Paul McCartney recently spoke out about Yoko Ono’s “interference” during recording sessions and the contemptuous theory that she broke up the Beatles.

As all fans know, Ono and John Lennon Married in 1969. The infamous rock band parted ways the following year—though legal battles technically kept them together until 1974. For decades, people have blamed Ono for the demise. Lennon spoke on the topic during a recent installment of his podcast McCartney: A Life in Lyrics. And he explained that the band was already “heading towards” the split when Ono came into the picture. But he did admit that she caused some “interference.” 

“John and Yoko had got together, and that was bound to have an effect on the dynamics of the group,” he told poet Paul Muldoon.

McCartney explained that Ono would show up for recording sessions while they were working on The White Album. Because Lennon wanted her there, the rest of the bandmates thought, “there’s no reason why not,” so they “dealt” with it. But it secretly bothered everyone. 

“We would allow this and not make a fuss,” he shared. “And yet at the same time, I don’t think any of us particularly liked it. It was an interference in the workplace. We had a way we worked. The four of us worked with George Martin. And that was basically it. And we’d always done it like that. So not being very confrontational, I think we just bottled it up and just got on with it.”

Paul McCartney Didn’t ‘Instigate’ The Beatles Breakup 

Paul McCartney later explained that he himself didn’t “instigate the split.” He recalled John Lennon walking into a room one day and saying he was done. He also noted that George Harrison and Ringo Starr ultimately wanted out, too. He did admit that Lennon’s decision had something to do with his wife, but not entirely. Lennon always wanted a more secure life, and Yoko Ono was simply able to give that to him.

“The point of it really was that John was making a new life with Yoko,” McCartney said. “John had always wanted to sort of break loose from society because, you know, he was brought up by his Aunt Mimi, who was quite repressive, so he was always looking to break loose.”

John Lennon continued to record solo albums after leaving the Beatles. He also recorded with his wife after leaving the Beatles. One of his most famous post-Beatles projects was Imagine, which he released in 1971. Lennon and Ono remained married until Lennon’s murder On December 8, 1980. He would have turned 83 on October 9.