The Sammy Hagar And David Lee Roth Feud Timeline Explained

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Boys will be boys, especially when those boys are in a band. Getting guys together to create epic music with fine-tuned instruments has been going on for some 40,000 years, according to the BBC. But these days, many bands are plagued with a common issue: controlling their egos. Musician Jason Tiemann explains that performers are often unable to cope with public criticism of their music. But it's even worse when egotism occurs within the band. "I'm currently dealing with the most egotistical jerk I could imagine," a bass player named Shin explains on Talk Bass, for example. "It's getting to the point where it's no fun anymore." Unfortunately, Shin is not alone: Feuds between band members are disturbingly common.

Paste Magazine provides just one of many online testaments to how many of our favorite bandmates war with one another. Most recently, even the long-running battle between Van Halen lead singers David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar resurfaced — over a cartoon Roth drew (per WMMR). The cartoon appeared just after Van Halen founder Eddie Van Halen died in 2020, according to USA Today.  But even as the surviving members of the band talk of moving on (per NME), Roth and Hagar just can't seem to leave their squabbles with each other behind. Read on for a timeline of trouble between the two rockers.

The Washington Post maintains that right out of the gate, the Van Halen brothers "did not like Roth all that much, but they "liked the sound system he owned." In fact, that's why Roth was hired. Roth would also later say that, "There were always creative differences," an issue that is unfortunately common among bands. Eddie called himself "the quiet one," while Roth's onstage antics and boisterous personality made him the "face" of the band. That was fine until Eddie built his own recording studio, 5150, in 1983, says Distractify. The musician could now work on his music in private, sans the rest of the band.

Roth came to resent 5150, explains Rolling Stone, because he believed Eddie's studio gave him "too much creative autonomy." Notably, the song "Jump" from the band's 1984 album was, in fact, written at 5150. But 1984 also went gold and platinum (four times over) says The Van Halen Encyclopedia, and who could argue with that? Roth, that's who. He also didn't like that Eddie was adding synthesizers and keyboards to make Van Halen's music more "radio-friendly" and "pop-style." It didn't help that Roth and Eddie each had other opportunities coming at them, either. Something had to give.

Nicknamed the "Red Rocker" due to his affinity for the color (per Van Halen News Desk), Hagar proved a wise choice for Van Halen. The Van Halen Encyclopedia says the musician was inspired by seeing Elvis Presley on TV, and AllMusic confirms that Hagar was joining a series of bands by the late 1960s. By 1973, he was a member of Montrose (pictured), leaving in 1976 to pursue his own solo career. His first album, Nine on a Ten Scale, was just the beginning: By 1984, he'd released 13 more albums, and his hits included "I Can't Drive 55," "There's Only One Way to Rock," and "Three Lock Box" (per Ultimate Classic Rock).

Hagar later boasted that he just knew Van Halen would give him a call. But his solo label, Geffen Records, didn't think the idea of joining Van Halen was so hot. Elated over Hagar's success with his latest album, VOA, Geffen didn't want to lose their most valuable player. It took weeks for Hagar to negotiate with Geffen to make just one more album, and they also wanted a chunk of Hagar's money from Van Halen's first album with him, 5150. Hagar agreed and was victoriously announced as Van Halen's new lead singer at the MTV Video Music Awards. "It's like we'd been together for years," Hagar said in a 1986 MTV interview. 

With Hagar out of the band, the media ran with the so-called "breakup of Van Halen," says The Van Halen Encyclopedia. But Eddie's visit to Roth indeed had a purpose: The singer was asked to rejoin the band, at least long enough to record two tracks for Best of Van Halen, Volume 1, according to AllMusic. When the group was on the 1996 MTV Music Awards (pictured) to announce the Best Male Video, however, Roth commandeered the appearance, announcing that the band was back together and interrupting Eddie as he tried to name the winner. The rest of the band laughed it off onstage.

Backstage was another story. Eddie denied that a reunion tour was in the works and announced his upcoming hip surgery, reports Rolling Stone. "Tonight's about me, man, and not your f***ing hip," Roth interrupted. A restrained Eddie warned Roth, "If you ever speak like that to me again, you better be wearing a cup." Next, the guys began writing public letters in typical sixth-grade fighting style. "Eddie did it," The Van Halen Encyclopedia quotes Roth as saying about how and why the reunion didn't work. Dave was never an "unwitting participant," Van Halen shot back, explaining that a reunion never crossed the band's mind. Gary Cherone was hired as Van Halen's next lead singer. Cherone lasted until 1999, after which the band took a noted break — for several years, says Ultimate Classic Rock. 

Up until 2006, it appeared that as far as Van Halen was concerned, the only two rockers good enough for the band were Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth. But in a bold move, the brothers Van Halen fired Michael Anthony and replaced him with Eddie's son, Wolfgang (pictured), according to Ultimate Classic Rock. They also managed to wrangle in "Diamond Dave" for another tour in 2007, says Bums Logic. Shortly afterward, Van Halen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Yet it wasn't Eddie or Alex or David who showed up to accept the honor but Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony. 

Anthony and Hagar were quite gracious, noting that Eddie was "home getting some help" and thanking everyone before performing "Why Can't This Be Love." Indeed, Reuters confirmed that Eddie had entered rehab just a week before. "I have always and will always feel a responsibility to give you my best. At the moment I do not feel that I can give you my best," he wrote to his fans. Six months later, Van Halen embarked on its promised tour with Roth. Entertainment Weekly praised the show, saying "the Halen turned rather mighty again" as Eddie "stunned with mean riffs, otherworldly squeals, and blistering fretwork." The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette followed up with, "The people spoke and the people wanted this: Eddie Van Halen with David Lee Roth."

As Hagar continued the straight path that was his career, fans continued scrutinizing the relationship between Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth. There was, for instance, the Washington Post article where Roth was asked if "the two could have dinner together at the end of a long day." Roth was absolute: "Nope. Not even close. Not even close." Fans, however, were tiring of the rift between Eddie, Roth, and Hagar. "Not only do the particulars not matter," said Bums Logic, "there's too much he-said/he-said about who quit and who was fired." Meanwhile, Hagar and Anthony remained friends and music partners, touring in 2014 and producing two albums, according to Ultimate Classic Rock. 

Hagar also had one last bone to pick. In 2015, he told Rolling Stone that "the Van Halen brothers will not allow me to do any of my own songs on TV. They can't stop me from doing them live, because they've tried and they can't." Hagar had plenty of other things to say, too. By 2016, however, he seemed more at peace when he released his next album, When the Party Started. This time his jab at Van Halen was more subtle when he told KYGL it was the first time in years "that I was free from the weight of being in a superstar, high-pressure band and the commercial machine that came with it."

The music world might have lost Eddie Van Halen, but have Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth finally thrown down their boxing gloves? Louder rightfully noted that Eddie's death "has done nothing to end the b*tchiness" between the boys, which is perhaps why Roth came out of left field and published a cartoon portraying Hagar in December, according to WMMR. "Sam The Man Not Only Will Be Giving His Life For Rock And Roll, But Plans to Be Buried in His Recently Acquired Jet!" read one caption. Hagar responded favorably, leading WMMR to comment about how nice it was "to see these two appear to have a little fun and humorous public back-and-forth."

Other media, such as Loudwire, questioned why Roth was insinuating that Hagar's own death wasn't far off. Hagar, however, responded with humor from his Instagram account (per Ultimate Classic Rock), writing, "I want to thank my old buddy Dave for considering me interesting enough to be the subject of his fine art hobby," and asking if the cartoon was for sale. And when questioned, Hagar flat-out stated, "I got no problem with Dave." Hagar may yet be the owner of Roth's crazy cartoon, but he's also expressed deep interest in one day playing with Wolfgang Van Halen. Let's wait on that to see if Roth gets mad.