Shelagh Fogarty 1pm - 4pm
Madonna berates concert-goer for sitting down - only to realise they're in a wheelchair
11 March 2024, 18:17 | Updated: 11 March 2024, 18:37
Madonna apologised to a concert-goer after berating them for sitting down, when she realised they were in a wheelchair.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
In footage posted on social media, the 65-year-old singer can be seen pausing to speak to her audience in the middle of a concert at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles.
"What are you doing sitting down over there? What are you doing sitting down?" she exclaimed to one audience member.
Making her way to the edge of the stage, the Like a Virgin singer appeared to realise that the fan she singled out was sitting in a wheelchair.
Madonna quickly apologised, saying: "Oh, okay… Politically incorrect, sorry about that. I'm glad you’re here."
The video, currently viewed 3.4 million times, has sparked lively comments from TikTok users.
Many pointed out the singer saying "politically incorrect", with one commenter stating: "No girl that was just MEAN".
Madonna is singing through her 80-date worldwide The Celebration Tour, with the wheelchair incident having taken place on Thursday night.
There, she joined musical forces with Kylie Minogue for the first time.
Madonna took to Instagram, posting footage of the pair with the caption: "Couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate International Women's Day…………..Then to Sing with @kylieminogue …. On. Stage last night!!!! !! Love You Kylie!”
Commenting on the video, some social media users condemned the singer's attitude towards the fan seated in a wheelchair.
The most liked comment which criticised the singer wrote: "Telling someone in a wheelchair they should be standing up , is no f-ing class".
A second Instagram user posted: "That wheelchair moment was cringe. Do better."
However, most of the comments praised the musical duo, calling the collaboration "iconic".
The wheelchair controversy comes after the singer faced a whopping £300,000 fine for breaching strict curfew rules on a performance in the London, in October 2023.
After a series of tech errors, the Material Girl singer was forced to push back the show’s start time.
The concert was due to finish at 10:30pm but ran over until 11pm when it was suddenly cut short - meaning she missed out on four tracks on her setlist.
The O2 Arena has a strict curfew policy in place which dictates that events must finish by 11pm Monday-Saturday and by 10:30pm on Sundays.
Despite cutting the show short, forcing her to omit fan favourites such as Like a Virgin and Celebration, the star’s show still overran by 30 minutes.
Due to a deal struck between venue operators AEG and Transport for London, there is a £10,000 fine for every minute an event runs over the curfew, according to The Sun.
Luckily for Madonna, the curfew for the wider Greenwich borough wasn’t broken, as a spokesperson told Metro: "We have looked into the reports regarding the concert. We do not intend to investigate as the performance did not breach any Council rules."