John Lennon was the most controversial Beatle, both in the band and afterward. Here are some of his most controversial moments during his lifetime.
The Beatles were, and still are, a well-loved group, so much so that even John Lennon’s most controversial comments haven’t tarnished their reputation. He was easily the most divisive figure in the band. Lennon was a complex, sometimes cruel, figure who is viewed through a different lens today than he was in his lifetime. Still, there were moments in the 1960s and 1970s when his behavior raised eyebrows. Here are some moments that were controversial during Lennon’s lifetime.
John Lennon’s controversial remarks made him worry about his safety
In 1966, Lennon dragged The Beatles into their first major controversy. They had faced criticism for their music and their hair, but this was the first time it seemed the public might turn on the band. In an interview, he offhandedly made a comment about the band’s popularity.
“Christianity will go,” he said, per Rolling Stone. “It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue about that; I know I’m right and I will be proved right. We’re more popular than Jesus now. I don’t know which will go first – rock & roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right, but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It’s them twisting it that ruins it for me.”
The comment went without notice for several months, but when it was reprinted in an American magazine, people were furious. They burned records and made threats of violence against the group, leading Lennon to fear for his life in the United States.
John Lennon’s relationship with Yoko Ono was highly controversial
Toward the end of The Beatles’ time as a group, Lennon went public with his relationship with Yoko Ono. Their relationship was controversial in part because it began as an affair. Both Lennon and Ono were married when they met in 1966, and both had children. Their romance broke up these marriages.
More than this, though, was the pervasive belief that Ono broke up The Beatles. People wrongfully blamed her for the heightening tensions in the band, so their romance faced a great deal of crucial scrutiny.
His protest of the Vietnam War brought him scrutiny from the government
Lennon and Ono waded into controversy in 1969 with their highly publicized critique of the Vietnam War. During their honeymoon at the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel, they invited the press to document their “Bed-In.” They believed this would bring attention to the anti-war efforts.
“What we’re really doing is sending out a message to the world, mainly to the youth, especially the youth or anybody, really, that’s interested in protesting for peace or protesting against any forms of violence,” he said, per HuffPost. “There’s many ways of protest, and this is one of them. And anybody could grow their hair for peace or give up a week of their holiday for peace or sit in a bag for peace. Protest against peace, anyway, but peacefully, because we think that peace is only got by peaceful methods, and to fight the establishment with their own weapons is no good, because they always win, and they have been winning for thousands of years. They know how to play the game violence, and it’s easier for them when they can recognize you and shoot you.”
Protesting against the war was highly controversial at the time, particularly for someone as famous as Lennon. The Nixon administration even tried deporting him.
He publicly disparaged The Beatles
After The Beatles broke up, Lennon made it clear that he wanted to distance himself from the group. This meant that he harshly criticized a band that many people wanted to reunite. People immediately took note of how often Lennon disparaged his former band and bandmates.
“None of it is important. It just takes a few people to get going, and they con themselves into thinking it’s important. It all becomes a big con,” he said, adding, “We’re a con as well. We know we’re conning them, because we know people want to be conned. They’ve given us the freedom to con them. Let’s stick that in there, we say, that’ll start them puzzling. I’m sure all artists do, when they realize it’s a con.”
