It should have been a triumphant return to the MTV Video Music Awards stage. Twenty-three years after she shared that infamous on-stage kiss with Britney Spears, Madonna was back, opening the show.
But where once her on-stage antics drew praise and gasps in almost equal measure, the dominant emotion engendered by her ten-minute medley of songs on Sunday night was concern.
The opening act wasn’t short of star power. The 68-year-old Queen of Pop was joined for her rendition of tracks from her latest album, Confessions II, by pop princesses Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX.
The set also featured cameos by longtime best friend Debi Mazar and actress Julia Garner, who was once slated to portray Madge in her now shuttered biopic.
But their dazzling performances couldn’t distract from the extent to which Madonna’s own wattage appears to have dimmed. Jerky movements, obvious physical ailments – her left knee was heavily strapped – and fan allegations of lip-syncing made for an on-stage showing that was a far cry from the electrifying performances for which she set the bar in her heyday.
From a joke that fell flat that saw her announce she needed to remove a prop laser from her ‘a**’ to uncertainty as to what award she was even receiving when stepping up to accept Best Dance – though with seven awards she was the biggest winner of the night – there was just one question on everyone’s lips: Is Madonna okay?
The 68-year-old Queen of Pop was joined for her rendition of tracks at the VMAs by pop princess Charli XCX
The performance and cameos couldn’t distract from the extent to which Madonna’s own wattage appears to have dimmed
She was a far cry from the electrifying performances for which she set the bar in her heyday
Now, sources close to the singer have told the Daily Mail, the truth is: ‘She is having everyone around her tell her to actually slow down. She says she has more energy than ever, but her family and friends are saying, “Take it easy.”‘
Instead, the source revealed, the singer is ‘showing signs of wanting to hit the road’ on tour for her new album, in spite of friends and family’s concerns.
Indeed, for those in her inner circle, her chaotic night at this year’s VMAs was just another worrying incident that signals how the notorious control freak just won’t – or can’t – slow down.
Concern for the pop icon’s health has grown in recent years, especially after she revealed last year in a podcast interview with Jay Shetty that she was hospitalized in 2023 for sepsis, a harrowing experience that left her unconscious for four days, on a ventilator and placed in an ‘induced coma for 48 hours.’
At the time, her longtime manager Guy Oseary issued a statement that she was ‘rushed to hospital and intubated after being found unresponsive.’
While he said a full recovery was expected, many feared for the singer who had a 40th anniversary tour planned.
Madonna’s condition was so serious that her relatives were ‘preparing for the worst,’ a family member told the Daily Mail in the days after her hospitalization.
Her tour was indeed postponed, and Madonna reflected on her ‘near-death’ experience during her first show in 2024.
‘I’m pretty sure that was God saying to me, “Do you want to come? Want to come up with me?”‘ she recalled, to which she said, ‘No!’
‘I would call in every other day and ask [my doctor] why I didn’t have any energy, when was my energy going to come back? When was I going to feel like myself again? When can I go on tour again?’ she added.
Close sources told the Daily Mail that the singer is ‘showing signs of wanting to hit the road’ despite family and friends telling her to slow down
Madonna has been the queen of the VMAs since 1984
She opened the show 23 years after she shared that infamous on-stage kiss with Britney Spears
Truth be told, the Daily Mail’s source admitted, despite her insistence that everything is fine those close to Madonna are aware that, if there is a tour, it may have to be ‘different than anything she’s done in the past’ to accommodate the singer’s current physical limitations.
The source said: ‘There’s a big debate between her and her team as to how the format of the show will be.
‘She wants to do something big but knows the reality that she can’t do the more extensive tours that she’s done in the past, probably because in some of her more recent concerts, it was too taxing for her.
‘I think she wants to scale it down, but the people around her are probably not wanting her to do anything at all other than a very small and limited run with no more than ten shows in ten cities.’
It’s hard not to see the pop icon’s latest output, from the new album to her VMAs appearance to a reported new music video expected in October, as a final bid at legacy building as she enters her fifth decade as one of the world’s most preeminent performers.
For years, it looked like she would achieve that with a biopic of epic proportions – one which she planned to write and direct herself. The project, which would focus on the story of her ascension to pop royalty, was initially greenlit with Universal Studios but was reportedly scrapped in 2023, due to what the singer said was a ‘falling out’ with Universal over budget.
‘We had a falling out, me and Universal, regarding budget,’ Madonna told Interview Magazine in June. ‘I’ve had an extraordinary life. I’ve had a huge life, so I needed a big budget… they couldn’t get their heads around it.’
According to another source close to Madonna, the singer hasn’t given up on making the biopic happen. They exclusively shared that the new album’s success has ‘revived interest in it,’ including sparking curiosity from Warner and production company A24.
‘Madonna was upset by the halting of the biopic but is quietly trying to find a new home for it because she really believes in it,’ the source told the Daily Mail.
The set also featured cameos by longtime best friend Debi Mazar and actress Julia Garner, who was once slated to portray Madge in her now shuttered biopic
Sabrina Carpenter joined her on stage when she received her Artist of the Year award
For the pop queen, maintaining control over her story and the project is of the utmost importance, especially after seeing what’s happened to the narratives of her friends in the industry, like Michael Jackson.
‘She is a control freak but has to be because she has seen what has happened to her peers who weren’t in control of their story,’ the source said.
‘She saw a really dreadful Michael Jackson TV biopic and is concerned that a low budget may lead to something similar, so will not settle on a lowly production budget because the movie has to cover all her eras.’
Representatives for Madonna have been contacted for comment.
The first source is confident that despite her seeming exhaustion at the VMAs, Madonna still has what it takes to get what she wants, whether it’s getting her movie made or going on tour.
‘Madonna is full of energy,’ the source said. ‘She just wants to get right straight back to work.’
