An awkward moment for the pop icon.
Madonna is on the receiving end of a lot of criticism online for calling out a fan at her show in LA for sitting down, not realising that the person was in a wheelchair.
The embarrassing moment was captured on camera by another concert attendee, and has been shared multiple times on Twitter since the show on Friday night.
In the clip, Madonna points at the fan and shouts: “What are you doing sitting down over there? What are you doing sitting down?”
The crowd quietens to hear the exchange, and the 65-year-old performer moves closer to the edge of the stage to get a better look at the fan she is referring to.
She obviously then clocks the wheelchair as she says: “Oh okay, politically incorrect, sorry about that. I’m glad you’re here.”
Madonna questions fan for sitting down during her show then finds out they’re on a wheelchair:
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) March 9, 2024
“Oh okay, politically incorrect, sorry about that. I’m glad you’re here.” pic.twitter.com/oezHxfjrFn
People have been quick to ridicule the Like A Prayer singer for being so quick to judge a member of the audience and that she would be better off just focusing on her own performance rather than on what’s happening in the crowd.
One X user wrote: “But is it an offense to sit down during a show though? Like what if I feel tired?”.
Another pointed out that Madonna is known for showing up late to her shows: “Her fan base is old. They had a long day before this. And you know she started late.”
One other person commented: “Ok you shouldn’t be calling people out for sitting down anyways. She’s not the queen of England. Some people are tired or have conditions where they need to sit. You want them to leave altogether?”
Others defended the star, highlighting the fact that she immediately apologised and moved on when she realised her mistake: “She acknowledged she was wrong and apologised,” they said.
“How is she weird? She wants her fans to stand up and enjoy the show during that particular performance. Stop trying to make Madonna look bad.
“Isn’t it exhausting always trying to find something?”
Another wrote: “Can you not leave her alone?! We all know that she is the greatest artist of our generation – a visionary.”
The Vogue trend-setter is currently on her The Celebrations Tour, which began on Saturday 14 October in London, and is now wrapping up with a final set of dates in Los Angeles.
It’s not the first time this year that Madonna has caught headlines for disagreements with her fans. In January, she was sued by two fans after allegedly starting a concert more than two hours later than scheduled.
The accusers were angered at Madonna’s decision to not take to the stage at the Brooklyn’s Barclays Center until 22:45 on Wednesday, December 13, 2023 – two-and-a-quarter hours after the scheduled 20.30 start time.
