Have Tom Hanks and Henry Winkler really been locked in a decades-long feud?
Rumors about bad blood between the two actors have been swirling for years, but neither of them have directly addressed the speculation. Even when Winkler discussed his history with Hanks in a May 2024 interview, he kept his answer coy.
During an appearance on the “How to Fail” podcast at the time, Winkler said he was fired from directing Hanks in the 1989 movie Turner & Hooch despite doing “11 weeks of preparation.”
“We were in Carmel, this little seaside wonderful town on the coast of California, looking for a location and a woman comes, honest to God, comes running out of a shop and says, ‘Henry, Fonz! Oh, my God!’ and I say, ‘And of course you know Tom Hanks,’” he recalled. “The director of photography, when I was fired 13 days into filming said, ‘I knew that this was going to happen, on that day in Carmel.’”
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Keep scrolling for a complete timeline of Hanks and Winkler’s drama over the years.
The ‘Turner & Hooch’ Fiasco
Winkler was fired from the Turner & Hooch set. During his “How to Fail” podcast appearance, the Happy Days alum recalled initially telling Disney that he was “not sure [he’s] the right guy” to direct the project.
“But your ego gets involved. The head of Disney? You want to direct. A feature film! Oh, my God!” Winkler said. “Another lesson I’ve learned: When your instinct knows to turn around and go the other way, do not second guess yourself. Your instinct knows everything, and your head knows a little bit.”
The movie, which was released in 1989, would have been Winkler’s second directing project, but Roger Spottiswoode took over after his firing.
Hinting at Drama With Hanks
“Let’s just say I got along better with Hooch than I did with Turner,” Winkler said during a 1993 interview with People.
Dodging the Question
When Winkler was a guest on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen in October 2019, a caller asked about the feud. The actor cupped his hand over his ear, pretending he didn’t hear the question before saying he “got along great, great with that dog” and joking, “I don’t even remember the title of that movie.”
There Was No Feud
Winkler shut down the speculation while talking with TMZ in January 2020.
“I don’t have a feud with Tom Hanks,” he said. “What everybody says and what is true are two different things.”
A ‘Cordial’ Interaction
Winkler said things were “cordial” between himself and Hanks in June 2022.
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“I ran into Tom and Rita [Wilson] at an award show just before the pandemic, and it was very warm,” he said on SiriusXM’s Radio Andy.
Ron Howard Gets Involved
The famed director said both Hanks and Winkler have spoken to him about their issues.
“It was just one of those unfortunate things where they really had a working style that did not fit,” Howard told The Guardian in October 2023. “It’s been a lot of years, two men with a lot of water under the bridge.”
Seemingly Shading Hanks
The closest Winkler ever got to actually confirming the feud was on “How to Fail” in May 2024.
“I did 11 weeks of preparation. I knew this dog, this slobbery mastiff and I became friends. The star did not become my friend,” Winkler said of Turner & Hooch. When asked whether he meant Hanks, Winkler quipped, “I probably do.”
