Pharrell Williams Says He and Neptunes Collaborator Chad Hugo Are Not on Speaking Terms After Lawsuit

Pharrell Williams and his friend and business partner Chad Hugo are no longer close after a lawsuit over the name of the music duo, The Neptunes.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter ahead of his new LEGO-animated documentary Piece by pieceWilliams, 51, acknowledged that the trademark challenge Hugo, 50, filed in federal court in March has put a strain on their decades-long friendship.

“I always wish him the best,” said the “Frontin'” artist when asked by a reporter how he and Hugo are currently.

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Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams of the Neptunes in New York in August 2003.

Johnny Nunez/WireImage

The two collaborators met in seventh grade before forming The Neptunes, where they produced many hits together including Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl,” Nelly’s “Hot in Herre” and Justin’s ” ” Timberlake’s Rock Your Body” in the 2000s.

In 2022, they were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

However, earlier this year, Hugo’s lawyers claimed that the “Happy” artist “knowingly and intentionally” filed trademark applications for his band NERD, his Miami hotel Goodtime Hotel and more without consulting Hugo, despite being ” fully aware” that his partner should are listed as co-owners.

Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams involved in a legal dispute over the name Neptune

“Throughout their more than 30-year history, [Hugo] and Williams agreed to, and in effect, split all the assets,” Hugo’s attorney, Kenneth D. Freundlich, wrote in the filing. “By ignoring and excluding [Hugo] from any and all applications filed by applicant for the trademark ‘The Neptunes’, applicant has committed trademark fraud and acted in bad faith.”

When asked by the media if the former colleagues are currently discussing a deal, Williams said they are not.

“No. But I love him and I always wish him the best and I’m very grateful for the time we spent together,” he said.

Pharrell Williams at TIFF in Toronto on September 7, 2024.

Robin Marchant/Getty

Despite their legal differences, Williams said THR in which Hugo appears Piece by piece where he expresses his own character.

The documentary directed by Morgan Neville tells the life story of the singer and producer through LEGO pieces. Stefani, 54, Kendrick Lamar and JAY-Z also voice their characters.

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“I released Morgan as a DJ. I let him figure out what parts of the story he wanted to tell. He really shaped the direction of the storytelling,” Williams said, talking about how the artists were chosen to appear in the film after working with so many of them throughout his career.

Piece by piece was recently screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, where the usually private Williams admitted he was “on the fence” about having his wife Helen Lasichanh and their family in the film.

“I surrendered everything [Neville]so I followed his lead,” he told PEOPLE /Entertainment Weekly entourage at the festival. “He’s the director, right? So we followed his lead. It was great. I’d like to keep my private life private, but this was a moment where it was just, ‘No, let me drive Morgan. He sees something which I do not see.’ And he did.”

Piece by piece it’s in theaters on October 11.

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Source: HIS Education