Perrie Edwards and Jesy Nelson's friendship fallout was a difficult reality for Little Mix fans to accept. The two singers stopped speaking after Jesy departed the group in 2020, and while the exact reasons remain unclear, both have addressed the rift in various ways over the years.
Why Did Perrie Edwards and Jesy Nelson Fall Out?
The precise cause of the breakdown between the former bandmates is still unknown. Their friendship effectively ended when Jesy announced her exit from the chart-topping girl group in December 2020, citing mental health reasons. Shortly after, Jesy released her debut solo single 'Boyz' featuring Nicki Minaj. During an Instagram live, the pair appeared to mock bandmate Leigh-Anne Pinnock, referencing an alleged comment from a former band member. Nicki said: "If you was in this woman's group and you ain't talk about this for 10 years and as soon as you see she got a video coming out with Nicki Minaj and Puffy, now you sending text messages. Stop trying to hurt people and kill people's lives and careers." This incident fueled further tension among fans and the former group members.
What Has Jesy Nelson Said About the Fallout?
Jesy has largely refrained from directly discussing her feud with Perrie or the other Little Mix members. While she has shared cryptic social media posts that fans interpret as references to the situation, she has not made any explicit statements about the end of their friendship.
What Has Perrie Edwards Said About the Fallout?
Unlike Jesy, Perrie has been more open about the pain of losing her friend. On Fearne Cotton's podcast, she described the experience as a "dagger to the heart." She explained: "When you've been in that person's life for many years and you've been through highs and lows, everything, all these experiences. And then poof, they're gone... I struggled a lot with that. It's really sad but sometimes these things happen. It's a really horrible dynamic but you can't force someone to be friends with you."
Perrie has also channeled her feelings into her music. In an interview with Glamour, she said of her songs: "It's about a friendship that I once had, that I no longer have anymore. We talk about breakups and heartbreak, but we don't normally talk about friendships that break down. And it was like losing a limb. I was with her every day. We lived in each other's pockets."
In a recent development, Perrie appeared to extend an olive branch by liking a picture of Jesy with her twin babies on Instagram. Fans speculated that a reconciliation might be possible, but the like was later removed, leaving the situation ambiguous.
Little Mix officially split in 2022, but the seeds of their dissolution were sown when Jesy left two years earlier. The remaining members—Perrie, Jade Thirlwall, and Leigh-Anne Pinnock—have since pursued solo careers, while Jesy has focused on her own music and family life.
