Patti LaBelle joined Jennifer Hudson on the latter’s daytime talk show on Wednesday (Feb. 8) for a wide-ranging discussion, and most notably, the LaBelle icon opened up about her once strained relationship with another legend, Diana Ross.
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During a game of “LaBelle and Tell,” in which the star reacted to photos that appeared on screen, the 78-year-old discussed a photo embracing Ross, with the Supremes singer kissing her on the cheek. “People think that we had something against each other, but we really never did,” she revealed. “It was just the way people perceived certain things. That’s my doll, OK?”
During an August 2022 appearance on Drink Champs, the “If Only You Knew” singer recalled frustration towards Ross and the Supremes for copying her looks. “They were biting my style,” she shared at the time.
LaBelle also recalled an incident in which Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles member Cindy Birdsong left the group to join the Supremes. “That’s why we had issues,” she explained. However, she said the duo thankfully made up at an event thrown by Oprah Winfrey.
Later on in the game, LaBelle reacted to a photo of herself smiling alongside Prince. “We had a lot of history,” she said. “Prince had me at his studio and he had clothes made for me because he had that beautiful tailor in the basement of his recording studio, so they made me four outfits. He had me come to his house and cook a 12-course meal. He ate a biscuit and then after that, he took me to the club and we threw down. We had fun. He was so mysterious and awesome. Nobody knew what he was thinking.”
Hudson also thanked LaBelle for helping her take on the role of Aretha Franklin in Respect, and asked the icon who she’d like to play her in a biopic. “You already did Aretha, so you can’t do me,” LaBelle joked before naming Fantasia and Ledisi. “They can sing. They’re awesome. […] I love those ladies. You guys are the ones who call me because I’m honest and I’m blessed to know you, so I don’t want you to make any mistakes that I might have made. So you’re gonna get the truth from Ms. Patti Patti.”
“That’s why we call her Mama Patti,” Hudson replied.
Watch the interview below.
