{"id":2023194,"date":"2026-07-02T12:02:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T09:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2023194"},"modified":"2026-07-02T12:02:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T09:02:00","slug":"madonnas-10-most-controversial-moments-ranked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2023194","title":{"rendered":"Madonna\u2019s 10 most controversial moments, ranked"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/0-240-2217-1478\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/8\/1448958.png&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"main-article standard \">\n<div class=\"article-main-content article-wrapper has-media-but-its-an-image\" data-status=\"loaded\" data-primary-article=\"true\" data-url=\"\/music\/article\/70576\/1\/madonnas-10-most-controversial-moments-sex-violence-catholic-church-blasphemy\" data-article-id=\"70576\">\n<header class=\"article-header has-landscape-image no-media\">\n<div class=\"wrapper dg-max-width\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<figure class=\"main-img has-figcaption\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.32\" data-template=\"Standard Article\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Screenshot 2026-07-02 at 12.48.48\" class=\"img\" height=\"1718\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1400\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/8\/1448958.png\" width=\"2270\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"inner\"><span class=\"credit\">Madonna, \u2018Erotic\u2019 (music <span class=\"nowrap\">video still)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"inner\"><time datetime=\"2026-07-02T12:02:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"02 July 2026\"><span class=\"month\">July<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"2\">2,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"titles\">\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical - music\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\">Music<\/a><br \/>\n\/<br \/>\n<a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/lists\">Lists<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"standard-tag-container\"><a class=\"standard-category\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\">Music<\/a> \/<br \/>\n<a class=\"standard-series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/lists\">Lists<\/a><\/div>\n<h1 class=\"title\"><span>Madonna\u2019s 10 most controversial <span class=\"nowrap\">moments, ranked<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"standfirst\">\n<h2>\u2018Art should be controversial\u2019: From being banned from MTV in the 90s to threefold excommunication from the Catholic Church, we look back at ten times Madonna has made someone, somewhere clutch <span class=\"nowrap\">their pearls<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-07-02T12:02:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"02 July 2026\"><span class=\"month\">July<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"2\">2,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-07-02T12:02:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"02 July 2026\"><span class=\"month\">July<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"2\">2,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/p>\n<div class=\"providers\">\n<div class=\"contributors\"><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Text\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Text<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/solomonpacemccarrick\"><br \/>\nSolomon PM<br \/>\n<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article-body-container\">\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Lasers on crotches and bums, straddling a man in a toilet cubicle, Sabrina Carpenter on her knees \u2013 these are just three scenes from Madonna\u2019s recent 10-minute <\/span><em><span>Confessions II <\/span><\/em><span>film, released ahead of her 15th album of the same name dropping tomorrow. As suggested by its title and raunchy club scenes, the project is a follow-up to the Queen of Pop\u2019s landmark 2005 album, <\/span><em><span>Confessions on a Dance Floor<\/span><\/em><span>, which saw the singer find liberation in dance music.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But, of course, sexually explicit imagery is by no means a new addition to the Madonna canon. Over her 40-year-long career, the prototypical pop star has been a symbol of sexual liberation and bodily autonomy, and has caused more than a few controversies along the way. From being banned from MTV in the 90s to, by her own account, being excommunicated from the Catholic Church no less than three times, a new Madonna album is guaranteed to make someone, somewhere clutch their pearls.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>So, with her newest release and rumours of a Glastonbury headline on the horizon, we look back at ten of Madonna\u2019s most controversial moments.<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span>10. \u201cWHAT IT FEELS LIKE FOR A GIRL\u201d (SEPTEMBER, 2000)<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"qYwgG2oyUbA \"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"422\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qYwgG2oyUbA%20\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"750\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Madonna\u2019s music videos have frequently been banned from TV over the years \u2013 but this time it wasn\u2019t for her sexual imagery. In the Guy Ritchie-directed video for 2000 single \u201cWhat It Feels Like For A Girl\u201d, Madonna embarks on a high-octane crime spree with an old lady accomplice, blowing up petrol stations, running over men on the street and ramming into police cars. The video, along with the lyrics \u201c&#8217;<\/span><em><span>You think that being a girl is degrading \/ But secretly you&#8217;d love to know what it&#8217;s like<\/span><\/em><span>,\u201d is intended to highlight society\u2019s double standards towards women \u2013 but it was still sanctioned by TV stations for being too violent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span>9. <\/span><span>KISSING BRITNEY SPEARS AND CHRISTINA AGUILERA (AUGUST, 2003)\u00a0<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"Q_NDOksJfcg\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"422\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Q_NDOksJfcg\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"750\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>15 years after its original release, Madonna\u2019s \u201cLike A Virgin\u201d became the subject of controversy once again during a live rendition at the VMAs alongside Britney Spears, Missy Elliot and Christine Aguilera. In the performance, Madonna kisses both Spears and Aguilera on the lips in a move that allegedly wasn\u2019t included in the song\u2019s rehearsals. While it might seem fairly tame nowadays, the kisses made global headlines at the time \u2013 egged on by a salacious camera cut to Spears\u2019 then-boyfriend Justin Timberlake, who looked slightly uncomfortable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span>8<\/span><span>. \u201cPAPA DON\u2019T PREACH\u201d (JUNE, 1986)<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"G333Is7VPOg \"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"422\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/G333Is7VPOg%20\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"750\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Featuring the lyrics \u201c<\/span><em><span>Papa don\u2019t preach, I been losing sleep \/ But I made up my mind \/ I\u2019m keeping my baby<\/span><\/em><span>,\u201d this song managed to piss off people on all sides of the political spectrum. While some conservative Americans argued the song represented a pro-life message, others criticised it for allegedly glamourising teen pregnancy \u2013 and Planned Parenthood even called for radio stations to reconsider airing the song. Speaking about \u201cPapa Don\u2019t Preach\u201d in the wake of its release, Madonna announced \u201cIt is a message song that everyone is going to take the wrong way.\u201d She wasn\u2019t wrong.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span>7. \u201cOPEN YOUR HEART\u201d\u00a0 (JANUARY, 1987)<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"snsTmi9N9Gs \"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"422\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/snsTmi9N9Gs%20\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"750\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Less than a year after \u201cPapa Don\u2019t Preach\u201d, Madonna caused controversy once more, this time for featuring a strip club in the video for \u201cOpen Your Heart\u201d. Widely regarded as beginning Madonna\u2019s long-running relationship with sexual imagery, the video is also notable for including depictions of gay couples (for a mainstream pop star during the Aids crisis, this was controversial enough). But, to be fair, showing a child trying to enter a strip club was never going to go down well, was it? <\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span>6. BLOND AMBITION TOUR (APRIL \u2013 AUGUST 1990)<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"MCgXDMJpCEY \"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"422\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/MCgXDMJpCEY%20\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"750\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Doubling down on her feud with the Catholic Church a year after the release of \u201cLike A Prayer\u201d, Madonna\u2019s Blond Ambition tour continuously drew parallels between religion and sex. In response, Pope John Paul II branded it \u201cone of the most Satanic shows in the history of humanity\u201d (ironically, it doesn\u2019t even make our top five Madonna controversies) and led a protest movement that caused one of the tours\u2019 Italian dates to be cancelled.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But that\u2019s just one of many controversies this tour became engulfed in. Elsewhere, Toronto\u2019s police force threatened to arrest Madonna for \u201clewd and obscene behaviour\u201d if she went ahead with a stimulated masturbation scene during the performance of \u201cLike A Virgin\u201d (the arrest never took place), while her spiky, Jean Paul Gaultier-designed bra made headlines for allegedly overly-sexualising the female body. <\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span>5. \u201cJUSTIFY MY LOVE\u201d (NOVEMBER, 1990)\u00a0<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"Np_Y740aReI \"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"422\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Np_Y740aReI%20\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"750\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>While MTV were one of a handful of TV stations to continue airing \u201cLike A Prayer\u201d, they drew the line at \u201cJustify My Love\u201d the following year. Lifted from Madonna\u2019s first greatest hits compilation album, the video for the track depicted Madonna participating in an orgy in a hotel room, complete with multiple creative camera solutions to avoid showing nipples on-screen. What appears to have been the straw that broke MTV\u2019s back, however, was the video\u2019s added allusions to gay sex, with cultural critic Mark Crispin Miller noting that it was \u201cperfectly all right for MTV to broadcast sadomasochism couplings and events as long as the images don&#8217;t violate a certain heterosexual norm.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Madonna then found herself in even more controversy when she released a remix of the song titled \u201cThe Beast Within\u201d, which included the spoken-word line: \u201c<\/span><em><span>I know your tribulation and your poverty and the slander of those who say that they are Jews, but they are not. They are a Synagogue of Satan<\/span><\/em><span>.\u201d The track was immediately branded antisemitic by multiple Jewish organisations. Responding to these criticisms, Madonna announced: \u201cPeople can say I am an exhibitionist, but no one can ever accuse me of being a racist.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span>4. CONFESSIONS TOUR (MAY \u2013 SEPTEMBER, 2006)<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"liXbh4lZRmk \"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"422\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/liXbh4lZRmk%20\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"750\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Completing her Holy Trinity of (alleged) excommunications from the Catholic Church is Madonna\u2019s Confessions Tour, promoting her <\/span><em><span>Confessions on a Dance Floor<\/span><\/em><span> album from the previous year. In true Madonna style, the show featured frequent religious and sexual themes \u2013 including Madonna staging a Crucifixion, complete with Crown of Thorns, while a background screen displayed the number of children orphaned by Aids. This time, however, it wasn\u2019t Pope John Paul II who lambasted Madonna, but his successor, Pope Benedict XVI.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Elsewhere, the tour was threatened with legal action in Germany and Moscow, and the scene was cut from NBC broadcasts. As always, Madonna defended her actions, stating in the wake of the tour: \u201cI believe in my heart that if Jesus were alive today he would be doing the same thing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><em><span>3. LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN <\/span><\/em><span>(MARCH, 1994)<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"BMQWR2v9opQ \"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"422\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BMQWR2v9opQ%20\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"750\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>In this now-infamous interview with Letterman, Madonna is introduced as having \u201cslept with some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry\u201d before facing repeated probes and jabs about her sex life. The Queen of Pop, meanwhile, who later admitted to smoking a joint before getting on stage, hits back at Letterman, quipping, \u201cYou\u2019re a sick fuck, I don\u2019t know why I get so much shit.\u201d Notoriously, Madonna also says the word \u201cfuck\u201d 14 times throughout the interview, making it the most-censored American network television talk-show in history.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Recalling the incident on The Howard Stern Show, Madonna said: \u201cOne time, I was mad at [Letterman] when I said the f-word a lot. I was in a weird mood that day. I was dating Tupac Shakur at the time, and he had got me all riled up about life in general. So, when I went on the show I was feeling very gangsta.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span>2. \u201cLIKE A PRAYER\u201d (MARCH, 1989)<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"79fzeNUqQbQ \"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"422\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/79fzeNUqQbQ%20\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"750\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>You know when you get on your knees to pray? Yeah, kind of like that. \u201cLike A Prayer\u201d was already controversial for its heavily sexual lyrics, but the subsequent music video for the track took this to a whole new level. Allegedly created out of Madonna\u2019s desire to be more provocative than ever, the track depicted an interracial love affair that leads the couple to be murdered by the Ku Klux Klan \u2013 while also weaving an elaborate parallel between religious and sexual ecstasy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The video was subject to immediate backlash. Then-Pope John Paul II called for a boycott of Madonna, the video, and all subsidiaries of the Pepsi Corporation \u2013 who had just launched a collaboration with the singer. Ultimately, Pepsi dropped their partnership with Madonna and all TV stations apart from MTV refused to play the video. Speaking about the video that same year, Madonna said: \u201cArt should be controversial and that\u2019s all there is to it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h1>1.<em><span> SEX <\/span><\/em><span>(OCTOBER 1992)<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"WyhdvRWEWRw\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"422\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WyhdvRWEWRw\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"750\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Perhaps the pinnacle of her many provocations, Madonna\u2019s 1992 photobook <\/span><em><span>Sex <\/span><\/em><span>would be considered wildly controversial even by today\u2019s standards. Released alongside her fifth album, <\/span><em><span>Erotica<\/span><\/em><span>, the book depicts Madonna in a range of fully nude, sadomasochistic positions. It also included cameos from Naomi Campbell, Vanilla Ice, Big Daddy Cane and even a distant member of the German royal family, Princess Tatiana von F\u00fcrstenberg. Unsurprisingly, the book was subject to widespread backlash and many retailers refused to stock it, but <\/span><em><span>Sex <\/span><\/em><span>has since received praise as a landmark post-feminist work.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! 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href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/article\/57454\/1\/10-of-the-hottest-instagram-accounts-fusing-art-sex-and-erotica\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"split-rail-card__img-wrapper card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"sexiest hottest art erotica Instagram\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/640\/0-98-687-458\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1340\/4\/1344209.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"split-rail-card__content card-latest__content\"><span class=\"split-rail-card__ribbon card-latest__ribbon\">Beauty<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"split-rail-card__title card-latest__title\">10 of the hottest Instagram accounts fusing art, sex and erotica<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"split-rail-card card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/70566\/1\/we-are-entering-the-age-of-intentional-music-listening\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"split-rail-card__img-wrapper card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"high-fidelity-1x05-rob\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/578\/0-0-578-385\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/8\/1448749.png\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"split-rail-card__content card-latest__content\"><span class=\"split-rail-card__ribbon card-latest__ribbon\">Music<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"split-rail-card__title card-latest__title\">We are entering the age of intentional music listening<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"split-rail-card card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/article\/70564\/1\/july-2026-horoscope-cancer-leo-season-mercury-retrograde-north-node-aquarius\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"split-rail-card__img-wrapper card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"deep impact celestial event\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/640\/326-0-1594-1063\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/8\/1448867.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"split-rail-card__content card-latest__content\"><span class=\"split-rail-card__ribbon card-latest__ribbon\">Beauty<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"split-rail-card__title card-latest__title\">July 2026 Horoscope: The most important celestial event of the 21st century<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"split-rail-card card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/70555\/1\/a-phone-call-bjork-about-nature-ai-new-music-iceland\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"split-rail-card__img-wrapper card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Bottega photo Vidar Logi\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/640\/0-75-2400-1600\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/8\/1448507.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"split-rail-card__content card-latest__content\"><span class=\"split-rail-card__ribbon card-latest__ribbon\">Music<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"split-rail-card__title card-latest__title\">Bj\u00f6rk on nature, new music and working with AI: \u2018I\u2019m a digital craftswoman\u2019<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline\" data-newsletter hidden>\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Lasers on crotches and bums, straddling a man in a toilet cubicle, Sabrina Carpenter on her knees \u2013 these are just three scenes from Madonna\u2019s recent 10-minute <\/span><em><span>Confessions II <\/span><\/em><span>film, released ahead of her 15th album of the same name dropping tomorrow. As suggested by its title and raunchy club scenes, the project is a follow-up to the Queen of Pop\u2019s landmark 2005 album, <\/span><em><span>Confessions on a Dance Floor<\/span><\/em><span>, which saw the singer find liberation in dance music.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But, of course, sexually explicit imagery is by no means a new addition to the Madonna canon. Over her 40-year-long career, the prototypical pop star has been a symbol of sexual liberation and bodily autonomy, and has caused more than a few controversies along the way. From being banned from MTV in the 90s to, by her own account, being excommunicated from the Catholic Church no less than three times, a new Madonna album is guaranteed to make someone, somewhere clutch their pearls.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>So, with her newest release and rumours of a Glastonbury headline on the horizon, we look back at ten of Madonna\u2019s most controversial moments.<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span>10. \u201cWHAT IT FEELS LIKE FOR A GIRL\u201d (SEPTEMBER, 2000)<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"qYwgG2oyUbA \"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"422\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qYwgG2oyUbA%20\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"750\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Madonna\u2019s music videos have frequently been banned from TV over the years \u2013 but this time it wasn\u2019t for her sexual imagery. In the Guy Ritchie-directed video for 2000 single \u201cWhat It Feels Like For A Girl\u201d, Madonna embarks on a high-octane crime spree with an old lady accomplice, blowing up petrol stations, running over men on the street and ramming into police cars. The video, along with the lyrics \u201c&#8217;<\/span><em><span>You think that being a girl is degrading \/ But secretly you&#8217;d love to know what it&#8217;s like<\/span><\/em><span>,\u201d is intended to highlight society\u2019s double standards towards women \u2013 but it was still sanctioned by TV stations for being too violent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span>9. <\/span><span>KISSING BRITNEY SPEARS AND CHRISTINA AGUILERA (AUGUST, 2003)\u00a0<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"Q_NDOksJfcg\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"422\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Q_NDOksJfcg\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"750\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>15 years after its original release, Madonna\u2019s \u201cLike A Virgin\u201d became the subject of controversy once again during a live rendition at the VMAs alongside Britney Spears, Missy Elliot and Christine Aguilera. In the performance, Madonna kisses both Spears and Aguilera on the lips in a move that allegedly wasn\u2019t included in the song\u2019s rehearsals. While it might seem fairly tame nowadays, the kisses made global headlines at the time \u2013 egged on by a salacious camera cut to Spears\u2019 then-boyfriend Justin Timberlake, who looked slightly uncomfortable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span>8<\/span><span>. \u201cPAPA DON\u2019T PREACH\u201d (JUNE, 1986)<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"G333Is7VPOg \"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"422\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/G333Is7VPOg%20\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"750\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Featuring the lyrics \u201c<\/span><em><span>Papa don\u2019t preach, I been losing sleep \/ But I made up my mind \/ I\u2019m keeping my baby<\/span><\/em><span>,\u201d this song managed to piss off people on all sides of the political spectrum. While some conservative Americans argued the song represented a pro-life message, others criticised it for allegedly glamourising teen pregnancy \u2013 and Planned Parenthood even called for radio stations to reconsider airing the song. Speaking about \u201cPapa Don\u2019t Preach\u201d in the wake of its release, Madonna announced \u201cIt is a message song that everyone is going to take the wrong way.\u201d She wasn\u2019t wrong.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span>7. \u201cOPEN YOUR HEART\u201d\u00a0 (JANUARY, 1987)<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"snsTmi9N9Gs \"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"422\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/snsTmi9N9Gs%20\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"750\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Less than a year after \u201cPapa Don\u2019t Preach\u201d, Madonna caused controversy once more, this time for featuring a strip club in the video for \u201cOpen Your Heart\u201d. Widely regarded as beginning Madonna\u2019s long-running relationship with sexual imagery, the video is also notable for including depictions of gay couples (for a mainstream pop star during the Aids crisis, this was controversial enough). But, to be fair, showing a child trying to enter a strip club was never going to go down well, was it? <\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span>6. BLOND AMBITION TOUR (APRIL \u2013 AUGUST 1990)<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"MCgXDMJpCEY \"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"422\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/MCgXDMJpCEY%20\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"750\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Doubling down on her feud with the Catholic Church a year after the release of \u201cLike A Prayer\u201d, Madonna\u2019s Blond Ambition tour continuously drew parallels between religion and sex. In response, Pope John Paul II branded it \u201cone of the most Satanic shows in the history of humanity\u201d (ironically, it doesn\u2019t even make our top five Madonna controversies) and led a protest movement that caused one of the tours\u2019 Italian dates to be cancelled.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But that\u2019s just one of many controversies this tour became engulfed in. Elsewhere, Toronto\u2019s police force threatened to arrest Madonna for \u201clewd and obscene behaviour\u201d if she went ahead with a stimulated masturbation scene during the performance of \u201cLike A Virgin\u201d (the arrest never took place), while her spiky, Jean Paul Gaultier-designed bra made headlines for allegedly overly-sexualising the female body. <\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span>5. \u201cJUSTIFY MY LOVE\u201d (NOVEMBER, 1990)\u00a0<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"Np_Y740aReI \"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"422\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Np_Y740aReI%20\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"750\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>While MTV were one of a handful of TV stations to continue airing \u201cLike A Prayer\u201d, they drew the line at \u201cJustify My Love\u201d the following year. Lifted from Madonna\u2019s first greatest hits compilation album, the video for the track depicted Madonna participating in an orgy in a hotel room, complete with multiple creative camera solutions to avoid showing nipples on-screen. What appears to have been the straw that broke MTV\u2019s back, however, was the video\u2019s added allusions to gay sex, with cultural critic Mark Crispin Miller noting that it was \u201cperfectly all right for MTV to broadcast sadomasochism couplings and events as long as the images don&#8217;t violate a certain heterosexual norm.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Madonna then found herself in even more controversy when she released a remix of the song titled \u201cThe Beast Within\u201d, which included the spoken-word line: \u201c<\/span><em><span>I know your tribulation and your poverty and the slander of those who say that they are Jews, but they are not. They are a Synagogue of Satan<\/span><\/em><span>.\u201d The track was immediately branded antisemitic by multiple Jewish organisations. Responding to these criticisms, Madonna announced: \u201cPeople can say I am an exhibitionist, but no one can ever accuse me of being a racist.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span>4. CONFESSIONS TOUR (MAY \u2013 SEPTEMBER, 2006)<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"liXbh4lZRmk \"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"422\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/liXbh4lZRmk%20\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"750\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Completing her Holy Trinity of (alleged) excommunications from the Catholic Church is Madonna\u2019s Confessions Tour, promoting her <\/span><em><span>Confessions on a Dance Floor<\/span><\/em><span> album from the previous year. In true Madonna style, the show featured frequent religious and sexual themes \u2013 including Madonna staging a Crucifixion, complete with Crown of Thorns, while a background screen displayed the number of children orphaned by Aids. This time, however, it wasn\u2019t Pope John Paul II who lambasted Madonna, but his successor, Pope Benedict XVI.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Elsewhere, the tour was threatened with legal action in Germany and Moscow, and the scene was cut from NBC broadcasts. As always, Madonna defended her actions, stating in the wake of the tour: \u201cI believe in my heart that if Jesus were alive today he would be doing the same thing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><em><span>3. LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN <\/span><\/em><span>(MARCH, 1994)<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"BMQWR2v9opQ \"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"422\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BMQWR2v9opQ%20\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"750\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>In this now-infamous interview with Letterman, Madonna is introduced as having \u201cslept with some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry\u201d before facing repeated probes and jabs about her sex life. The Queen of Pop, meanwhile, who later admitted to smoking a joint before getting on stage, hits back at Letterman, quipping, \u201cYou\u2019re a sick fuck, I don\u2019t know why I get so much shit.\u201d Notoriously, Madonna also says the word \u201cfuck\u201d 14 times throughout the interview, making it the most-censored American network television talk-show in history.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Recalling the incident on The Howard Stern Show, Madonna said: \u201cOne time, I was mad at [Letterman] when I said the f-word a lot. I was in a weird mood that day. I was dating Tupac Shakur at the time, and he had got me all riled up about life in general. So, when I went on the show I was feeling very gangsta.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span>2. \u201cLIKE A PRAYER\u201d (MARCH, 1989)<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"79fzeNUqQbQ \"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"422\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/79fzeNUqQbQ%20\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"750\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>You know when you get on your knees to pray? Yeah, kind of like that. \u201cLike A Prayer\u201d was already controversial for its heavily sexual lyrics, but the subsequent music video for the track took this to a whole new level. Allegedly created out of Madonna\u2019s desire to be more provocative than ever, the track depicted an interracial love affair that leads the couple to be murdered by the Ku Klux Klan \u2013 while also weaving an elaborate parallel between religious and sexual ecstasy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The video was subject to immediate backlash. Then-Pope John Paul II called for a boycott of Madonna, the video, and all subsidiaries of the Pepsi Corporation \u2013 who had just launched a collaboration with the singer. Ultimately, Pepsi dropped their partnership with Madonna and all TV stations apart from MTV refused to play the video. Speaking about the video that same year, Madonna said: \u201cArt should be controversial and that\u2019s all there is to it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h1>1.<em><span> SEX <\/span><\/em><span>(OCTOBER 1992)<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"WyhdvRWEWRw\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"422\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WyhdvRWEWRw\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"750\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Perhaps the pinnacle of her many provocations, Madonna\u2019s 1992 photobook <\/span><em><span>Sex <\/span><\/em><span>would be considered wildly controversial even by today\u2019s standards. Released alongside her fifth album, <\/span><em><span>Erotica<\/span><\/em><span>, the book depicts Madonna in a range of fully nude, sadomasochistic positions. It also included cameos from Naomi Campbell, Vanilla Ice, Big Daddy Cane and even a distant member of the German royal family, Princess Tatiana von F\u00fcrstenberg. Unsurprisingly, the book was subject to widespread backlash and many retailers refused to stock it, but <\/span><em><span>Sex <\/span><\/em><span>has since received praise as a landmark post-feminist work.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/70576\/1\/madonnas-10-most-controversial-moments-sex-violence-catholic-church-blasphemy&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/0-240-2217-1478\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/8\/1448958.png&#8221;] Madonna, \u2018Erotic\u2019 (music video still) July\u00a0 2,\u00a0 2026 Music \/ Lists Music \/ Lists Madonna\u2019s 10 most controversial moments, ranked \u2018Art should be controversial\u2019: From being banned from MTV in the 90s to threefold excommunication from the Catholic Church, we look back at ten times Madonna has made someone, somewhere clutch their [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,76],"class_list":["post-2023194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dazeddigital-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2023194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2023194"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2023194\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2023194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2023194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2023194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}