Madonna Apologizes After Accidentally Calling Out Fan in Wheelchair for Sitting at L.A. Concert

Madonna made a faux pas at a recent Celebration Tour stop near L.A.

During her show at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on Thursday (March 9), the Queen of Pop accidentally called out a fan in a wheelchair for sitting during her performance.

“What are you doing sitting down over there? What are you getting sitting down?” Madonna asked the concert-goer, before walking to the edge of the stage to get a closer look.

The pop icon then quickly apologized after realizing her embarrassing mistake. “Oh, okay. Politically incorrect. Sorry about that,” she said after seeing that the person was in a wheelchair. “I’m glad you are here.”

Fan-captured footage of the cringeworthy moment quickly circulated online, causing backlash from many social media onlookers.

“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 on X (formerly Twitter), adding a shrugging emoji.

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

Madonna launched a five-night stand at the Kia Forum on Monday (March 4). The singer’s Celebration Tour is a career-spanning look back on her hits, personal struggles, pop culture impact and enduring influence.

During the opening night of her L.A. stretch, the 65-year-old superstar revealed that the severe bacterial infection she suffered in June 2023 –which led to her hospitalization and the postponement of her current trek — at one point made it nearly impossible for her to move around.

“This summer I had a surprise,” she told the crowd, holding a cowboy hat in one hand and gripping a guitar in the other. “It’s called a near-death experience.”