Madonna was most recently seen performing a surprise stand-up set at a New York comedy club.
The pop icon was reportedly seen at the Comedy Cellar last Saturday (January 25) following up a set by friend and comedian Amy Schumer with a half-hour attempt in front of the mic, per The Sun, whose source added that the audience “was so stunned” by her presence that “it took them the entire set to warm up to her”.
“She didn’t do as well as you’d think she would, she got laughs every time she dropped F-bomb, because just hearing Madonna curse is funny,” the source told The Sun, also claiming that the set included a Donald Trump joke.
After that night, Schumer shared a selfie with Madonna at a club table that reads “This table is reserved for Comedy Cellar comedians only.”
Schumer later appeared on The Howard Stern Show talking about the experience bringing Madonna to the club and watching her perform. “She has something in her that’s like interested in stand-up and she knows that, like anything else, you have to work really hard on it,” she told Stern.
The comedian revealed that the duo have attended the Comedy Cellar “a couple of times” – including in 2017 when Madonna attempted the same thing following Schumer. This time “she’s like, ‘I want to get up. I’ve got things I want to express'”.
“She goes up with a notebook and she is like, kind of working on her set and it’s not cringey,” she continued. “She’s funny! She’s got jokes. She’s got things to say. She’s got tea.” She added that Madonna recorded her own set to figure out what she can improve on.
While her appearance was a complete surprise, Madonna famously first expressed her interest in stand-up comedy as far back as 2015, during an appearance at The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon where she attempted a three-minute stand-up set in front of the show’s live audience.
Earlier this week, Madonna called out the US government over “slowly dismantling all the freedoms we have been fighting for” in an Instagram post, following the slate of executive orders signed by Trump aimed at immigrants and transgender citizens.
Last December, it was revealed that Madonna’s ‘Celebration’ tour made the top 10 list of highest-grossing world tours of 2024. The same month, she also teased new music due for release this year. If 2025 sees a new album from the ‘Hung Up’ hitmaker, it will mark her first LP since 2019’s ‘Madame X‘.
Madonna performs onstage during a free concert at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. CREDIT: Getty/Pablo PORCIUNCULA/AFP
Since her 14th record was shared, the singer has gone on to embark on a huge world tour, celebrating the hits from throughout her career. The UK dates of her ‘Celebration’ tour featured multiple sold-out stops at The O2 in London – which were given a five-star review by NME. It described the opening gig as showcasing “a series of spectacular set-pieces referencing iconic highlights from Madonna’s reign”.
The tour also marked Madonna working with Stuart Price again. Around the time of the two reconnecting, Price said: “When she announced the greatest hits tour I called her just to say, ‘Congratulations, I think this is a great idea.’ And she said, ‘I was just thinking about you, and I thought you’d be the perfect person to work with on this’” (via The Sun).
In other news, a new documentary about Madonna – titled Becoming Madonna – is set to bring a “fresh perspective on an enduring icon”, according to a statement from Sky.
As per Deadline, Sky has green lit a feature that will “chart Madonna’s rise to become the biggest female pop icon in history” via rare footage, unseen photos and “intimate interviews with family, friends and collaborators – some of whom have never spoken in a documentary before.”
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