‘The View’ Co-Hosts Criticize Madonna as ‘Disrespectful’ for Commencing Concert With a 2-Hour Delay

Madonna, the iconic pop sensation, finds herself in the middle of controversy and a federal class-action lawsuit after allegedly starting her Celebration tour stops two hours late. The View’s hosts did not hold back their criticism, emphasizing Madonna’s perceived disrespect for her fans’ time. The unraveling situation has sparked a broader discussion on the significance of punctuality in the entertainment industry. Joy Behar, a candid host on The View, expressed her unequivocal stance, saying, “I personally wouldn’t wait two hours to get a hot oil massage from George Clooney, much less a concert by anybody.” This sentiment resonated with Sara Haines, who highlighted the significance of respecting fans who invest prominent amounts to attend live performances.

As per EW, Sunny Hostin took a somewhat different approach, stating that she was not bothered by Madonna’s habitual traits. Hostin shared, “I don’t think she should be sued. This is baked into Madonna. She’s an icon. She’s always late. When you go to a Madonna concert, you know you have to eat before, you have to get lit before, and you’re going to wait about two hours and listen to a DJ. Insert any person’s name who is two hours late. It’s disrespectful. You’re flipping off your fans who paid to come and watch you. You can be a diva. You should not act like a diva. To me, Madonna is not there.” Haines further added, “Beyoncé? Always on time. Taylor Swift, Pink, that’s called respectful. It’s how you’re raised. You respect someone’s time the way you expect them to respect yours. You showed up here. They paid hundreds of dollars.”

As per Billboard, the controversy around Madonna’s tardiness has turned into a legal battle. The pop icon now faces a federal class-action lawsuit filed by two disgruntled concert attendees. The lawsuit claims that Madonna breached her contract with concertgoers and violated New York state laws by starting the shows in Brooklyn's Barclays Center past the scheduled time. The accusers claim that they “would not have paid for their tickets had they known that the concerts would start after 10:30 p.m.” Attorneys for the two men wrote, “Defendants failed to provide any notice to the ticketholders that the concerts would start much later than the start time printed on the ticket and as advertised. Madonna has a long history of arriving and starting her concerts late, sometimes several hours late. This history occurred throughout her 2016 Rebel Heart Tour, her 2019-2020 Madame X Tour, and prior tours, where Madonna continuously started her concerts over two hours late.”

The outcome of the lawsuit and the ensuing public response could potentially influence expectations regarding artists' punctuality in the entertainment world. Madonna's future performances may be impacted by these events, prompting a reassessment of established norms and practices in the industry. Whether Madonna continues her tradition of late starts or faces repercussions that shape the standards for artists' conduct remains to be seen.