A press war raged, particularly after Garrick returned to Drury Lane after having vowed (according to Macklin) to act only in concert with the other rebel players. Clive defended herself in the pamphlet The Case of Mrs. Clive (1744).
With this disclosure, earlier assertions that Clive was greedy, vain, and jealous gained new currency, and overshadowed her eventual return to Drury Lane. An illustrated ballad of 1746 pretended to report on a ‘Scuffle’ in the green room between the male supporters of Clive and rival comedienne Peg Woffington, and that same year Susannah Cibber published subtly insulting reports about Clive.