Madonna's controversies

American pop singer, Madonna, has during the past three decades come to be regarded as a highly controversial figure in popular culture. What is considered to be controversial and what is not is entirely subject to the opinion of the individual. This article concentrates on the well known and highly publicised aspects of Madonna's career and life. Speculation AbOUT Madonna's personal life cannot be considered as facts unless verified by Madonna herself. Speculation about her work however, is a matter of ongoing debate and subject to public scrutiny. This article concentrates on subjects that have provoked debate, discussion, offense, support and headlines.

Early days & the First Album "Madonna" era (1978-1984)

In 1978 when she was 20 years old, Madonna left home and moved to New York to pursue a dance career. Times were difficult for her and during 1978/79 she made a low budget art film entitled A Certain Sacrifice. Madonna's character in the film is seen to be raped and she appears topless on several occasions. Around this time Madonna also posed [...] as a model. Both the movie and the photos would come back to haunt her several years later, causing much controversy. Madonna's first album, simply entitled "Madonna" made little impact on its first release in 1983. The video for "Lucky Star" featured Madonna dancing, baring her midriff and wearing crosses, which caused a certain amount of speculation as to the young singer's suitability as a role model. The singles from the album did relatively well, but by no means made her a superstar. Madonna was impatient to have her second album released but the popularity of tracks from her first album such as "Holiday" demanded that she continue to do promotional work to push the album further. In 1984 Madonna appeared on MTV and stated that she was eager to get The New album out. She'd already shot the video for "Like a Virgin" and wanted to talk about its release. Asked what the New album was called she coyly stated "Like a Virgin... no comment from the peanut gallery." When asked about her ambitions by [...] Clark after performing on American Bandstand, she simply stated "to rule the world." By the time of The Release of her second album, Madonna had already raised several eybrows due to her "look" in her first 3 videos and numerous photoshoots. The public began paying more attention after Madonna made several headstrong remarks, backing up her image and individual personality.

Like a Virgin era (1984-1985)

The album (and song) Like a Virgin was controversial when it was released in 1984 due to such things as its title, association with Madonna's name and the connections with the classic Catholic Madonna figure as well as often misinterpreted lyrics to the tracks and The Title song. The album itself does not contain any material with overtly [...] themes often concentrating on romance instead. The album promoted attitudes of positivity & determination ("Over and Over"), a tongue-in-cheek social commentary on the western world ("Material Girl"), themes of obsession ("Dress You Up"), hurt, desperation ("Stay") and cynicism ("Pretender", "Love Don't Live Here Anymore"). One of the main themes of the album though, seems to be innocence and naivety ("Angel", "Like a Virgin" & "Shoo Bee Do.")

The music video to the first single "Like a Virgin" featured Madonna in dual roles, Madonna the "Tart" and Madonna the newlywed "Virgin". The video was shot in Venice. This "Duality" of Madonna's persona would become commonplace in many of her future music videos, with one persona questioning or challenging the other, a sure sign that provocation of debate was intentional. "Like a Virgin" became a number one single in the USA in 1984 and pushed Madonna to the forefront of the public's attention. Initially, there was much debate, doubt and confusion as to whether "Madonna" was her real name or a stage name. For some people the concept "Madonna the Virgin" making references to the Catholic faith whilst at the same time embracing the image of an independent woman with the right to be [...] and provocative was simply too much.

No sooner had the public come to terms with the fact that Madonna was a real person with a genuine interest in her Catholic faith and not just "an act," she then caused further controversy by attempting to clear up any misunderstandings. She made a statement to the effect that: The lyrics to the song had been misinterpreted (especially by men) and she was singing about purity and innocence

In 1984 Madonna performed Like a Virgin at the first MTV Video Music Awards, where she wore a white wedding dress with her iconic "Boy Toy" belt buckle. She descended from a giant wedding cake then rolled around on the stage revealing her suspenders and garter belt and tangling herself up in her veil and dress. To the watching world it looked like she was simulating ecstatic, physical and sensual pleasure among the lace and silk of her costume. Madonna went on to use a very similar act during The Virgin Tour, minus the wedding cake but with the addition of her father demanding she remove herself from the stage and telling her off for her naughty behavior. Madonna did not write the song and therefore the lyrics were not a personal statement, rather than an artistic medium of expression. For the press and gossip columns at the time, this was an opportunity to make much of the whole package of Madonna, often encouraging people to misunderstand the concepts, lyrics and image of Madonna the performer as well as concentrating on her religious connections due to her name. Also up for debate was her choice of jewelry and clothes - which often included crosses and crucifixes, lacy underwear (often worn as outerwear,) seductively torn clothing and large quantities of make-up.

Madonna's next single "Material Girl" was another success, building upon that of the previous single. Both the song's lyrics and the music video reinforced her image as a strong but sexy woman with a right to voice her opinion and provoke discussion. The video for "Material Girl" once again portrayed Madonna in conflicting roles. The "soundstage" persona of an actress playing the part of a man-eating, money grabbing, decadent glamour puss (a blatant homage to Marilyn Monroe in the movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes) and the "offstage" persona of Madonna's actress character who isn't at all interested in money and fed up with men assuming that she's just like her character in the movie. She's seen to be tired of gifts such as diamond necklaces and eventually falls in love with the man who brings her a bunch of daisies instead. Her message was again misinterpreted, with the gossip columnists and tabloids focusing on the image of "Madonna the man hungry, money mad [...]." From this point onwards she was frequently referred to as "The Material Girl," a reference which has now become a droll cliché, yet still commonplace in newspapers and articles over 20 years later.

The Boy Toy belt, along with the rest of Madonna's attire, gained controversy as girls around the world began dressing like their idol, ripping their clothing and sporting bare midriffs. After much inquiry, Madonna released a statement explaining that "Boy Toy" was a tongue-in-cheek Graffiti tag from her early New York Days; still, parents and religious leaders continued to condemn the fashion that Madonna promoted.

"Dress You Up", another song from Like a Virgin, was included on the Parents Music Resource Center's "Filthy Fifteen" list for its perceived [...] content. The [...] photos of Madonna which, had all been taken in the late 1970s appeared in Penthouse and Playboy. Madonna shocked the world when she responded to the photo controversy with a defiant "So what?" A short time later news of the release of the "pornographic" movie made before her fame emerged after its release on to video. Madonna tried but failed to suppress the video "A Certain Sacrifice" and it was marketed bearing the slogan "The film Madonna doesn't want you to see." Despite reports of pornographic content, the movie was nothing more than a low budget art film with poor sound, poor picture quality and Madonna appearing topless in context during a [...] scene. During 1987's "Who's That Girl Tour" a huge projection of the front page of the New York Post from this time was seen featuring a photo of Madonna and the headline "MADONNA: 'I'M NOT ASHAMED!". The [...] photos and movie controversies were short lived.

In 1985 the movie Desperately Seeking Susan was released to much critical acclaim and high box office takings worldwide. Controversy arose due to the fact that Madonna's Character Susan, is seen stealing from a man whom she has just had a one night stand with, stealing from a hotel, shoplifting, smoking [...] and encouraging others to do so, as well as walking around in public in her underwear. Although Madonna was only playing a part, she was often criticised as only being good in the film due to the fact that she was playing herself. At the time of release, a significant amount of Madonna's fans were pre and early teenagers, there was much debate as to whether youngsters were visualizing Madonna the performer on screen or her character Susan, a role model many parents abhorred. The movie was released in the United Kingdom with a 15 certificate, meaning no-one below that age could legally see or rent the movie.

During the making of Madonna's Material Girl video, she was introduced to actor Sean Penn. The couple embarked on a relationship which in itself would cause controversy and speculation from the start.

Sean Penn (Spouse 1985-1989)

On August 16 1985 Madonna married actor Sean Penn, this also happened to be Madonna's birthday. The wedding was a private affair with only family and close friends invited. They were married on a cliff top in the grounds of a house in Malibu. The Paparazzi were eager for photos, so much so that their employed helicopters disrupted the wedding ceremony itself prompting Madonna to comment later "The whole thing was a disaster". Sean Penn was reported (along with photographic evidence) to have gone down to the beach and written in the sand the words "[...] Off" in 3 metre high letters. Whilst hosting SNL in 1986, Madonna introduced a spoof video to parody and demonstrate the mayhem that occurred during her wedding to Sean, at the same time, she also put a damper on rumours that she was pregnant.

Soon After the wedding and whilst Sean was working on his movie "At Close Range," Madonna began work on her third studio album "True Blue". One of the earliest tracks to be completed was "Love Makes The World Go Round" which she performed at Live Aid. Madonna was introduced by Bette Midler as "A woman who pulled herself up by her bra straps - and who has also been known to let them down occasionally." Another early track composed was "Live to Tell." This track also found its way onto the end credits of "At Close Range." After the completion of the album, Madonna began work on the movie "Shanghai Surprise," and much to many people's surprise, her co-star would be Sean. The movie interiors were shot in London which required Madonna and Sean to spend much time in the city. Controversy followed the couple, wherever they went. This was due to photo-hungry paparazzi vying with each other to get shots of the couple to go with sensationalist headlines and columns for the daily tabloids. The couple were frequently reported to be arguing, fighting, walking off set and making unreasonable demands. When Madonna and Sean failed to respond to the baiting, the press became more frenzied and intense - so much so that Sean began reacting. He began lashing out at photogaphers, pushing them out of the way and swearing at them. Sean's behaviour was most intense when he was with Madonna and due to his protective feelings towards her hence, the couple were dubbed by the press "The Poison Penns." At one point, a photographer from The Sun newspaper actually lay down in front of the couple's limousine, resulting in a broken leg and many more unfavorable headlines. The "Press vs The Penns" controversy culminated in Sean being given a prison sentence in 1987 due to his assault of a photographer.

Sean's frequent drinking did not go unnoticed, and there were often rumors that he was physically abusive towards Madonna. On December 4, 1987, Madonna filed for divorce against Penn, citing irreconcilable differences; less than two weeks later, however, Madonna withdrew the petition on December 16, and the "Poison Penns" entered counselling. On December 28, 1988, Madonna filed assault charges against Penn; media reports emerged that the actor had put his wife through physical abuse, including allegations that he'd tied her to a chair for several hours on New Year's Eve and that he had raped her. Neither party has ever addressed what happened that night and Madonna eventually withdraw the assault charges, though a song on her next album, "Till Death Do Us Part", led to speculation about the abuse reports. In January of 1989, Madonna again filed for divorce, and their marriage was officially ended on September 14 of that year.

After the divorce and following the announcement of Sean's new partner Robin Wright's pregnancy with their first child, Madonna was reported to have sent a gift of baby clothes to the couple with a note reading "Silly boy, if you'd given me a baby, we'd still be together."

True Blue era (1986-1987)

Madonna's next album, True Blue, was in artistic and critical terms a more mature statement than her previous work, the second single, Papa Don't Preach, sparked controversy because Madonna's stance in the song and alter-ego in the video was from the perspective of a pregnant girl determined to "keep" her unborn "baby". Despite the controversy, she received praise from some critics for discussing a taboo subject and her support of having the choice to keep a child instead of the socially imposed alternatives. Many Pro-choiceactivists jumped on the controversial bandwagon and condemned the single for reasons not entirely apparent with slogans such as "Madonna Don't Preach". Still "Papa Don't Preach was controversial, proving again that Madonna had the power to provoke social discussion, therefore bringing society closer in terms of discussion and understanding due to her high profile.

The video for the album's third single, "Open Your Heart", a US and World number-one hit, created controversy as Madonna portrays an exotic dancer working in a seedy peep show who is friends with a young boy. Groups were outraged at the use of a minor attempting to enter a strip club and sharing a (friendly) kiss with Madonna at the end. Madonna described the video as a statement about innocence. The video also featured a variety of both male and female characters having paid for time to watch Madonna dance, their booth screens closing after their time was up. The video was questionable in the eyes of many people. Although nothing obscene or lewd as such is included in the video (and certainly not the lyrics), it still provoked much debate and question as to its implications.

Who's That Girl era (1987-1988)

In 1987, the Pope urged fans not to visit Madonna's performances in Italy during her Who's That Girl Tour.

The Who's That Girl Tour caused much controversy and speculation during its run in 1987. First of all, Madonna opened the show wearing a corset with gold tipped conical breasts and fishnet stockings. The costume was reminiscent of her Open Your Heart costume. During Papa Don't Preach images of starving children, victims of war and the Pope were projected on screens behind her. Madonna also flirted and cavorted with a teenage boy during the show. During a medley of "Dress You Up", "Material Girl" and "Like a Virgin" Madonna flashed her knickers bearing the word "kiss" on the backside, took them off and gripped them from the front and behind and proceeded to "saw" them back and forth between her legs and then throw them to the audience.

In the summer of 1988, the media brought to attention a friendship with openly bisexual comedienne Sandra Bernhard while performing the Broadway play Speed-the-Plow in New York City. The two were reported to be flirting out in public and at known lesbian bars, like the Cubbyhole in New York's West Village. In June, Madonna accompanied Bernhard to an interview on Late Night with David Letterman; the two dressed identically, and Bernhard quipped as a joke that "Sean Penn was terrible (in bed)!... You were much better."

Like a Prayer era (1989)

Madonna's fourth album, Like a Prayer, sparked new controversies due to the title track's video combination of religious and [...] imagery. The video begins during the aftermath of events with Madonna running from the sound of police sirens, falling to the ground and then entering a church for sanctuary. The story is revealed in flashbacks where Madonna witnesses the [...] and stabbing of a woman by a Caucasian man. A black man who has come to her aid is then blamed and arrested for the crime. Scenes inside the church depict Madonna seeking guidance about her dilemma as the witness to a miscarriage of justice. Her experiences include Madonna being kissed kindly on the forehead by Saint Martin de Porres, whom the press mistakenly believed to be an African American Christ. In some scenes Madonna is seen to be dancing in front of burning crosses and letting her shoulder straps fall. At one point she is seen grasping a knife, letting it fall to the ground leaving wounds on her palms which some interpreted to be Stigmata. Madonna is seen dancing and singing with a gospel choir at the climax of the video. She is then seen to go to the police as a witness, at which point the innocent man is freed. A curtain comes down as Madonna and the "cast" bow and take a curtain call. Pepsi, who had signed Madonna on to be their new spokesperson, dropped her and withdrew the commercial when they feared customers would misinterpret and associate Madonna's video with the company; Madonna, however, was able to keep her $5 million fee due to breach of contract. Some were not offended by the video's imagery, however; many praised Madonna for the video's inferred message about racism, [...] and injustice.

The artwork for the Like a Prayer 12 inch single featured a painting by Madonna's brother Christopher; it featured a classic bare breasted Madonna and was headed by the letters MLVC (Madonna's initials) with a prominently fallen letter P indicating her recent divorce and distancing from Sean Penn.

Madonna's "Express Yourself" video also found criticism for its use of S&M imagery, with Madonna chained to a bed, as well as symbolizing women as cats. Some found that the image portrayed women as inferior, though Madonna responded that no man has chained her in the video, and that she is chained "by my own desires" (TV interview, 1989 - featured on The Word (TV series) in 1990 (out of context - falsely related to Madonna's Justify My Love Video.) Madonna's music video for "Oh Father" also caused minor controversy with MTV due to a scene in which Madonna's mother's lips can been seen sewn together in her casket; MTV requested that Madonna remove the scene, and when she refused, MTV backed down. A scene in the video where Madonna's lover slaps her also further supported claims that Sean Penn had been violent to her during their marriage.

I'm Breathless era (1990)

In 1990 MTV took issue with a scene from the video of Madonna's megahit "Vogue" that featured Madonna in a sheer blouse that displayed her breasts (though not her nipples); Madonna refused to remove the scene, and MTV again backed down.

In April 1990, Madonna embarked on her Blond Ambition Tour, which again created controversy due to its juxtaposition of [...] imagery and religious symbols, mainly Catholic in and out of context. The Pope once again called for the boycott of all the Italian shows on the tour and one show in Rome eventually had to be canceled. Police in Toronto also threatened to arrest the star for "Lewd & Obscene Behaviour" unless she removed the infamous simulated masturbation scene from "Like a Virgin"; Madonna performed the song as usual anyway and according to her manager at the time Freddy DeMann "she did it even worse" but, the police decided not to arrest her, citing that no lewd or obscene behaviour in a public place had taken place. Madonna's response to the threat was "great, I ain't changing my [...] show".

The Immaculate Collection era (1990-1991)

Madonna released her first greatest hits album in 1990, The Immaculate Collection. The title was a pun on the "Immaculate Conception." The album included Madonna's highly controversial new track, "Justify My Love". This was Madonna's first record to display a Parental Advisory Label, at the end of the "Hip-Hop" mix on the maxi single she states "[...] Me!" The black and white video displayed nudity, homosexuality and mild sado-masochism. Madonna's lesbian kiss in the video made the most headlines and stills of the scene were seen in many tabloids as well as feeding speculation about her sexuality. It became Madonna's first video to be banned by MTV. Canadian music channel MuchMusic banned the video from regular roation but did play the video in its entirety on a program called Too Much 4 Much. To counter MTV's banning, Madonna released a VHS version of the music video, the first of its kind, and sold over one million copies in the US. Madonna also appeared on ABC's Nightline in December to discuss the video.

In 1991, Madonna was rumored to have contracted HIV. Madonna released a statement denying that she had the virus, but stating that, if she did, she would be more afraid of how she would be treated by other people than by how the virus would affect her health.

Penny Marshall cast Madonna in the movie A League of Their Own, which was filmed on location in Evansville, Indiana. After shooting was completed, Madonna caused controversy when she told a reporter for an article in TV Guide magazine that the worst part about the shoot was being stuck in Evansville which she called "boring" and said: "I may as well have been in Prague". The community was furious, got together and filled a parking lot up with themselves lying down and spelling out, with their bodies, the word "Madonna" with a circle and a line around it. The picture was taken from a helicopter and shown around the USA including, most notably, in People magazine.

Erotica era (1992-1993)

On October 21, 1992 Madonna released [...], a coffee table book containing [...] pictures of herself along with friends and celebrities of the time such as Naomi Campbell and Vanilla Ice. The book depicted such acts as lesbianism, sado-masochism, anilingus, [...], role playing and numerous fetishes. The book was presented spiral bound with aluminium covers sealed in Mylar packaging. Not only did the book contain dozens of [...] images but also texts written by Madonna taking on the persona of "Dita" exploring her sexuality. The texts contained coarse language and made many references to taboo subjects. The book contained a highly stylized comic book featuring a bizarre comedic "slap & tickle" [...] romp adventure with Madonna at the centre of the plot. Of special note, the book also came with a 1 track CD featuring a unique version of "Erotica" entitled "[...]." The inclusion of the CD very firmly tied the book in with her latest album "Erotica" which was simultaneously released with the book. The book sold out very quickly, was never republished and is now a collector's item which can fetch several hundred dollars in its unused sealed condition. Even in an acceptable used and opened state the book can sell for several times its original retail price. Ironically, the photos included in the book were many times more pornographic and likey to cause more offense than her initial attempts at [...] modeling in the late 70's. The release of the book made the old [...] photo controversy of the 80's seem pale in comparison.

Simultaneously Madonna had released Erotica, her first album to sport a Parental Advisory label. The title track received the most controversy, due to the video's strong [...] content which drew much of its material from raw footage shot during the [...] book photoshoot; it was initially only aired three times on MTV and has never been commercially released in any format other than digital download via iTunes. The album contained such songs as "Where Life Begins" - a track about oral [...], one of the most explicit and literal songs on the album. Just four months after the release of Erotica, Madonna appeared in Body of Evidence, an [...] film that included full frontal nudity and simulated [...] acts. Critics believed Madonna had gone too far with the [...] themes in her recent projects and her popularity may have suffered because of it, the album did not sell quickly compared to sales of her previous albums.

Also in 1992, Madonna was romantically linked to Miami, Florida nightclub owner and socialite Ingrid Casares. This further fueled speculation that Madonna was bisexual and/or lesbian. Casares is referred to extensively in Madonna's [...] book.

In September 1993, Madonna embarked on The Girlie Show Tour, which was viewed as her most controversial tour to date. The show featured semi-[...] dancers, homosexual imagary, spanking, simulated orgies and much comedy. Madonna began the show with "Erotica" and appeared on stage with a whip, black mask and dressed in knee length leather boots and hotpants. As the show progressed, she stripped, cavorted and danced. At one point she even appeared to change gender ala Marlene Dietrich for yet another reinvented rendition of the old faithful controversy engine "Like a Virgin". She then went on to mimick Misogynist behaviour and views during "Bye Bye Baby," spanking the dancers' bottoms, grabbing her crotch and shouting "[...] women, yea, we [...] women." In Puerto Rico, an uproar arose when Madonna rubbed the Puerto Rican flag between her legs on stage. A German politician called for a boycott of Madonna's only (already sold-out) German show in Frankfurt because of nudity and pornographic content on stage. Orthodox Jews also staged protests to cancel Madonna's first-ever show in Israel, which ultimately failed. She also caused a stir in Australia when she was pictured handling a didjeridu, which is supposed to not be played by women.

Bedtime Stories era (1994-1995)

On March 31, 1994, Madonna sparked more controversy when she appeared on The Late Show With David Letterman and uttered the word "[...]" thirteen times, discussed lewd topics, and even gave Dave a pair of her underwear and told him to smell them.

Madonna also made headlines in 1994 when she was romantically linked to basketball star Dennis Rodman, whom many thought was controversial for the fact it was an interracial relationship.

Later that year, Madonna received minor complaints over her video for "Take a Bow" when animal rights activists accused Madonna of glorifying bull fighting in the video. Madonna told MTV interviewer Kurt Loder that she actually saved the bulls and put them out to pasture. "Normally, after a bull fight they would be killed, but the ones we used were not." she went on to explain.

The song "Human Nature" used the word "[...]" frequently. The radio & video edits of the track were altered to omit the word. The video, directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino featured Madonna, her dancers and her chihuahua, Chiquita, in black vinyl outfits. The dancing was intercut with brief shots of bondage imagery including a woman in a monoglove strappado. At the end of the video, the music cuts out suddenly and Madonna says "absolutely no regrets" reinforcing her point one last time. The video was nominated for two MTV Video Music Awards, Best Dance Video and Best Choreography.

After the 1995 MTV VMAs, Courtney Love barged into an interview with Madonna and Kurt Loder while clearly intoxicated and proceeded to take over the interview, leaving Madonna in a state of bemusement and Kurt Loder behaving rather uncomfortably. Little wonder that this incident added fuel to the rumours that Love and Madonna were not friends.

Evita era (1996-1997)

In 1996 Madonna was cast in the role of Eva Peron in the film Evita, based upon the stage musical by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, after she wrote a long and desperate letter to director Alan Parker convincing him she was perfect to play the role. The letter was accompanied by a copy of her video for "Take A Bow" for which she had specifically asked the director to make resemble the 1940s and '50s.

Before and during the filming, many people in Argentina took to the streets and spray painted walls to protest against her (with phrases including "Madonna is a [...]. Evita is a saint" and "Viva Evita! Fuera Madonna!" or "Long Live Evita! Madonna, go home!"). Madonna described the experience as exhausting with all the press camped out. She later created more controversy by releasing a statement announcing that she was pregnant with her first child, Lourdes, with then-boyfriend Carlos Leon.

More controversy arose when it was revealed that some of the period costumes used in the movie and worn by Madonna were in fact authentic originals from the time and made much use of animal fur. Despite this, tabloids and gossip columns were not clear on the fact that they were original period clothes and not specifically made for the movie - those that were made especially for the movie did not use real animal fur.

Ray of Light era (1997-1998)

After becoming a mother and spending a few years avoiding controversy, Madonna ignited another controversy with her performance of "Ray of Light" at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1998. The World Vaishnava Association expressed anger when Madonna, who sported facial markings regarded as holy by Hindus, gyrated "in a sexually suggestive manner with her guitar player" while wearing a see-through blouse. Another controversy arose regarding the "Drowned World/Substitute for Love" video when the papparazzi in the video chased Madonna on motorcycles in a manner eerily reminiscent to that of Princess Diana's death a year earlier.. Madonna's next single, "The Power of Good-Bye" sparked controversy when some misinterpreted its ending, when Madonna walks into the ocean, leaving behind only her shoes as well as leaving many to interpret that it was a [...] act. Once again, the public were left in doubt as to Madonna's artistic statement.

Guy Ritchie (spouse 2000 - present,) Family & Faith

In 1994 Madonna met fitness trainer Carlos Leon who became her personal trainer and and they began a releationship. On October 14, 1996, Madonna gave birth to the couple's child, Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon. The couple ended their relationship in 1997.

After Madonna's relationship with Leon ended in 1997, she began dating Andy Bird, who sold his story to the newspapers in a tell-all about their 18-month relationship.

On August 11, 2000, Madonna gave birth to a son, Rocco John Ritchie, with movie director Guy Ritchie, whom she had met in 1999 through mutual friends Sting and his wife, Trudie Styler. On December 22, 2000, Madonna and Guy were married at Skibo Castle in Scotland. It was a private affair with only family and close friends in attendance. No photographs from the wedding have ever been made public. As of 2007, Madonna resides in London and her country estate in Wiltshire, with Ritchie and their children. On 18 May 2000 Ritchie was arrested by the police after he assaulted a 20-year-old man outside their Kensington home. After admitting the assault Ritchie was given a Formal Police Caution.

Since the late-1990s, Madonna has become a devotee of the Kabbalah Centre and a disciple of its controversial head Rabbi Philip Berg and his wife Karen. Madonna and Guy attend Kabbalah classes and have been reported to have adopted a number of aspects of the movement associated with Judaism. The media has reported that Madonna has taken on the Biblical name of Esther and has donated millions of dollars to Kabbalah Centres in London, New York, and Los Angeles. She no longer performs on Friday nights because this is the time when the Jewish Sabbath begins. Madonna wears a red string and has visited Israel with members of the Kabbalah Centre to celebrate some of the Jewish holidays. She also studies personally with her own private-tutor, Rabbi Eitan Yardeni, whose wife Sarah Yardeni runs Madonna's favorite charitable project, "Spirituality for Kids", a subsidiary of the Kabbalah Centre. Madonna reportedly donated $21 million towards a new Kabbalah school for children.

Controversy erupted again well before the release of her most recent album Confessions on a Dance Floor. Many Israeli rabbis condemned Madonna and the forthcoming song "Isaac" (tenth on its track listing) because they believed the song to be a tribute to Rabbi Isaac Luria, also known as Yitzhak Luria (1534–1572), one of the greatest Kabbalists of all time, and claimed that Jewish law forbids using a holy rabbi's name for profit. In interviews, Madonna had called this song: "The Binding of Isaac" and rumors spread that it was based on the major episode in the life of the Hebrew patriarch Isaac. Despite continued accusations that the song is about Isaac Luria, Madonna has repeatedly denied such accusations, claiming she could not think of a title for the song and, therefore, named it after Yitzhak (Isaac) Sinwani. In the song, Madonna sings with Sinwani, an Israeli singer, who is chanting a Yemenite Jewish song. Said Madonna: "The album isn't even out, so how could Jewish scholars in Israel know what my song is about? I don't know enough about Isaac Luria to write a song, though I've learned a bit in my studies."

Madonna has openly defended her Kabbalah studies by stating, for example:

Furthermore, Madonna said in a BBC interview that she believes Christianity is intolerant of questioning, whereas Kabbalah is not. Madonna has also defended Kabbalah against detractors who claim it is a cult designed to extort money from followers.

Music era (2000-2002)

Despite MTV's decision to censor parts of her video for Music due to guest star "Ali G" (Sacha Baron Cohen) making lewd and obscene comments ("Is you Madonna? Your Babylons look less big than they do on the telly - but I still definitely would!"), Madonna didn't have any controversy with her album of the same name until she released the video for the third single "What It Feels Like for a Girl" directed by her husband Guy Ritchie. The video showed Madonna as a battered and bruised con artist, driving an elderly woman who she has taken from the "Old Kuntz Guest Home" around in a car she stole and going on a violent rampage aimed at men. She is seen ramming the car into a group of guys, robbing a man withdrawing cash from an automated teller machine, rampaging through a hockey game, shooting a silver water pistol at police officers, scratching their car, throwing (still full) French fries into a garbage bin, stealing another car, blowing up a gas station, and then crashing the car, wrapping it around a lamp-post. The video was banned by MTV and VH1 after one airing. The videos for both "Music" & "What It Feels Like For A Girl" were released as video singles on DVD and VHS format. They included uncensored versions of the videos and well as the latter including exclusive mixes of the song.

As a fourth single, Madonna wanted to release "Impressive Instant", which was already a major club hit in the US. Madonna felt that the song would properly promote her Drowned World Tour. However, her label refused, feeling that it was too uncommercial and edgy. They opted for the more commercial sounding "Amazing". As a result, plans for a fourth single were cancelled.

Madonna refused to shoot a video for the song, so the record label planned on releasing a live video, so Madonna took "Amazing" out of her show to prevent its commercial release.

American Life Era (2003-2004)

American Life was in hindsight deemed to be one of Madonna's most controversial albums both artistically and commercially. Following a straight 10 year run of relatively few controversies, the album sparked much debate despite its poor sales; it was a mix of acoustic and techno music.

The album cover photo was an homage to revolutionary political figure Che Guevara whom Madonna's character Eva Peron had been connected with in the film Evita- see main articles on Che Guevara & Evita.

The album suffered commercially, in part, due to controversy over its first single, "American Life". The video for the single was filmed in the run up to the second Iraq War, and its content was deemed "unpatriotic" by early reports. This was quickly picked up in the media, which gave the impression that the album was anti-American in content. This was controversial amongst Madonna fans since she is known to rarely back down.

Madonna decided to withdraw the video, and issued the following statement:

The video to the title track included various graphic scenes of war including missile launches, stealth bombers, mushroom clouds, and suffering Iraqi children. Madonna and dancers also wore military attire on a fashion runway. At the end, Madonna throws a grenade at a George W. Bush look-a-like. Shortly before its release, Madonna pulled this video and replaced it with a different version, which had her singing behind a background of various world flags. Madonna claimed she pulled the original video "due to the volatile state of the world, and out of respect for the armed forces."

Madonna performed her next single, "Hollywood", at the 2003 MTV VMAs after Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera performed her classic "Like a Virgin" in a manner reminiscent of her 1984 performance. Madonna then proceeded to kiss both Britney and Christina, which caused an uproar of controversy.

Madonna was sued in 2004 for using the copyrighted work of the late French [...] photographer Guy Bourdin in her music video for the American Life track "Hollywood". It was claimed she reenacted poses from at least eleven of the late photographer's [...] photos. Madonna settled the copyright lawsuit out of court.

Confessions on a Dance Floor era (2005-2006)

In May 2005, Belgian songwriter Salvatore Acquaviva sued Madonna in Belgian court over plagiarism in one of her 1998 singles, "Frozen". Acquaviva claimed the track took several bars from his 1993 song "Ma Vie Fout L'camp" ("My Life's Getting Nowhere"). In November 2005, a Belgian judge ruled in favor of Acquaviva. Stores in the country had just fifteen days to remove all singles and albums containing the track. Furthermore, the judge issued all television and radio stations to stop playing the song, or face a 150,000 euro fine. Madonna can still appeal the ruling if she wishes.

On July 2, 2005, Madonna performed for the Live 8 benefit concert. Before Madonna performed "Ray of Light," Madonna yelled out "Are you [...] ready London?" The BBC aired this unedited, which upset several people who watched the concert. The BBC later apologized for this and other instances of profanity aired during the benefit concert.

A track on Madonna's tenth studio album, Confessions on a Dance Floor, called "Isaac", sparked controversy when Israeli rabbis claimed the track referred to Rabbi Isaac Luria, arguing that Jewish law forbids using a holy rabbi's name for profit. Madonna denied the claims that "Isaac" referred to the rabbi, but to the name of the backup singer featured on the track.

Madonna once again was forced to edit one of her music videos to make it suitable for airplay. The video for her single "Sorry" included a scene where she makes a rude finger gesture that networks refused to air.

Controversy followed Madonna to her Confessions Tour when Catholics expressed outrage at her decision to be displayed hanging to a cross with a crown of thorns on her head while performing "Live to Tell". Furthermore, she angered the Vatican again when she invited Pope Benedict XVI to view her performance in Rome. Outrage spread throughout Rome upon the arrival of Madonna's tour, sparking anger from various religious groups, including the Catholic Church. A huge Madonna ad on the side of a scaffolding near Vatican City, shot for the H&M campaign, also caused an uproar. Calls were made for the ad to be taken down, but it ultimately stayed in place.

In Moscow, the Russian Orthodox Church and the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia (FJC) urged all members to boycott her first-ever Russian concert in Moscow due to her use of religious symbolism.

In Germany, prosecutors threatened to open an investigation on charges of insulting religious beliefs over her mock crucifixion before her concerts in Dusseldorf, Germany. After seeing the performance, prosecutors decided not to open an investigation. They stated that although the performance may be "hurtful to religious people", Madonna is protected by artistic freedom laws.

On October 10, 2006, Madonna and Guy Ritchie filed adoption papers for a thirteen-month-old Malawian baby boy named David Banda, whom they have subsequently chosen to rename David Banda Mwale Ciccone Ritchie. The adoption first caused controversy when it was revealed that the boy's birth father, Yohane Banda, was still alive, and he began to give conflicting statements to the media regarding his decision to allow his son to be adopted. Human rights' groups also became involved, claiming that Madonna had used her wealth to circumvent Malawian adoption laws and cut in line. In interviews on The Oprah Winfrey Show and Dateline NBC, Madonna denied breaking any laws and lashed back at critics, claiming that she was saving David's life. The Ritchies are currently acting as foster parents to David for the eighteen months required under Malawian law, at which time they will be able to formally adopt him.

In December Madonna was criticised by animal rights group PETA for wearing what it said was a real chinchilla fur coat as she left a London restaurant.

Present & Future "Untitled Album" era (2007)

In April Madonna returned to Malawi with David for a visit to his biological father and to check on her aid projects there amid rumors that she was to adopt yet another child, so far the rumors have yet to prove true. This made headlines and became "part 2" of the controversy which began in 2006.