Arts & Entertainment
Madonna sued for starting concert late
Madonna’s reputation for showing up starting her concerts late may finally be catching up with her.
The pop music icon is being sued by a fan who claims that tickets he purchased for an upcoming Miami concert are now worth significantly less than the $1,024.95 he paid for them.
The suit was filed on November 4 by Neal Hollander of Florida, who says he bought the tickets for the December 17 show when they went on sale in August. At the time of the sale, the concert’s starting time was listed as 8:30, but in October, the start time was pushed back to 10:30. Hollander asserts that the change in times is a breach of contract, and that the tickets have now “suffered an extreme loss of value” that makes reselling them “impossible.”
In the suit, he claims that he and other ticket holders who no longer want to attend because of the later start time have “suffered actual and consequential damages, including, but not limited to, loss of consideration paid and the devaluation of the ticket.”
News of the lawsuit comes in the midst of renewed fan backlash over the singer’s habitual tardiness. Last week, at the first Las Vegas show of her current “Madame X” tour, she was reportedly met with boos when she took the Caesar’s Palace stage at 12:30am — two hours after the already-late scheduled curtain time of 10:30pm.
Among other media outlets, TMZ reported that Madonna addressed the disgruntled concert audience by saying, “Here’s something you all need to understand … and that is, that the queen is never late.”
Madonna has a well-known tendency for starting shows late that dates back across her entire 40-year career – indeed, the singer’s representatives are using that history to answer complaints from angry concert-goers, reasoning that since she is known for being late, they should have expected it.
Nevertheless, multiple fans at last week’s delayed Caesar’s Palace show were not shy about expressing their anger, both from the audience and on social media. When Madonna posted a video on Twitter with the note saying, “Bringing the [fire emoji] to Vegas,” she was met with stern response from commenters, including one poster who said, “1.5 hours late. Indifferent-to-hostile audience. Juvenile attempts at humor met with audience silence. I’ve never seen anyone less in control of a room. Truly amateurish.”
The website Wonderwall reported that 500 refunds were issued before and during that Las Vegas show.
The Freddie’s Follies drag show was held at Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington, Va. on Saturday, Jan. 3. Performers included Monet Dupree, Michelle Livigne, Shirley Naytch, Gigi Paris Couture and Shenandoah.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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Queer highlights of the 2026 Critics Choice Awards: Aunt Gladys, that ‘Heated Rivalry’ shoutout and more
Amy Madigan’s win in the supporting actress category puts her in serious contention to win the Oscar for ‘Weapons’
From Chelsea Handler shouting out Heated Rivalry in her opening monologue to Amy Madigan proving that horror performances can (and should) be taken seriously, the Critics Choice Awards provided plenty of iconic moments for queer movie fans to celebrate on the long road to Oscar night.
Handler kicked off the ceremony by recapping the biggest moments in pop culture last year, from Wicked: For Good to Sinners. She also made room to joke about the surprise hit TV sensation on everyone’s minds: “Shoutout to Heated Rivalry. Everyone loves it! Gay men love it, women love it, straight men who say they aren’t gay but work out at Equinox love it!”
The back-to-back wins for Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein and Amy Madigan in Weapons are notable, given the horror bias that awards voters typically have. Aunt Gladys instantly became a pop culture phenomenon within the LGBTQ+ community when Zach Cregger’s hit horror comedy released in August, but the thought that Madigan could be a serious awards contender for such a fun, out-there performance seemed improbable to most months ago. Now, considering the sheer amount of critics’ attention she’s received over the past month, there’s no denying she’s in the running for the Oscar.
“I really wasn’t expecting all of this because I thought people would like the movie, and I thought people would dig Gladys, but you love Gladys! I mean, it’s crazy,” Madigan said during her acceptance speech. “I get [sent] makeup tutorials and paintings. I even got one weird thing about how she’s a sex icon also, which I didn’t go too deep into that one.”
Over on the TV side, Rhea Seehorn won in the incredibly competitive best actress in a drama series category for her acclaimed performance as Carol in Pluribus, beating out the likes of Emmy winner Britt Lower for Severance, Carrie Coon for The White Lotus, and Bella Ramsey for The Last of Us. Pluribus, which was created by Breaking Bad’s showrunner Vince Gilligan, has been celebrated by audiences for its rich exploration of queer trauma and conversion therapy.
Jean Smart was Hack’s only win of the night, as Hannah Einbinder couldn’t repeat her Emmy victory in the supporting actress in a comedy series category against Janelle James, who nabbed a trophy for Abbott Elementary. Hacks lost the best comedy series award to The Studio, as it did at the Emmys in September. And in the limited series category, Erin Doherty repeated her Emmy success in supporting actress, joining in yet another Adolescence awards sweep.
As Oscar fans speculate on what these Critics Choice wins mean for future ceremonies, we have next week’s Golden Globes ceremony to look forward to on Jan. 11.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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