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Bette Midler and Kim Kardashian’s ridiculous feud, explained

Kim Kardashian.
Kim Kardashian.
Kim Kardashian.
Mike Windle/Getty Images
Alex Abad-Santos
Alex Abad-Santos is a senior correspondent who explains what society obsesses over, from Marvel and movies to fitness and skin care. He came to Vox in 2014. Prior to that, he worked at The Atlantic.

On Monday, Bette Midler, sweet singing grandma angel of our dreams, decided that she had literally seen enough of Kim Kardashian West.

Earlier in the day, West Instagrammed a nude selfie she’d taken in an opulent bathroom, complete with a caption implying that the moment was totally relatable because we all have days when we’re rich and naked.

When you're like I have nothing to wear LOL

A photo posted by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on

Kardashian’s photo caught Midler’s attention, who channeled her resulting wrath into a 138-character takedown. Midler was not entertained, seemingly bored with Kardashian’s nude body, and asked Kardashian to find a different way to thrill her:

Midler is technically correct. Kardashian has posed topless in Playboy in 2007 and fully nude in W magazine in 2010, Paper magazine in 2014, and Love magazine in 2015. And on her television show Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Kardashian’s two pregnancies and attendant ultrasounds have been a prominent storyline. The star also X-rayed her butt in one of the show’s landmark episodes.

But Kardashian didn’t let Midler’s tweet go unanswered. She attempted to insult Midler by calling Midler old and joking that the singer should pose for some nude photos too:

She followed this up with an accusation that Midler had tried to be a “fake friend” to Kardashian because Midler once allegedly sent a present to Kardashian:

And finally, Kardashian tweeted a cryptic GIF of an unidentified, computerized Asian woman sipping a beverage*:

Midler has not responded to Kardashian’s request for nudes or to her GIF.

*Yes, I know this is meant to be Kim Kardashian.

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