"They're trying to insert themselves into a conversation to obtain some kind of relevancy": Yungblud slams critics of his Ozzy Osbourne tribute

Rising star Yungblud has slammed critics of his recent tribute to Ozzy Osbourne at MTV's Video Music Awards show, dismissing any musicians who publicly dismissed the performance as "bitter and jealous."

Yungblud made the remarks during an interview with Osbourne's son Jack, with both men appearing to direct their comments at Justin and Dan Hawkins of The Darkness, who were critical of Yungblud's MTV appearance.

The ongoing beef has its origins in an Instagram post from Dan Hawkins, in which he claimed the tribute, which saw Yungblud perform alongside Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt and Aerosmith pair Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, was "cynical, nauseating and, more importantly, shit."

The post went viral, and Justin Hawkins stepped into the fray to defend his younger brother's post, describing Yungblud as the "latest in a long line of – I’m sorry to say it – poseurs."

In a subsequent post, Hawkins reacted to his viewers' reactions to his reaction to his brother's reaction, saying that Yungblud "comes off like a TV personality doing rock." And now Yungblud has, in turn, reacted.

"You will never see someone that's bigger or more emotionally evolved than you talk shit on you," says Yungbud. "You ain't ever going to see fucking James Hetfield slag off a young rock star, because he's James fucking Hetfield.

"They don't need to insert themselves into a conversation. Because they're emotionally evolved and they know what it takes to get somewhere."

A clearly emotional Jack Osbourne then talks directly about the criticism of the VMAs tribute, telling listeners that Yungblud (real name Dominic Harrison) was more involved in his father's life than many realised.

“After the VMAs there were some rock stars slagging you off and being like 'oh, he's just clout chasing and jumping on the bandwagon of Ozzy passing'," says Jack. "I want to use this opportunity to talk about that."

"You were so much more involved," he continues. "These people didn’t fucking know, they don’t know the fucking story of it, the things we know, and I was kind of like, ‘Fuck you, dude’. Dom meant something to my dad, my dad meant something to Dom."

"I think the strangest thing about that was all I was trying to do was my best for your old man, because he gave me such a gift," Yungblud replies. "When people try and intellectualise a sense of spirit and six musicians on a stage going 'fucking love you man', it’s just bitter and jealous.

"They are doing the things they say we are doing. They’re trying to insert themselves into a conversation to obtain some kind of relevancy, on the back of us honouring one of the greatest rock stars that ever lived. And then they talk about authenticity and stuff like that. I just loved your dad."

Yungblud, who announced a run of US dates earlier this month (see below), has been largely embraced by rock's elder statesmen. He preceded his widely-acclaimed appearance at Black Sabbath's Back To The Beginning show by performing with Billy Idol at this year's Bludfest, followed the VMAs by releasing the My Only Angel single with Aerosmith, and has just been a guest on Billy Corgan's podcast.

"The person that I most compare you to is Elton John," the Smashing Pumpkins frontman told a startled Yungblud. "And what I mean by that is you can sing pop, you can sing a ballad, and that crowd will go with you. You could do a Tiny Dancer-type song, and it would feel great and credible, but you can also sing rock.

"It was this kind of piano man stuff, and that was of the time. But when he went rock, is when he really exploded. That shows you why Elton John hit that other level and why he was a stadium act and not just a big pop act."

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Yungblud: North American tour 2026

May 01: Sterling Heights Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre, MI
May 02: Toronto Coca-Cola Coliseum , ON
May 04: Columbus KEMBA Live! Outdoor Amphitheater, OH
May 06: Cincinnati The Andrew J Brady Music Center, OH
May 07: Indianapolis Everwise Amp at White River, IN
May 09: Minneapolis The Armory, MN
May 11: Morrison Red Rocks Amphitheatre, CO
May 13: Orem UCCU Center, UT
May 15: Seattle WAMU Theater, WA
May 16: Portland Theater Of The Clouds, OR
May 19: Las Vegas Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, NV
May 20: San Diego The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, CA
May 22: Los Angeles Greek Theatre, CA
May 25: Phoenix Arizona Financial Theatre, AZ
May 28: Irving The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, TX
May 29: Austin Moody Amphitheater, TX
Jun 01: Orlando Addition Financial Arena, FL
Jun 02: Hollywood Hard Rock Live, FL|
Jun 04: Charlotte Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre, NC
Jun 06: Atlantic City Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena, NJ
Jun 07: Washington The Anthem, DC
Jun 09: Boston Leader Bank Pavilion, MA
Jun 10: New York Radio City Music Hall, NY
Jun 13: Atlanta Synovus Bank Amphitheater, GA

Tickets are on sale now.