John Oates is sharing his side of the story over his legal battle with longtime creative partner Daryl Hall.
Last year, Hall filed a lawsuit against Oates alleging Oates attempted to sell his share of their jointly owned company, Whole Oats Enterprises, without Hall’s permission.
During an interview with Michael Strahan, which was aired on Good Morning America, Oates explained the reason why he wanted to sell.
“When this whole situation got mired in legality and really complex legal wranglings, I got frustrated,” he said. “And I said, ‘You know what? Daryl has always wanted to be his own man.’ I said, ‘I’m gonna give him the opportunity to do that. If I sell my half, he can either, you know, he can do what he wants.'”
Hall added he “wasn’t happy” and decided it was time for him to “step aside,” sharing, “It’s not that big a deal. But Daryl didn’t like the idea that I would sell to a certain third party.”
Reflecting on their partnership, Oates shared he and Hall had not worked together creatively in over 20 years.
“The only thing we did together was play concerts where we just went out there and trotted out the hits,” he said.
When Strahan inquired if Hall & Oates would ever perform together again, Oates answered, “Not from my point of view, but you need to ask Daryl how he feels about it.”
Despite their differences and the legal trouble, Oates said he still loves Hall like a brother.
In his message to Hall, Oates said, “I love you like a brother, if I’m talking to him directly, but you know what? Brothers have disagreements, families grow apart … I would say, I wish him the best. I hope that he has everything he wants in life.”
ABC News has reached out to Hall for comment but has yet to hear back.
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