Sean Lennon shares rare message with fans about his relationship with half-brother Julian

Sean Lennon appeared to address long-running rumours of tension between himself and his half-brother, Julian Lennon, in a recent social media post.

Sean, 49, who is the son of the late Beatles artist John Lennon with his second wife, Yoko Ono, has been the subject of speculation regarding his relationship with Julian, 62, who is the son of John and his first wife, Cynthia Lennon.

In an Instagram post, the musician reposted a fan message to his Stories that included a black-and-white image of him as a young boy with his older half-brother, while they both attended the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony for the induction of Elvis Presley in 1986.

“Here, we do not accept comparisons and erroneous creations of fights about two people that John Lennon loved the most: his children,” the post shared by fan account “ceoofjohnlennon” said.

By re-sharing the post, Sean was seemingly hitting back at any speculation surrounding his relationship with his older sibling.

On social media, some Beatles fans have highlighted Julian’s past statements about Ono as “evidence” of tensions between the two brothers, including his claim that he had to buy back letters and postcards he had written to his father – and the ones he’d received in return – because she refused to give them to him.

He had previously sued his father’s estate in 1996, eventually reaching a settlement authorised by Ono, and revealed during a 1999 interview on The Dini Petty Show that he used some of that money to buy back his father’s other belongings.

While Julian has been critical of his father’s behaviour, however, there is little evidence to suggest any ongoing feud with his half-brother. In an interview with The Independent in 2022, he spoke warmly of Sean and said they video called one another “at least a couple of times a month”.

“We’re more than brothers, we’re such good friends,” he said. “I wish we had more time together.”

Last December, he shared a series of photos of the pair hanging out at The Dakota, the New York apartment building where John Lennon lived with Sean and Ono, including one where he kissed his brother on the cheek in front of a portrait of Ono.

“A good night kiss for my brother, after spending the evening with him, having a lil dinner and chatting the night away, at The Dakota,” he captioned the post. “Something we rarely get to do… Thankful.”

Earlier this year, he explained that he is “not part of the inner circle” involving other Beatles offspring or family members: “You have to realise that when Dad left, when I was between three and five (it was a bit of a process), it was just mum and me, and we had nothing to do with The Beatles or Dad,” he told The Observer.

I’m thankful that Sean and I get on like a house on fire – we’re best buddies and he tells me what he can, but things are pretty secret on the Beatles front.”

In a recent interview, Sean suggested that John and Yoko were the first true “power couple”, shortly after the release of a new documentary, One to One: John & Yoko.