Daryl Hall Files Restraining Order Against His Hall & Oates Bandmate John Oates

Daryl Hall, John Oates. Getty Images (2)

The musical duo Hall & Oates, consisting of Daryl Hall and John Oates, is currently involved in a legal dispute that has led to a restraining order being issued.

On Thursday, November 16, Hall, 77, filed an undisclosed complaint and a motion for a temporary restraining order against Oates, 75. The court approved the motion the next day, but little information about the lawsuit is publicly available due to sealed court documents.

Hall & Oates formed in 1970 and released a total of 18 studio albums, achieving six No. 1 singles such as “Maneater” and “Rich Girl.” The duo most recently toured together in October 2022 and last released an album, Home for Christmas, in 2006. However, during an appearance on Bill Maher’s “Club Random” podcast in September 2022, Hall downplayed his creative partnership with Oates, stating "He’s my business partner. He’s not my creative partner. John and I are brothers, but we are not creative brothers. We are business partners. We made records called Hall & Oates together, but we’ve always been very separate, and that’s a really important thing for me.”

Hall used the duo's 1980 No. 1 hit "Kiss on My List" as an example of their lack of creative collaboration, stating that he had done all the harmonies on the track.

Despite their differences, Hall stressed that he and Oates were still on good terms, emphasizing that they were not in any way acrimonious and that they were still friends. He mentioned that they just had different directions since around 1975.

One month later, Hall shared more insight into his dynamic with Oates during an interview with Goldmine magazine.

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“We have completely different personalities. One of the reasons we became friends is that, despite being opposites, we somehow get along. I am very aggressive, and he is not,” said Hall. “He’s a very passive, laissez-faire kind of guy, and it serves him well. I think that perhaps he leads a happier life than mine because of it — certainly a less tempestuous life than I’ve lived, so it’s good for him.”

Oates, on the other hand, said in a July interview with UltimateGuitar.com that he didn’t think he and Hall would ever make another record together: “I’d never say no to anything, but I doubt it. I think Daryl and I have moved beyond it, I really do. The future of Hall & Oates is in the past.”