"I was so angry"— Richard Madeley criticizes Madonna for delayed interview as pop star faces lawsuit over late concerts

Richard Madeley, the ITV presenter called out Madonna for reportedly making him wait six hours for an interview "years ago." The 67-year-old told his Good Morning Britain co-host Susannah Reid on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, about his behind-schedule interview with the Queen of Pop. Apart from making him wait for six hours, Madeley claimed that the interview didn't "start until about one in the morning."

"I was so angry," Richard said.

When his co-host asked him if the interview was worth waiting for, Madeley stated that it wasn't and claimed that the pop singer "was weird."

Richard Madeley's comments about the singer came after news broke that Madonna was being sued by fans for arriving hours late to the live shows of her The Celebration Tour. The suit called the singer a "consumer’s worst nightmare."

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Fans accuse Madonna of showing "total disrespect for her fans" and "false advertising" at recent concerts

Richard Madeley called out Madonna for being late to an interview with him "years ago." However, he isn't the only one who criticized her for it as some concertgoers have filed a federal lawsuit against the 65-year-old singer.

Three fans from Washinton, D.C., filed the lawsuit on Friday, April 19, 2024, for arriving two hours after the performance time on two separate occasions. The performance was taking place at the Capital One Arena in December 2023.

According to the lawsuit, the singer and Live Nation reportedly broke the law by listing the concert time on the tickets at 8:30 pm. However, the singer arrived on stage at around 10:40 pm, which according to the suit is a "total disrespect for her fans.

"Forcing consumers to wait hours for her performance in a hot, uncomfortable arena is demonstrative of Madonna’s arrogant and total disrespect for her fans. In essence, Madonna and Live Nation are a consumer’s worst nightmare," the lawsuit added.

It elaborated to say that the complaint wasn't by unhappy fans who "don't want to stay up," but it was about the people who had other commitments. The suit added that there were fans who were worried about getting their vehicles from parking lots that closed at midnight and others who realized that "public transportation would no longer be operating."

"This complaint is not about unhappy fans who don’t want to stay up late, but instead, reasonable, responsible people who had commitments to babysitters, work, getting their vehicles out of parking lots that closed at 12.00 midnight, and realising that public transportation would no longer be operating,” it noted.

Per the complaint, when the singer arrived on stage she initially apologized to the fans before saying that she wasn't sorry as she was "always late."

"I am sorry I am late... No, I am not sorry. It’s who I am... I’m always late," the Material Girl singer said.

Neither the singer nor her representatives have commented on the April 2024 lawsuit.

However, in January 2024, a similar lawsuit was filed against both defendants by fans in Brooklyn for a December 13, 2024, concert. The suit also claimed that Madonna had arrived two hours later than expected. Fans claimed that they wouldn't have paid for the tickets had they known what time Madonna would arrive.

According to the filing, the singer and Live Nation allegedly exercised "false advertising, negligent misrepresentation, and unfair and deceptive trade practices." Madonna also reportedly arrived late to her subsequent shows in Brooklyn on December 14, 2023, and December 16, 2023.

Although the singer has yet to respond to the April lawsuit, she did file a motion to dismiss the January lawsuit. She did so by citing her "years-long history" of "arriving several hours late to prior concerts." The motion added that nowhere on the tickets did they advertise the Queen of Pop would arrive at the ticketed time. It also stated that it was expected for the headline act to start "later in the evening."

Per the singer's lawyers, the suit's claim about the concertgoers being "stranded" after the concert ended at 1 am was not an "injury" worth damages. Fans had claimed that they were left stranded or with limited public transportation, limited ridesharing, "and/or increased public and private transportation costs" after the concert ended.

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The Celebration Tour is Madonna's 12th concert tour, spanning across cities in North America, South America, and Europe. It began on October 14, 2023, in London, England, and is scheduled to conclude on May 4, 2024, in a free concert in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Neither the singer nor her representatives had commented on Richard Madeley's remarks at the time of writing this article.