Arnold Schwarzenegger Opens Up About Feud with Sylvester Stallone and How They Made Peace Through Planet Hollywood

Arnold Schwarzenegger has candidly reflected on his once-contentious relationship with fellow action star Sylvester Stallone, revealing how their infamous rivalry from the 1980s eventually gave way to friendship—sparked by a surprising business collaboration.

“We hated each other,” Schwarzenegger, now 77, told Andy Cohen on SiriusXM’s Radio Andy. As two of Hollywood’s biggest action icons, Schwarzenegger and Stallone famously clashed during the height of their careers, trading barbs and engaging in what Schwarzenegger described as “doing nasty things and saying nasty things about each other and all these stupid things.”

The turning point, he explained, came through the launch of the Planet Hollywood restaurant chain in the early 1990s. “All of a sudden, I started working with Robert Earl and Keith Parish to create the Planet Hollywood franchise,” Schwarzenegger recalled. “The next thing I know is I get a phone call from my lawyer, who was also Sly’s lawyer, he said, ‘Arnold, is there any kind of room for Sly in Planet Hollywood?’”

Seeing the potential to mend fences, Schwarzenegger embraced the idea. “That’s actually a good idea, because it could bring us together. And I wanted that. At that point I had grown out of my craziness,” he reflected.

The restaurant launched in New York City in 1991, backed by Schwarzenegger, Stallone, and other celebrities including Bruce Willis, Whoopi Goldberg, and Chuck Norris. Schwarzenegger fondly described the venture as “kind of an international cast,” marking the beginning of their collaboration and easing years of tension.

Stallone, 78, echoed this sentiment in a joint interview with Schwarzenegger for TMZ Presents: Arnold & Sly: Rivals, Friends, Icons, aired in April 2024. He admitted that seeing Schwarzenegger’s rise initially ignited fierce competition. “Finally, something to motivate me. Because he is, dare I say it, competition, a threat, whatever word you wanna use. As soon as I saw him, it was like bang, two alphas hitting.”

“There’s no two ways about that: He was very helpful in my career because I had something that I could chase,” Schwarzenegger agreed.

Since then, the two have become close friends and co-stars, sharing screen time in films like Escape Plan (2013) and several installments of The Expendables franchise.

On the professional front, Schwarzenegger continues to stay active. His action-comedy series Fubar recently returned for a second season on Netflix as of June 12. He’s also set to star as Santa Claus in the upcoming holiday movie The Man with the Bag.

From bitter rivals to business partners and friends, Schwarzenegger and Stallone’s journey highlights how even the fiercest competition can evolve into camaraderie—and how unexpected ventures can bridge old divides.