’re done filming/recording/performing together, they could easily have punched each other in the mouth. Take Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis and Abbott and Costello, for example…
Martin and Lewis
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis were each showbiz legends, but they were a comedy duo for a full decade as Martin and Lewis. But the problem with a comedy couple – in which one is the greatest comedic minds of all time – is that, in comparison, the other guy is left out every now and again.
Martin felt he was being overshadowed when Jerry would take over the direction of their act completely and basically lose sight of their “team nature.” Then Martin was eventually being cropped out of magazine covers. The jealousy intensified, and Martin put less and less effort into his work. It ended in a bitter split. Martin once said to Lewis: You’re nothing to me but a f***ing dollar sign.”
Abbott & Costello
The arguments between the funny duo, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, weren’t always hilarious. Most of the time, for one of them, it was just infuriating. Abbott was the straight man; Costello was the foil. But behind the scenes, Abbott was “the drunk,” and Costello was “the bastard.”
A number of personal tragedies befell them: Abbott suffered from epilepsy, and Costello’s infant son drowned in their family pool. The tensions between the comedians only got worse. They eventually stopped speaking to one another and even refused to appear on screen together.
