History is a messy thing. Most people look at the Lennon family and see a soap opera scripted by the 1970s British press. You’ve got the “forgotten” first son and the “doted-on” second son. It’s a narrative that basically paints Julian Lennon and Sean Lennon as permanent rivals, frozen in time at the Dakota or a Kenwood estate.
But honestly? That version of the story is dead.
If you’ve been paying attention lately—especially with the massive archival projects and the 2025 Grammy win for the Mind Games box set—you’d see a very different reality. The bond between Julian Lennon and Sean Lennon isn't just some PR stunt to sell records. It’s a deep, protective friendship that has survived decades of legal drama, inheritance battles, and the kind of public scrutiny that would break most people.
The Myth of the Lennon Feud
For years, the tabloids fed us a specific diet of conflict. We heard about Julian having to buy back his own childhood letters at auction because the estate wouldn't give them to him. We heard about the $25 million settlement after a 16-year legal battle over John's $800 million fortune.
It was ugly.
But here is the thing: Julian has been incredibly vocal about separating his feelings for the "Estate" from his feelings for his brother. Back in 2022, Julian called Sean his "best mate." They talk daily. Not "assistant-to-the-manager" talk. Real brother talk.
Why the "Get Back" Documentary Changed Everything
When Peter Jackson released the Get Back series a few years ago, something shifted. Julian and Sean watched it together. Julian admitted it made him fall in love with his father again. He saw the "goofy bugger" he remembered from his earliest years before things, as he put it, "went pear-shaped."
Watching that footage with Sean wasn't just a movie night. It was a communal processing of trauma.
Two Different Paths to the Same Legacy
Sean Lennon has taken the reins as the primary custodian of the John Lennon music catalog. Just this year, he won a Grammy for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package for the Mind Games Ultimate Collection. He’s deep in the trenches of the archive.
Julian, meanwhile, has always been a bit of an outsider to the "Apple" inner circle. He’s said it’s sometimes "uncomfortable" because Sean wants to tell him secrets about upcoming Beatles projects—like the Sam Mendes biopics—but legally he often can’t.
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- Sean’s Approach: Immersive, archival, and deeply involved in the New York art world.
- Julian’s Approach: Multidisciplinary—photography, philanthropy with the White Feather Foundation, and a more "love-hate" relationship with the music (remember his 2022 album Jude?).
Julian basically spent his life running from the shadow, while Sean was born right in the center of it. Yet, they ended up in the same place.
The Mallorca Road Trip and Modern Brotherhood
A few years ago, the brothers took a road trip through Mallorca. Just the two of them. No cameras, no press releases. They posted a few selfies, looking strikingly like different eras of their father. Sean looks like the late-60s "Revolution" John; Julian looks like the 1964 "A Hard Day's Night" John.
It’s kind of eerie.
But the most telling moment was when they attended the premiere of Get Back together. Julian was hesitant. Sean was adamant. They went as a team. That’s the keyword: Team.
Managing the Estate in 2026
As of early 2026, the Lennon Estate is leaning heavily into tech. Sean and his team, including Simon Hilton, are working on the One to One concert remix and a virtual "Escape to Nutopia" experience. While Julian isn't the one signing the checks for these projects, his presence is felt in the respectful way the history is being handled now. There is less of the "Yoko vs. Cynthia" energy and more of a "Lennon Brothers" era.
What You Can Do Next
If you really want to understand the nuance of their relationship, stop looking at 1980 and start looking at now.
- Listen to Julian's album Jude: It’s his most honest attempt to reclaim the song Paul McCartney wrote for him during his parents' divorce.
- Explore the Mind Games Ultimate Collection: See the level of detail Sean is putting into preserving their father's "human" side—the puzzles, the hidden tracks, and the raw takes.
- Follow their social media, not the headlines: They often post old photos of each other that show a side of the family the history books missed.
The story of Julian Lennon and Sean Lennon is a reminder that you can't choose your family, but you can choose to be friends with them. They’ve moved past the litigation and the "who-got-what." They’re just two brothers trying to figure out how to be men while the whole world looks at them and sees a ghost.