Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Madonna claims she is victim of sexism over suggestions she performed drunk

The singer believes similar claims would never be made about a man 

Heather Saul
Tuesday 19 January 2016 09:49 EST
Comments
Madonna performs at the O2 as part of her 'Rebel Heart' world tour
Madonna performs at the O2 as part of her 'Rebel Heart' world tour (Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

As the Queen of Pop, Madonna is never far from dubious headlines in gossip sites and tabloids.

But some are starting to prove more tiresome than others, and the singer has hit out at the sexism she claims she continues to receive after a joke she made on stage led to suggestions she was performing drunk.

Madonna joked about planning to drink during her next gig, which was swiftly followed by speculation over whether she was drunk during her performance in Louisville, in Kentucky.

An article on the entertainment website TMZ suggested she was “a lil’ trashed” and quoted an audience member as describing her as “very drunk”. In a furious response on Instagram, Madonna said the same comments would not be made about a man.

“My show is two hours and 15 minutes of non-stop singing and dancing,” Madonna wrote. “In Louisville, I made a joke about doing a stand comedy act dressed as a clown and being able to drink alcohol.

"It’s so very interesting how society continues to not only treat me in a totally sexist way (if I were a man no one would have said a thing) and also continue to take everything I say literally! That's what happens when people don't read books and get all [their] information from TMZ.”

Madonna also reacted angrily to the agesim she was subjected to after falling at the Brit awards in 2015, claiming the jokes made at her expense were an example of the sexism still inherent in society.

“No one would dare to say a degrading remark about being black or dare to say a degrading remark on Instagram about someone being gay,” she said at the time.

“But my age – anybody and everybody would say something degrading to me. And I always think to myself, why is that accepted? What's the difference between that and racism, or any discrimination? They're judging me by my age. I don't understand. I'm trying to get my head around it. Because women, generally, when they reach a certain age, have accepted that they're not allowed to behave a certain way.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in