Dee Snider and Kelly Osbourne got locked into a war of words after Kelly accused the Twister Sister vocalist of diminishing her late father’s musical contributions.
- READ MORE: Ozzy Osbourne, 1948-2025: culture-smashing revolutionary that redefined rock and reality TV
The spat kicked off on social media earlier this week, seemingly triggered by Snider suggesting that Ozzy’s songwriting contributions were overstated on the credits of his solo and Black Sabbath material.
When a fan brought up Motörhead‘s Lemmy, who is credited with co-writing a number of songs on Ozzy’s 1991 ‘No More Tears’ album, including ‘I Don’t Want to Change the World’, ‘Mama, I’m Coming Home’ and ‘Hellraiser’, Snider wrote: “I know too much about the truth behind the scenes. Let’s just say that [Osbourne’s wife and longtime manager] Sharon doesn’t like to share.”
Another user later said bassist Bob Daisley had written a “load” for Ozzy before being fired in the early ’80s, to which Snider responded: “A load? How about ALL the lyrics? Ozzy always had bass players write his lyrics. [Black Sabbath bassist] @geezerbutler wrote ALL of @BlackSabbath lyrics. Daisley wrote lyrics for the first two solo albums (I’m pretty sure he was paid to write on other records but not credited) & Lemmy wrote lyrics.”
“A load”? How about ALL the lyrics? Ozzy always had bass players write his lyrics. @geezerbutler wrote ALL of @BlackSabbath lyrics. Daisley wrote lyrics for the first two solo albums (I’m pretty sure he was paid to write on other records but not credited) & Lemmy wrote lyrics. https://t.co/yRTF19ro4w
— Dee Snider🇺🇸🎤 (@deesnider) August 12, 2026
Ozzy’s daughter, Kelly Osbourne, then made a series of lengthy posts of her own in response. In a now-expired Instagram Story, she appeared to address Snider without naming him, writing: “My father’s legacy as a musician, songwriter, singer and bandleader speaks for itself.
“His friends, those who worked with him, those who loved him and millions of fans around the world that still continue to buy his records know exactly what he meant, what he contributed and what he leaves behind. His legacy will live on eternally.”
She then followed up with a post explicitly calling out the ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ singer, saying: “Your last hit … not to age myself was the year I was born over 40 years ago.”
“There’s something spectacularly classless about Dee Snider trying to diminish my father Ozzy Osbourne and his extraordinary abilities and achievements when he’s no longer here to challenge his allegations,” she wrote. “Particularly when Snider cannot claim to know the private reality of my father’s life simply by looking in from the outside or from hearsay from a delusional man with a vendetta against my father, when to the best of my knowledge they were maybe in the same room once if even at all.”
“And if Snider wants to invite comparisons between their careers, that comparison is devastating enough on its own,” she added.
Dee Snider and Kelly Osbourne Clash Over Ozzy’s Legacy
A heated exchange has erupted between Dee Snider and Kelly Osbourne following comments Snider made about Ozzy Osbourne and the behind-the-scenes history of his music.
Snider claimed he knows “the truth behind the scenes”… pic.twitter.com/qgLKPx3vap
— THIS DAY IN METAL (@ThisDayInMETAL) August 14, 2026
She went on to compare their respective careers, nodding to Ozzy’s towering influence over heavy metal, which she said would “continue to influence generations long after all of us are gone”, while “the music industry moved on from Snider’s commercial peak decades ago”.
Snider tried to clear the air on Friday (August 14) once their back-and-forth exchange caused much discussion online, writing, “And again. To be clear, I HAVE NOTHING BUT LOVE FOR OZZY. He was always lovely to me. @BlackSabbath changed my life! As a songwriter I can be a little touchy about credit and royalties.”
The next day, he addressed Kelly, the music press “and all the rest of you idiots who confuse apples with oranges” to insist he thought “Ozzy Osbourne was a metal god, icon, legend, game changer & a really great guy (honored to have known him). NONE OF THAT CHANGES WHO WROTE HIS LYRICS!”
Back in February, Twisted Sister were forced to cancel their planned tour with Snider at the helm, as they revealed the frontman had been suffering from degenerative arthritis for several years. He will be replaced by Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach on the band’s upcoming 50th anniversary run of shows.
