Here's What Sean Penn Said About Rumors He Assaulted Ex-Wife Madonna with a Baseball Bat

Actor Sean Penn has spoken out against a long-standing rumor about his marriage to pop star Madonna. In a recent interview with The New York Times, Penn denied ever hitting Madonna with a baseball bat during their relationship in the 1980s. The famous couple was married from 1985 to 1989, and their union was often in the spotlight due to Penn's angry outbursts and run-ins with the law. For years, there have been claims that Penn was physically abusive toward Madonna. One persistent rumor alleged he hit her with a baseball bat in 1987.

Penn, now 63, addressed this rumor directly in the interview. He recalled a strange incident from that time when police raided his home for having guns in the house: "I had a freaking SWAT team come into my house." He was surprised by the sudden intrusion. "I said: 'I'm not coming out. I'm going to finish my breakfast.' The next thing I knew, windows were being broken all around the house and they came in. They had me in handcuffs." The actor later learned the police were responding to reports he had 'trussed [Madonna] up like a turkey.' Penn said he didn't even understand what that meant at the time. He expressed confusion about the allegations, as per The New York Post.

The baseball bat rumor surfaced again years later. Penn remembered a woman he was dating asking him about it. "She's looking at me like I killed her dog," he said. "I didn't know what the hell she was talking about." Despite their rocky past, Penn spoke fondly of Madonna in the interview. "She's someone I love," he stated. This echoed Madonna's own comments from 2015 when she defended Penn against abuse allegations. She called him a 'caring, compassionate individual' and said he had never struck her, as per Page Six.

The issue came up again in 2016 when filmmaker Lee Daniels referred to Penn as a 'wife beater' in an interview. Penn sued Daniels for defamation and as part of the settlement, Daniels apologized and retracted his statement. Madonna also submitted a sworn statement to the court denying Penn had ever hit her with a bat. Penn reflected on how his relationship with Madonna has evolved over time. He compared it to his dynamic with ex-wife Robin Wright, with whom he has two children.

"It turns out it's a lot quicker to repair a friendship after divorce if there are no kids involved," Penn noted. He said it took much longer to mend fences with Wright due to co-parenting issues, as per The New York Post. The actor seems to have put the tumultuous times of his youth behind him. He's been married and divorced two more times since Madonna. Penn said he's now happy being single. "I'm just free," he said. "If I'm going to be in a relationship, I'm still going to be free, or I'm not going to be in it."