Despite attempts years ago to smooth over the rift, the relationship between Roger Waters and David Gilmour, former colleagues in Pink Floyd, has always lingered at a distance. Their collaboration on shared projects never fully bridged the gap, and when the band’s internal tensions finally forced a breakup, the reconciliation never bore fruit. The track What Do You Want from Me? or Another Brick in the Wall? might better capture the state of their bond during those years than any other song from that era.
Their distance extended beyond backstage chatter and studio schedules. It was a familiar storyline in the music world, but recent events sharpened the divide. Polly Samson, Gilmour’s wife, posted a sharply worded tweet that accused Waters of antisemitism and other offenses, prompting public pushback from Waters and a social media firestorm. Samson’s tweet read in part that Waters is an anti-Semite at his core, among a slate of harsh accusations. Gilmour later shared and supported the sentiments, claiming the statements were true to the facts available. The exchange underscored how quickly personal clashes can become public and polarizing disputes.
Waters has long been known for his outspoken activism and provocative rhetoric, traits that have repeatedly invited controversy. Yet the reply from Gilmour’s camp suggested a desire to keep things in the realm of public statements rather than private reconciliation. An official note indicated that Waters was aware of the remarks, denying their motives and indicating that legal counsel would advise on next steps. The tone of the brief statement hinted at a possible halt to further confrontations while leaving the door to future actions open.
Historically, Waters departed Pink Floyd in 1985, two years after The Final Cut failed to meet the commercial highs of earlier records. He had already dismissed keyboardist Richard Wright from the group, while Gilmour and drummer Nick Mason did not accept Waters’s unilateral move to keep the group name active. The dispute culminated in a court case that Waters ultimately lost, cementing a rift that would persist for years.
A brief reunion occurred when the four former members took the stage for a charity event on July 2, 2005, at Live 8, introduced by Bob Geldof. Five years later, Gilmour and Mason appeared at a Waters tour stop, reuniting momentarily in a public setting. Yet those moments did little to erase the underlying tensions that had built up over time, even as the members occasionally shared the same soundtrack once more in a performative capacity.
Beyond the music, the war in Ukraine added another layer to the conflict between Waters and Gilmour. When Mason joined Waters for the Stand Up! tour last April, a new Pink Floyd composition featuring Ukrainian artist Andriy Khlyvnyuk aimed to raise money for Ukraine Humanitarian Aid. Waters, by contrast, did not hesitate to criticize actions tied to police power structures, NATO, or political leadership in the United States. The public rhetoric around these issues kept the divide visible and ongoing.
What began as a collaboration between two virtuoso musicians evolved into a broader narrative about loyalty, leadership, and responsibility. The ongoing tensions between Waters and Gilmour serve as a reminder that even bands celebrated as archetypes of musical unity can fracture under the weight of personal beliefs and public scrutiny. The separation between these two iconic figures remains a defining feature of Pink Floyd’s later years, suggesting that this chapter may not be closed anytime soon.