Madonna slams fan in wheelchair for ‘sitting down’ — then apologizes

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Madonna is catching heat online after she was captured scolding a concertgoer for not standing during a recent show, only to learn the person was in a wheelchair.

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“What are you doing sitting down over there?” Madonna yelled to the fan, pointing into a cheering crowd at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. As she marched towards the concertgoer, she asked: “What are you doing sitting down?”

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When she noticed the fan was in a wheelchair, the Queen of Pop immediately realized her mistake. “Oh, OK. Politically incorrect, sorry about that. I’m glad you’re here.”

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Fans immediately chastised the singer on social media as the clip made the rounds on X and TikTok.

“Does it matter if they’re sitting or standing? they paid for the ticket and took the time to be there? Isn’t that enough???” one user wrote, adding a shrugging emoji.

“Lots of people need to sit down who don’t use wheelchairs, too. This is honestly just gross, ableist behaviour,” another fan snarled. “Appreciate that the person purchased a ticket and came to see you!”

“As a Madonna fan and I person who will likely end up using a wheelchair in the future due to balance issues; I am highly disappointed. Some people fail to realize that disabilities come in many different ways. Just shameful,” a third person lamented as another added: “She should just be glad fans still care enough to buy a ticket and make an effort to be there.”

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“Politically incorrect isn’t it either. Ableism. If I paid for a seat, I’ll do what I want sit or stand. Concerts are exhausting, hot, etc. nothing wrong with a break. I’m not a fan so I would never buy her tickets. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t be anymore,” another person shared (via Fox News).

One person, who had already seen the show elsewhere on her tour, said the mishap was a result of a moment during the concert when the singer asks for crowd participation. “I’ve been to the show. There’s a part where during the show she asks everyone to stand up. It’s not about who’s sitting/standing during the entire show. Just 1 section she asks for participation. And this time she embarrassed herself,” they wrote.

During another Los Angeles show, Madonna told the crowd she was “near death” after she came down with a “serious bacterial infection” last summer that delayed her Celebration Tour.

“I’m pretty sure that God was saying to me, ‘Wanna come with us? Wanna come with me? Wanna go this way?’ And I said, ‘No! No!’” she recalled.

Madonna’s Celebration Tour wraps in Miami next month.

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