Boy George Doesn’t ‘Hate’ Ex Jon Moss Nearly a Year After Bitter Legal Dispute with Former Bandmate (Exclusive)

When it comes to Boy George and his former bandmate and lover, Jon Moss, it’s complicated.

The singer-songwriter and the former drummer in ’80s sensations Culture Club had a tumultuous relationship when the band first ventured into the pop world.

Moss was alongside George in the band – and out – in those early days, inspiring hits like “Time (Clock of the Heart)” and “White Boys Can’t Control It”. (The singer says “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?” was inspired by rocker Kirk Brandon.)

Then, four decades after their relationship ended and their working relationship faltering at times, the band broke up — and ended up in court.

Roy Hay, Mikey Craig, Jon Moss and Boy George at the Culture Club in Hollywood in June 2016.

Noel Vasquez/Getty

Moss wanted out of the band – which has been touring in recent years – and the legal case came to a head at a difficult time for the singer. In March 2023, Moss claimed the Culture Club name was worth $44.5 million. The band said $955,000. The case was settled for $2.3 million, George writes. He pays it off gradually.

“Jon sued me by serving me court papers on my doorstep. To add insult to injury, it was just days after Mom died. His timing seemed cruel,” George writes in his memoir, karma.

The singer tells PEOPLE, “The lawsuit is still ongoing, in terms of dealing with the fallout. It’s still ongoing. In the last year, Jon has caused me a lot of pain and misery.”

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But, George adds, he doesn’t “hate” him. “I don’t wish him harm. If someone pushes me, I’ll get mad at Jon, but generally my feelings for him are pretty peaceful. I just choose not to feel that way about him because it’s not good for me,” she admits.

“The past was very exciting. And there were a lot of beautiful things about it. And that’s as important to think about as anything else.”

Boy George photographed at the end of last year.

Dean Socks

George, 62, believes Moss never liked being on tour.

“I’m actually relaxing being on tour and being on stage,” the singer laughs. “I find I’m less stressed in that situation than when I’m sitting and talking to you or when I have to deal with domestic things at home.”

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He continues, “I like to travel and I like to be in hotels. I like to be on tour. I could probably be on tour all year. I mean, I’m a rock and roll guy. That’s really where I want to be and the other things that I do is just in a way I facilitate that freedom.”

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Culture club in August 1983.

Michael Putland/Getty

Adding that the Jon thing is “sad” and “disappointing,” Boy George quips in his signature sharp-witted way that he “got a couple of good songs out of it, so he showed up, you know? Not in an obsessive way.”

One is called “Dirty Little Limited Company,” “which is more about business stuff,” he says. “And then I have another song called ‘Watching the Lotus Bleed,’ which is more about the fact that with this lawsuit and the band with him, we have this long-standing weird contract that he’s in my life, in a way that I’d rather it’s not.”

For more on Boy George’s life and an excerpt from his new memoir, pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere Friday.

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Source: HIS Education