Madonna fans are defending the singer against "ageist" social media commenters who mocked her for using a support beam at a recent live show.
The trolls claimed the device was there because the 65-year-old is old and frail, but she was actually tethered to it so she didn't fall while dancing on a small moving platform that can't be seen in the video that first went viral.
Madge was using an important safety device while dancing on a moving elevated platform.
Many of the nastiest comments were left below a viral TikTok clip.
"Okay, Madge, now come down from there before you break a hip," one user said. "When your body is too old to rock n roll lol," said another. "Just isn't sexy anymore. Sit down," a third commenter said.
But Madonna had a couple of defenders on the short-form video platform: "All the haters saying grandma but WERE YOU AT THE SHOW?!"
And even more on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. One user included a video showing the dangerous contraption which required Madonna to use the safety precautions.
"Defending madonna here, cuz triflin’ h*e’s on this platform just make STUPID S**T up (also bothered by the ageism… she’s still a legend). dumb asses got jokes, but failed to mention the fact that she’s dancing on a MOVING PLATFORM," they said.
A different commenter theorized that the haters are just jealous.
"I really do like Madonna’s new look, and after all these years it’s remarkable that she’s still got the moves," they said. "You’re all just jealous because you don’t have this much rizz."
Another X user joked that they take similar safety precautions with much less dangerous tasks.
"I'm not finna get s**tty about madonna being harnessed to a moving platform that is dangling overhead when i'm too afraid to let go of the oh shit bar the whole time i'm in the shower for fear of falling and breaking my neck," they said.
But TikTok users believed the 65-year-old was just using it because she's old and frail.
Madonna is currently taking a brief break from her busy touring schedule. The singer played her last show of 2023 on Dec. 19 in Washington D.C. Her global Celebration Tour will resume with two shows at Boston's TD Garden on Jan. 8 and 9.
Madonna is usually joined by a celebrity guest when performing her iconic track "Vogue." FKA Twigs, DJ Diplo and Julia Garner have appeared alongside the star. So have Stella McCartney, Donatella Versace and Jean Paul Gaultie.
Madonna is currently in the middle of her Celebration Tour, which she was forced to postpone last year following a severe bacterial infection.
In June, Madonna was forced to postpone the Celebration Tour after she was hospitalized for a severe bacterial infection. The pop star spent several days in an intensive care unit.
She reflected on the experience during an October show in Belgium. Footage of the monologue was posted to X.
"Less than four months ago, I was in a hospital and I was unconscious, and people were thinking, predicting that I might not make it," Madonna told the crowd "It's a f**king miracle that I'm here right now."
The singer went on to talk about her mother, who died from breast cancer when Madonna was just 5: "My mother, god bless her, she must be watching over me — she said, 'Girl, it's not your time to go.' … I had this strange thought. I suddenly had sympathy for my mother, not about the dying part, but how lonely she must have felt being in hospital, knowing that she wasn't going to live. And I was given another chance, so I'm very grateful for that."
