Madonna Was Caught Before Her Interview With Charlie Rose Complaining About Her Seat And Camera Angle

Summary

• Madonna's diva behavior during a Charlie Rose interview caused tension, but her critics focused on the host's perceived ageism.
• The pop icon refused to acknowledge any regrettable mistakes in her career, emphasizing her choices shaped who she is today.
• Madonna opened up about her traumatic childhood loss and celebrated her diverse spiritual beliefs despite criticism.

Madonna has been a scandal-starter since she first rose to fame. Aside from her provocative music career, her personal life has also been under scrutiny. One time, she testified on behalf of her ex-husband Sean Penn after accusing him of abuse. In 1999, 10 years after the couple divorced, Charlie Rose asked the Queen of Pop about the changes in her life.

But she kept complaining before they could even start. Rose handled it well, and they were able to do the interview. But Madonna – who makes $1 million per tour date – wasn't as cooperative about sharing her story despite getting a little emotional. While one might assume it was rude of the singer, the host drew more flak for being "ageist." Here's why.

Madonna Told "Ageist" Charlie Rose She "Didn't Want To Do" Their Interview

Before the interview began, Madonna kept complaining about her seat, the camera, and just the entire setup in her New York apartment. "I'm too swallowed up by this chair," she told the crew while Rose was already seated in front of her. "Okay, well I'm not happy with that." The host suggested they "change chairs," but the Material Girl had already moved on to her camera complaint.

"The camera's up here, and I'm down here. I look like a midget. Oh, I don't want to do this interview."

Rose sat there unfazed while Madonna kept rolling her eyes, whining, "I don't like it... No, I don't like it either." The latter then joked: "You'll never want to interview me again after this. I can assure you." The journalist laughed. During the narration, Rose said that the seven-time Grammy winner's "single-mindedness" is "now [distracted]" by her then-two-year-old daughter, Lourdes "Lola" Leon, who greeted her before the interview.

Rose started the conversation by saying, "When she [Leon] walks in this room...," to which Madonna added, "I stop complaining." The former said, "You're not worried about anything anymore. You're not worried about being in control." The pop star said it was because she was "not working" during that precious mother-daughter moment.

Madonna didn't get any hate for her attitude on the set. But Rose didn't get away with his "ageism." One fan wrote: "This antiquated interview is so ageist. Calling her middle aged at 40… that's not middle aged. She clearly was in distress and didn't want to be interviewed." Sure enough, the artist rushed to end the interview later on.

Madonna's ex and Lourdes Leon's father, Carlos Leon now lives a regular life as a personal trainer.

Madonna Said Losing Her Mother Made Her "Overcompensate" In Life

Before the interview was cut off by Madonna, she got a bit emotional talking about the death of her mom when she was six. "It's... Like having your heart ripped out of your chest," the Vogue performer said of the tragedy. "Like a limb missing. The ultimate abandonment. It was such a great mystery to me where she went. There was a part of me that was waiting for her to come back."

"It was just a great sense of loss that you learn to adjust to, and perhaps you overcompensate in other ways for it."

In the narration, Rose shared that Madonna left Michigan for New York at 19, still "scarred" by her mom's passing. "You know, part of the reason I sort of shot out like a cannon out of Michigan and left home at such an early age was because I had to feel independent," the Evita star recalled. "I had to make myself feel secure on my own. I had to feel like I didn't have to rely on anyone for anything."

Madonna explained that "if you can feel this great sense of independence, then you can never feel that loss again," and that "no one can abandon you." Reflecting on "pushing the envelope" to achieve fame and almost getting excommunicated, she said: "[It made me feel] excellent. I mean, at the time, I was in like super rebellion mode. I mean, great. The establishment is against me."

Here are 10 of Madonna's most scandalous moments:

Madonna Refused To Admit Making Any Regrettable Mistake

Toward the end of her interview with Rose, Madonna was asked if there was any "mistake" she'd learned from throughout her career. However, she refused to give an answer. "Tell me one," said the host, to which the mother of six replied, "No." Rose added, "[Any mistake] that you learned a lesson from?" After a moment of silence, Madonna responded with "no" again.

The former This Morning co-anchor asked if it was "because there's something wrong with acknowledging a mistake because it's like you regret doing it. And you don't want to ever say you regret doing it because only by just trying things can you go forward." The Dick Tracy alum finally clarified: "The result of the good choices I've made and the bad choices is that, you know."

"And if I say I regret something or that I made a mistake, I wouldn't be who I am today."

Seemingly irritated, Madonna added: "I don't want to have a sense of shame about it. And I don't want to have any sense of regret. Why should I?" She then admitted to feeling incomplete, which led to her firstborn. Rose said that "when it comes to motherhood, Madonna defies your expectations." She revealed that her eldest daughter was baptized as a Catholic. The host found it odd.

But the 4 Minutes songstress defended her faith, saying: "I can disagree with doctrines and dogmas and still celebrate them. I go to the synagogue. You know, I study Hinduism... It's about realizing that all paths lead to God in the end... The point of studying all of it is that really, they're all the same... The core of it is the same – that love is the most important thing."

Madonna has an estimated net worth of $850 million.