Matty Healy has issued an apology after threatening to "slap" rapper and singer Azealia Banks in response to comments she made about him and his fiancée, Gabriella Bechtel, also known as Gabbriette.
The clash between The 1975 frontman and the 212 artist erupted on X after Azealia posted a remark about Charli XCX, a close friend and collaborator of Matty's, and the fiancée of his bandmate George Daniel.
Banks penned on X that Charli “used to be soooo pretty”, and then wrote “WeHo gays” for “having the girls questioning themselves”.
The British singer responded to her claims and commented: “Azealia you seem to have a blind spot when it comes to your ‘reads’. All the women you attack seem to be culturally relevant, attractive, divisive and NICE people.
“I think this makes you jealous cos you’re so talented but everything else about you is a failure. Just rap bro.”
In a separate post, he continued: “And on that point if I see one little s**t bag Twitter barista say ONE thing about my Gabi EVER, I will use my mental illness to full affect and I will dox and f**k you up.
“I’m so over pretending to have different standards online cos it’s ‘not real’. Well, a f**kin’ slap is.”
Replying to Healy’s tweets, Banks fired back: “The b***h look like Frankenstein to me. You both look like you share needles. Before adding: “What type of p**sy ass n***a goes online and incriminates himself this way?
“A man could slap the s**t out of Gabi and you wouldn’t do a damn thing. You’re too busy kissing men on stage for clout.”
After Banks compared Healy to Frankenstein, tensions quickly escalated.
Taylor Swift's ex initially responded with a dramatic threat, saying he wanted to "slap" Banks, writing: “I'll f****ng slap you so hard I'll get a Guinness world record for the highest a rat some b***h calls a wig has ever flown.”
However, he soon recognised the inappropriateness of his remark and issued an apology.
“OK I’m gonna delete that tweet that was not cool even if I was angry,” he then wrote, before sharing another post which read: “I can’t be saying I’m gonna hit a girl that’s insane, I’m sorry.
“You just can’t keep being so mean about my mates and my mrs. It’s really hurtful [and] gets me well defensive.”
Addressing Banks directly, he deleted the threatening tweet and said: “Nah [for real] I was just trying to match your vibe, I’m scared now, I’m sorry bro. I was just sticking up for my mates. I’m not tough.”
Getting the final word, Banks wrapped up her comments with a lengthy post targeting Healy’s oral hygiene, urging him to “stick up for these jibs, dear.”
She also asserted that she’s “a better singer than Matty” and took issue with his “just rap, bro” remark.
Ok I’m gonna delete that tweet that was not cool even if I was angry
— Truman Black (@Gooodmorninguys) December 4, 2024
Nah I can’t be saying I’m gonna hit a girl that’s insane I’m sorry. You just can’t keep being so mean about my mates and my mrs it’s really hurtful gets me well defensive
— Truman Black (@Gooodmorninguys) December 4, 2024
The Standard has contacted Matty Healy and Azealia Banks’s representatives for comment.
This latest clash reignites tensions between Healy and Banks, stemming from an earlier confrontation over Banks’s criticism of Charli XCX’s SNL performance. After Banks accused Charli of delivering a “lazy” interpretation of Ciara’s 1, 2 Step, Healy retorted: “Shut up, you f****ng prat. Being more annoying than me is actually impressive.”
Both musicians are no strangers to controversy, having frequently made headlines for their public feuds with fellow artists.
The 1975 frontman previously faced widespread backlash for comments about rapper Ice Spice during a podcast interview, which Banks also called him out on in May 2023.
At the time, the American hitmaker shared a photo of Healy performing on stage, alongside a headline referencing his apology to Ice Spice, while berating him in her caption.
Banks, meanwhile, has sparked her own share of outrage over the years, including being temporarily banned from X, formerly Twitter, for her use of racist, homophobic, and transphobic slurs.
