What happened between Daryl Hall and John Oates? Feud and rivalry explained as bandmate squashes the hope of reunion

Hopes for a reunion of the pop rock band Hall & Oates seem to have been quashed as Daryl Hall revealed that he has fallen out with former bandmate John Oates. In an interview with The Times published on February 28, 2025, Hall revealed that he wouldn’t make up with Oates and implied that the latter had betrayed him.

When asked whether he would be open to reuniting with Oates, Daryl Hall replied,

"That ship has gone to the bottom of the ocean. I’ve had a lot of surprises in my life, disappointments, betrayals, so I’m kind of used to it. I’ve been involved with some pretty shady characters over the years. That’s where the problems start.”

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More details on Daryl Hall and John Oates' feud

The relationship between the former members of the acclaimed band Hall & Oates took a rocky turn when Daryl Hall sued John Oates in 2023. What started as a lawsuit under seal turned into a public spectacle as Hall alleged that Oates had violated their partnership agreement by attempting to sell their joint catalog to Primary Wave without his consent.

Hall sought an injunction from the Davidson County Chancery Court to prevent Oates from going ahead with the sale. The judge ruled in favor of Hall and held that Oates couldn’t sell the latter’s portion of the Catalogue until a private arbitrator had heard the matter:

“If the transfer goes forward before the arbitrator has an opportunity to consider and rule upon plaintiffs’ application for interim injunctive relief in the arbitration, then it could, as a practical matter, render much of the relief Plaintiffs are seeking in the arbitration ineffectual.”

Daryl Hall stated that he had been “blindsided” by Oates's arrangement with Primary Wave and described it as the “ultimate partnership betrayal.” Oates replied in his own filing in 2023 that he was disappointed by his former bandmate’s accusations and labeled them untrue:

“I can only say that Daryl’s accusations that I breached our agreement, went ‘behind’ his back, ‘acted in bad faith,’ and the like, are not true.”

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The Hall & Oates band was popular in the 80s and released critically acclaimed albums like Voices, H2O, and Private Eyes. Some of their musical projects, including Kiss on My List and Maneater, peaked on the Billboard Hot 100. The duo is recognized for fusing genres of rock, rhythm & Blues, and Soul music.