Madonna made headlines last week when a video clip of the Queen of Pop mistakenly calling out a fan in a wheelchair for sitting during her performance circulated online. The fan who caught Madonna’s attention has since spoken out about the much-talked-about moment.
“What are you doing sitting down over there? What are you getting sitting down?” Madonna was heard asking in the clip, singling out concertgoer Vanessa Gorman at one of her recent shows on the career-spanning Celebration Tour. The star then made her way to the edge of the stage to get a closer look.
When Madonna realized the woman was in a wheelchair, she changed her tune, saying, “Oh, okay. Politically incorrect. Sorry about that.”
“I’m glad you are here,” Madonna said, directing her comment toward Gorman, who was interviewed about the viral moment by TMZ.
As a fan, Gorman admitted she was starstruck over being noticed — not offended — and said that she knew it was a mistake. In fact, in a video taken from her viewpoint, Gorman can even be heard shouting, “I love you!” to Madonna during the interaction.
“Some people are in wheelchairs and can stand. She had no idea I was paralyzed,” Gorman, who is a paraplegic from a motor vehicle accident in 1999, told TMZ on Friday (March 15).
She noted that she was glad Madonna apologized right away, and that she went on to enjoy the rest of the show.
Billboard recently attended Madonna’s last of five nights of The Celebration Tour at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California. Hear all about that experience on this week’s episode of the Pop Shop Podcast.