Update: Madonna has fired back at critics of her tribute to the late Aretha Franklin at the MTV Video Music Awards on Monday, insisting that she "did not intend to do a tribute" at all.
Instead, Madonna says she was merely asked to present an award following the VMAs' memorial to the Queen of Soul and then was asked to share a few thoughts in respect to Franklin.
"Just to clarify: I was asked to present video of the year by MTV! And then they asked me to share any anecdotes I had in my career connected to Aretha Franklin," Madge wrote on Instagram. "I shared a part of my journey and thanked Aretha for inspiring me along the way. I did not intend to do a tribute to her! That would be impossible in 2 minutes with all the noise and tinsel of an award show. I could never do her justice in this context or environment.
"Unfortunately most people have short attention spans, and are so quick to judge. I love Aretha! R.E.S.P.E.C.T."
Original: Madonna honoured Aretha Franklin at the MTV VMAs on Monday night – but her lengthy tribute that focused on how her rendition of song by the Queen of Soul helped to launch her career left many viewers unimpressed.
Following Franklin's passing last Thursday, the Queen of Pop was asked to deliver the speech in her introduction for the Video of the Year award. During the tribute, Madonna talked about singing Franklin's '(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman' at an audition which she said changed her life.
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"Aretha Louise Franklin changed the course of my life," she told the audience at the awards ceremony in New York. "I left Detroit when I was 18. Thirty-five dollars in my pocket. My dream was to make it as a professional dancer. After years of struggling and being broke, I decided to go to auditions for musical theatre."
Speaking about her experience at an audition for a "French disco sensation", Madonna said the record producers "didn't take [her] seriously".
She then went on to explain that this was the start of her journey as a singer, before concluding: "You are probably all wondering why I am telling you this story. There is a connection, because none of this would have happened, could have happened, without our lady of soul.
"She led me to where I am today. And I know she influenced so many people in this house tonight. In this room tonight. And I want to thank you, Aretha, for empowering all of us. R-e-s-p-e-c-t. Long live the queen."
[Camilla Cabello accepts her award from Madonna]
Viewers were quick to criticise Madonna for speaking about herself in the send-off for Franklin.
"Madonna gave herself a tribute," was a common sentiment on Twitter. "I'm sorry, I love Madonna... but her telling a 5 minute story about herself was not the right time to honour Aretha Franklin. Wow... So shocked," another viewer tweeted.
Others said the VMAs were to blame for letting Madonna "disrespect Aretha Franklin's legacy".
Some Madonna fans have come to her defence amid the backlash, though.
Camila Cabello, who won the Video of the Year award for her hit song 'Havana', also gushed about the pop icon in her acceptance speech. "You've inspired me so much," she said as she collected the VMAs Moonman statue.
See all the red carpet pictures from this year's MTV VMAs here.
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Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
