Madonna Forgives Elton John for ‘Fairground Stripper’ Comments

Madonna has announced that she’s ready to bury the hatchet with Elton John — but she’s done it in a passive-aggressive way.

The pop titans’ decade-long feud reached new heights — or depths — in a recent interview on Australian TV, when John said of the Material Girl’s new album and world tour, “She’s such a nightmare. Her career is over, I can tell you that. Her tour is a disaster and it couldn’t happen to a bigger c—.”

For good measure, John added, “And she looks like a f—ing fairground stripper.”

VIDEO: Elton John Calls Madonna a ‘Fairground Stripper,’ Says ‘Her Career Is Over’ 

But the spirit of forgiveness apparently took over Madonna at a concert Tuesday night in Nice, France. Sort of.

“I’d like to dedicate this next song to a Mr. Elton John,” she told the crowd. “I know he’s a big fan of it, and I know he’s a big fan of mine. And you know what? I forgive him. Gotta start somewhere.” 

The catch: The song she launched into was “Masterpiece,” a composition from her directorial debut W.E., which beat out John’s “Hello Hello,” from Gnomeo & Juliet, for Best Original Song at January’s Golden Globes.

STORY: Elton John Vs. Madonna: The 5 Best Insults Over the Years 

It was that defeat that led John’s husband, David Furnish, to bitterly write on Facebook, “Madonna winning Best Original Song truly shows how these awards have nothing to do with merit. Her acceptance speech was embarrassing in its narcissism.” He later deleted the comments, and called the ensuing controversy “a tempest in a teapot.”

If John refuses Madonna’s thorny olive branch, perhaps a third-party mediator will be required. And Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy has already nominated himself: In a tweet posted on August 8, the writer-producer wrote, “A big GLEE goal this year: a Madonna/Elton John mashup.”

Murphy closed the dispatch with the hashtag “#gayhatchetburying.”

Watch Madonna make her dedication in the video below, via TMZ: