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In this column, Regan discusses celebrity drama and controversies.
The most famous girls at the waffle house: A deep dive into the lana del rey and ethel cain feud
The most famous girls at the waffle house: A deep dive into the lana del rey and ethel cain feud
By Regan Snyder
By Regan Snyder
American singer-songwriter Lana del Rey is no stranger to public controversy. Despite her popularity and prolific impact on the music industry, her romanticization of old Americana and portrayals of domestic abuse in her work have put her in hot water on numerous occasions. However, as of late, she has nosedived into a new controversy, sparked by a recent inflammatory Instagram post.
On Aug. 13, 2025, del Rey posted a reel on Instagram titled “Track 13”, showing fans a sneak peek of a song on her upcoming album. This clip, loaded with venom, seemed to belong to a diss track, with lines claiming “Ethel Cain hated my Instagram post/think it’s cute reenacting my Chicago pose”, as well as references the title “The most famous girl at the Waffle House”. Despite the target of this track being clearly named, Taylor Swift fans rushed to the scene, concerned that the diss was aimed at Taylor. On the same day, Taylor’s new album, “The Life of a Showgirl”, was announced. This, coupled with the title “Track 13”, 13 being Taylor’s lucky number, led fans to raise eyebrows. Lana was quick to clarify herself. On Aug. 14, she posted, “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.” With the track officially dedicated to Ethel Cain, fans were quick to string together the details of their feud.
Ethel Cain, real name Hayden Silas Anhedönia, is an Indie musician known for her Southern Gothic style of music. Her old Americana aesthetic and melancholy sound has led her to be compared to Lana del Rey throughout her career. However, Cain has been quick to disagree. In fact, in 2022, Cain removed all mentions of del Rey from her Wikipedia account, leading some to question whether or not she had a vendetta against her. Others have brought up Cain's opposition to the glamorization of American aesthetics, given her experience growing up in a low-income environment, where the idea of the American dream weighed on her heavily. In an interview with Hero Magazine, Cain said, “For me, the American dream is not real, and if it is, it’s built on the backs of all the people who never see any profit.”
Image of Lana del Rey (left) and Ethel Cain (right) posing with Jack Donahue, credits to India Times
Beyond artistic comparisons, the two also share a connection through the musician Jack Donahue. Jack Donahue, a member of the band Salem, dated Lana del Rey from 2022 to 2024. In July of 2022, del Rey posted a picture of her and Donahue standing side by side in front of the Cook County Jail in Chicago, a photo that would be dubbed the iconic “Chicago pose”. A couple of days later, Cain posted a photo of herself and Donahue in a similar pose, sparking confusion and accusations. Cain’s post was soon deleted, but it left fans wondering whether or not she meant to copy Lana. Lana del Rey seemed to think so, clearly referencing this event in “Track 13's line “think it’s cute reenacting my Chicago post.”
Spectators also put together that the line “The most famous girl at the Waffle House” was a direct reference to Ethel Cain’s 2022 interview with The New York Times, which was titled “Ethel Cain is the Most Famous Girl at the Waffle House”. Interestingly enough, in 2023, a video surfaced of del Rey working a shift at a Waffle House in Florence, Alabama. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, del Rey claimed that a visit with her siblings to the Waffle House had resulted in the staff offering them uniforms. Lana and her siblings were thrilled to oblige. Despite this antic being seemingly spur of the moment, many fans wondered whether or not she was purposefully mimicking Ethel Cain. Having sold over 41 million albums in contrast to Cain’s 39,000 sold albums, del Rey certainly made sure she was the “most famous girl at the Waffle House”.
Image of Lana del Rey working at the Waffle House, credits to KFOR
More complicated than the “Chicago Pose” and Waffle House debacle were del Rey’s claims of Ethel Cain body shaming her. Fans scoured the internet for proof, but largely came up blank. The only post found was a now-deleted GIF of Peter Griffin dancing, captioned with lyrics from Lana del Rey’s song “Peppers”. Others pointed out that, despite the lack of current evidence, fatphobia would not be out of line with Cain’s past digital footprint. Recently, many of Cain’s 2017 Twitter posts have resurfaced, showcasing racial slurs, xenophobia, fatphobia, and a sexual assault joke. According to USA Today, as of July 9, 2025, Cain has responded to these posts, taking full accountability and issuing an apology. According to her, “After moving out of my parents' house, I fell into a subculture online that prioritized garnering attention at all costs”. In her own words, she “intended to be as inflammatory and controversial as possible”. She ended her statement by saying, "At the end of the day, I am white, so while I can take accountability for my actions, there's no way for me to fully understand the way it feels to be on the receiving end of them. All I can say is that I am truly sorry from the bottom of my heart, to anyone who read it then and to anyone reading it now. Any way you feel about me moving forward is valid.” Many of her supporters applauded Cain for her authentic and sincere apology, while many Lana del Rey fans cited her past indiscretions as evidence for Lana’s claims.
Following del Rey’s “Track 13” post, it wasn’t long until other celebrities were drawn into the messy feud. Two days after del Rey’s post, Nicki Minaj got involved, posting on X, “I’ve been singing ‘Ethel Cain hated my Instagram post’ all morning. Help!!!!...HELP MEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m sure Ethel Cain is a nice person. *hums the melody again and drifts off into this somber state whilst looking off into the horizon.” Despite her post clearly showing her support for Lana, she also claimed to not know much about Ethel Cain. Largely, her post expressed her interest in the music, not necessarily in the drama. Azalea Banks, American rapper and singer, joined the fray much more antagonistically, posting on X, “Everyone ganging up on Ethel Cain is transphobic.” This statement was rebuked by many of Lana’s supporters. However, many of Cain’s fans were quick to point out the amount of hate speech directed towards Cain’s transgender identity in the wake of the body shaming allegations. Some Cain supporters pointed towards Lana del Rey’s problematic, alligator tour guide husband, Jeremy Dufrene. In 2021, Dufrene reposted an image on Facebook of a person brutally beaten with the caption “That look on your face when you decided to use the same bathroom as my daughter!!” Amid claims of transphobia, Dufrene clarified on Instagram that he has “nothing against gays or trans people” and “The photo I put up was of a man that went into a women’s bathroom not a trans.” Despite this statement, many Cain supporters continued to believe that Lana and her husband shared transphobic beliefs and felt that the feud was largely a bigoted smear campaign against Ethel.
Heated and emotionally charged, the Lana del Rey and Ethel Cain feud has been a groundbreaking affair for the sad Indie girlies. With the drama far from resolved, fans of both musicians are awaiting updates with bated breath. With evidence on the side of both artists, it is highly unlikely that this feud will result in a clear winner. Most likely, tension between Lana del Rey and Ethel Cain will persist, and their fan war will rage for the foreseeable future.
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