Sting’s Revenge on Rod Stewart Went Far Beyond a Simple Prank

What began as a cheeky message between two rock stars eventually left Rod Stewart unable to get into his own home for three hours — and had his team talking about the police and FBI.

Sting and Stewart have maintained a famously playful but combative friendship over the years. The two musicians have traded insults, mocked each other’s talents and repeatedly turned harmless jokes into elaborate pranks. Despite the apparent friction, they have remained friends, with their rivalry largely functioning like a long-running sibling feud.

Neither, however, seems particularly willing to let the other have the last word.

A message that pushed Sting to retaliate

Sting once described Stewart as an exceptionally talented musician, while acknowledging that the pair had experienced plenty of “little contretemps” over the years.

According to Sting, their exchanges often involved messages being sent back and forth. One particular incident began when the musicians happened to travel on the same plane to America, with Sting taking the flight Stewart had used the previous day.

While on board, Sting discovered a note Stewart had left behind. It read: “Where’s your fucking sense of humour, you miserable git ‘String’?”

Rather than being offended by the insult itself, Sting was apparently more surprised that Stewart had taken the time to write it.

“A 50-year-old man sat here for half an hour and wrote me this message? I don’t believe it!” Sting recalled.

He said he did not really mind the message, but the thought that a grown man had spent so much time writing it convinced him that he needed to respond.

“So I thought, I’ve got to do something here,” Sting said.

Sting took the prank to Stewart’s front gate

With three days off, Sting decided that a simple comeback would not be enough.

One night, he went to Stewart’s home in Bel Air and attached a large industrial chain to the property’s gate. The chain was so substantial that an industrial cutter was required to remove it.

The situation quickly became more complicated.

Sting recalled that the security guards arrived and the dogs were barking, but nobody could get through the gate. After leaving the scene, he waited for Stewart to return from his gig.

When Stewart finally arrived home, he discovered that he could not get inside.

According to Sting, Stewart was locked out for three hours while someone was brought in with an industrial cutter to remove the chain.

The scale of the retaliation was considerably greater than the original offense: Stewart had left a rude note on an airplane, while Sting had effectively blocked access to his friend’s home.

The joke nearly brought in the authorities

Stewart apparently knew almost immediately who was responsible.

The following day, his agent received a call that included threats to involve the police and the FBI. But even then, Sting viewed the entire episode through the lens of their unusual friendship.

“Where’s his sense of humour?” he recalled wondering.

Still, Sting eventually softened the gesture, sending Stewart a large bunch of flowers the next day.

Stewart’s reaction was also revealing. Sting suggested that Stewart had been operating under the impression that he was “some humourless fucker,” before jokingly adding, “Maybe I am!”

For all the escalation, the incident ultimately became another chapter in the pair’s long-running musical friendship rather than a lasting feud.

Their rivalry continued on stage

Years later, Sting and Stewart would work together on “All For Love” alongside Bryan Adams, showing that their competitive banter had not damaged their professional relationship.

Their teasing continued, too. Sting once greeted Stewart with, “Where is this old tart?” Stewart quickly returned the favor with a jab of his own: “Oh, here he is, String!”

The exchange captured the peculiar dynamic that has defined their relationship for years: sharp insults, elaborate jokes and an apparent refusal to let the other man get the final word.

What started with a handwritten insult on an airplane ultimately ended with an industrial chain, a locked gate, security guards, barking dogs and the possibility of police involvement — all apparently in the name of friendship.