If you've been on the internet these past few days, you've probably seen posts aplenty about Ethel Cain and Lana Del Rey feuding, but what is it all about? How did this drama start? And how does Nicki Minaj come into the equation??? Keep reading and allow us to break it all down for you below.
How did the feud rumors start?
The current rumors of a feud between Ethel Cain and Lana Del Rey started when the “Summertime Sadness” singer posted a peek of what appears to be an upcoming song to her Instagram, which many are dubbing as her first diss track.
On August 13, 2025, Del Rey posted what seems to be an official snippet of one of her unreleased songs to her Instagram feed, tagging Jack Antonoff and identifying the melody as “Track 13." The song is believed to be part of Del Rey's forthcoming country-influenced tenth studio album. Parts of the song, which fans have also referred to as “All About Ethel,” have leaked online over the years, as Pitchfork notes.
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As soon as Del Rey posted the snippet, fans began speculating that the lyrics could be about Ethel Cain, not only because she outright mentions Cain by name, but also because of other lyrics in the track.
“Ethel Cain hated my Instagram post / Think it’s cute reenacting my Chicago pose,” the song goes, as heard in the snippet posted by Del Rey. The second line seems to be a reference to photos posted by Cain and Del Rey, both with Jack Donoghue of the band Salem.
Del Rey was rumored to have dated Jack Donoghue in 2022. Around that time, the rumored couple posted a since-deleted photo of them posing together in front of Chicago’s Cook County jail, hence the “Chicago pose.”
Cain later posted a photo to her own social media, similarly posing with Donoghue. The exact date Cain posted the photo remains unclear, though there are fan reposts that show it was shortly after Del Rey's original post. Fans on Reddit have also pointed out that Cain's photo with the musician and producer could be from the recording of Cain's video for “God's Country,” which was released in 2021.
Del Rey also sings about “the most famous girl in the Waffle House" on “Track 13,” which people think is further proof that the song is about Cain since, in 2022, The New York Times published a profile on Cain with the same line as its headline. (In 2023, Del Rey also took a pretend shift at an Alabama Waffle House.)
Teen Vogue has reached out to both Ethel Cain's and Lana Del Rey's teams for further comment on the feud rumors, but did not immediately hear back.
Aside from mentioning her in the lyrics, Lana Del Rey also namechecked Ethel Cain in a since-deleted comment on one of Pop Base's Instagram posts about “Track 13.” In the comment section, she wrote: “I didn’t know who Ethel was until a few years ago — when someone brought to my attention the disturbing and graphic side-by-side images she would often put up of me next to unflattering creatures and cartoon characters making constant comments about my weight, I was confused at what she was getting at. Then when I heard what she was saying behind closed doors from mutual friends and started inserting herself into my personal life I was definitely disturbed.”
Del Rey’s comment seemingly refers to posts by Cain similar to the one seen in a screenshot obtained by fans, in which Cain appeared to post a still of Family Guy’s Peter Griffin with lyrics from Del Rey's song “Peppers.” Though the screenshot shows Cain's old X handle, their accuracy remains unconfirmed.
Has Ethel Cain responded to the diss track?
Ethel Cain seemingly responded to Lana Del Rey's "Track 13" with an Instagram Story. The same day the snippet dropped, she posted a message in white text over a black background, reading: “Update: Lana Del Rey has blocked Ethel Cain on Instagram.”
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Ethel Cain's sister, Delilah Dolly, apparently tagged Del Rey in one of her IG Stories, referring to “Track 13” as a “diss track.” She reportedly wrote: “I can’t wait to watch your hologram perform this ‘diss track’ while you hit your vape backstage, diva. What inspired you to suddenly make a country album??"
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What has Ethel Cain said about Lana del Rey before?
Ethel Cain has a long online history with Lana Del Rey. In apparent screenshots from her old DeviantArt account from the 2010s, Cain even credited Del Rey as one of her favorite artists. Circa 2017, Cain also uploaded a cover of Del Rey's “Born to Die” to the internet, which she later deleted, but fans have since re-uploaded. There are also social media videos of Cain singing parts of Del Rey's “Mariners Apartment Complex.”
However, in recent years, Cain has distanced herself from the Del Rey fandom online and seems reticent to admit any connection to the singer. In a 2021 interview with Our Culture, Cain revealed she was “hugely inspired by Lana” during her high school years, sharing that Born to Die was the first CD she ever bought. However, she explained she also feels Del Rey was a representation of a “glamorous American Dream" that she didn't necessarily relate to as much then.
“As I got older, especially with the social justice movement and the unraveling of the American Dream, the unraveling of Hollywood, the unraveling of celebrity culture, it was kind of like, it’s all a sham," she said at the time. "All that glamour and old opulence is built on the backs of hard-working people who will never get the recognition, and it’s just a facade that you start to see through."
Also in 2021, Cain shared the same sentiment in conversation with Hero Magazine while openly addressing comparisons to Del Rey. “I love Lana, I love her older music. Her newer stuff doesn’t really resonate with me, but I’d be a liar to say I never loved Lana. Musically, I’m not super inspired by her, but I see where comparisons could be drawn. The music is deeper, sultrier, smokier. It’s lazy and sexy while still having viper-like femininity,” she said.
“But here’s the line between Lana and me. Lana is all façade; she is glamour, she is old Hollywood, she is the peak opulence of the American Dream. And for me, I’m like, that’s just not what America is to me. I think America is the bottom line — it’s the poor people, the people who have been the most affected by the government, by the system. People who are constantly spat on.”
There are also screenshots circulating online of posts that seem to come from Cain’s X and Tumblr accounts criticizing Del Rey; however, due to both of Cain’s accounts being deleted or rehomed, it’s difficult to verify when they were posted or if they even came from Cain.
How is Nicki Minaj involved in all this?
On August 15, 2025, Nicki Minaj inserted herself in the Lana Del Rey and Ethel Cain feud by posting a long tirade on her X account. It all started with a post that read: “I’ve been singing ‘Ethel Cain hated my Instagram post’ all morning. Help!!!!! And something about the Waffle House & a picture w/some boy? But how can a melody & instruments & background vocals & the mixing be so good that I’m walking around all day talking about a person named Ethel who I do not know hating an Instagram post I never even posted? HELP MEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!! I’m sure Ethel is a nice person. *hums the melody again & drifts off into this somber state whilst looking off into the horizon.”
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“Remember that time Lana dissed all the girlies but we had no idea why but none of us said anything back?” Minaj continued, seemingly referring to Del Rey's 2020 “questions for the culture” post. “Now I see how ppl can discover an artist years & years into their career then go back & listen to their entire discography & become a die hard fan. I always hear my label & new fans of all diff artists talking about that but now I RLLY get it,” she added, this time resharing the “Track 13” snippet.
Minaj then went on to report a post from 2023 showing Cain with a Barb flag, writing, “Wtf? Is this real? Thank you, Ethel.” And then wrapped up the thread by returning to Del Rey's side of the “feud.”
“And there ya have it. Lana has me singing about a person named Ethel Cain due to this DOPE melody, vocal & instrumentation. It just made me think how many times ppl were probably PROUDLY rapping someone’s name in one of my songs & had no clue who or what I was talking about,” she concluded.
