As we discussed before Christmas, 15-year-old Rocco Ritchie refused to fly to NYC to spend the holiday with his mom. He wanted to – and did – spend Christmas with his dad, Guy Ritchie, and Guy’s family in England. By most accounts, Rocco gets along well with his dad and stepmom (Jacqui Ainsley) and he seems to like being a big half-brother to Guy and Jacqui’s young children. It also seems like Rocco had just had enough of his mom after working for months on Madonna’s Rebel Heart Tour. Sources claim that Rocco and Madonna had some kind falling out around Thanksgiving/early December and that’s when Rocco went to his dad and refused to see his mom anymore. Radar has more details about what led to the crisis:
Madonna‘s son Rocco Ritchie will be home for Christmas — at least if the pop diva has her way! She went to court in New York Wednesday to get a judge’s order forcing him to fly back to New York for the holidays, and now, only RadarOnline.com has all the inside details about their explosive family feud. According to an insider, the trouble started when Rocco, 15, “ran away in Stockholm.” Madonna’s Rebel Heart Tour, with son Rocco in tow, stopped there in mid-November.
“M and Rocco were having bad shouting matches,” the insider explained. “She’d be crying and yelling at him.”
Despite traveling with his mom on the tour for months, Rocco, “doesn’t want to be with her. He wants to be with this dad,” Guy Ritchie, the source said. So when the tour stopped in London the first week in December, Rocco took the opportunity to make a break for it.
“He took off for his dad’s house and hasn’t seen her since,” the source said. Swinging into action, Madonna, 57, fired his “manny” over it, according to the source, and had emergency meetings with her attorneys in London, to no avail.
“She couldn’t get an order that would require Rocco to return to her house,” the source said.
So… typical teenager vs mom stuff. I mean, you would be hard-pressed to find ANY 15-year-old who could stand spending that much time with his mom. Rocco worked on the Rebel Heart Tour since September, and he reportedly spent most of the summer with his mom too. Of course he wanted to spend time with his dad. But more than that, he wanted to get away from Madonna for a while. Some breathing room is not the worst thing.
Page Six says that the “cause” of the rift might be Madonna’s habit of posting embarrassing photos of Rocco on her social media as well. While I seriously doubt an international custodial crisis was triggered by Instagram, I do think that Madonna’s Instagrams of her son probably embarrassed the hell out of him. She’s a typical mom – she still thinks her kids are babies and that they are “hers” and she gets to say how their images are used. But that’s not how teenagers think. Lourdes got away (she’s in college now), so Madonna is clinging extra-hard to Rocco and he’s had enough. That’s my reading of it.
What else? Madonna posted more Instagrams of her kids over Christmas. Rocco posted Instagrams of himself in London, and when one of his friends wrote “Wtf is happening where you going?” in the comment section, Rocco wrote back: “Nothing! I’m staying here bro.” Not only does Guy have lawyers willing to fight for Rocco, but Rocco reportedly has his own independent lawyers working for his interests too. It’s probably going to be a big mess.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.
Sun-shine of my Life?
I’m sure having Madonna as a mother is hard at times, but everyone involved seems to be overreacting.
Shouldn’t it have been Son-shine? Get it?
Yeah, son-shine wouldd be a pun, this is just bad spelling.
Hes embarrassed by his mom but he goes out of the house dressed like that? Highwater 80’s mom jeans and that shirt? Tucked in? With a black belt? What in gods name? Outfit snarking aside, Madonna needs to chill out and let the boy hang out with his dad for a while. Hes perfectly safe and cared for with him I’m sure. The more you try to force him to be with you the more hes going to resent you for it.
Agreed. He didn’t take off just anywhere – he took off in London, his second home. He went to stay with his dad. He’s not homeless. She knows where he is, that he’s with people who love him, and that he’s safe. She needs to give him some space.
That said, Guy isn’t blameless here, and he should be encouraging Rocco to make peace with his mom and, if he wants to alter the custody arrangement, to do it in a respectful way that doesn’t cause irreparable harm to their family unit, such that it is.
I doubt that it would be a good idea for his dad to boot him out and tell him to go back to his mom. He’s supposed to have two parents and two homes and be welcome in both. Encouraging him to talk with Madonna would make sense, but she is such a powerful personality that I can certainly see why Rocco doesn’t want to deal with her in person right now. He’s done that already. My bet is that Madonna felt the same way when she was a kid, and maybe that’s what really scares her.
Team Rocco here!
Being 15 is a drag generally, and having a world-famous multimillionaire control freak for a mother can’t help. Add in a totally immature, passive-aggressive dad who is playing his own games with his ex-wife and you just have a bad situation for a kid.
Here’s hoping that things settle down for Rocco and that he go back to obscurity, leave his parents’ drama behind, and start doing the hard work of becoming an adult.
M already caused irreparable harm. He will never forgive her for pulling that power play in court to get what SHE wanted. She has the world at her feet – but can’t talk to her own son. Maybe those 15 minute appointments the kids had to schedule with her didn’t work out so well.
This site’s coverage is balanced and I agree with the posters who point out that Guy is not blameless. Your lawyer doesn’t just randomly decide to hold your kid’s passport – Guy INSTRUCTED his lawyer to hold it. Guy had a part in escalating the situation, too. And tacky for 2nd wife to tweet her wedding photo during this mess. Lady, you’re a mom, too – put yourself in Rocco’s mom’s shoes, how would you feel if your son and ex-husband defied the custody agreement? Don’t add fuel to the fire. Hope the parents can act like adults and work this out privately.
@Cocteau Twins I love your name!!! One of my all time favorite bands I even met Liz Frasier once!
Madonna supposedly posted an old video of Rocco doing a flip in boxer briefs on Instagram & hash tagged it “no sausage”. Posting videos of your teen in underwear to the world is really messed up & then the hashtag is even more horrible. If I were him I’d have a hard time forgiving her for that & I’d definitely never forget.
Rocco has his OWN lawyer who makes decisions on his behalf and in his interest. That is who is holding his passport, NOT Guy’s lawyer.
I don’t see anywhere that it says Guy is doing anything to impede their relationship. He’s not going to boot him out. That would be stupid. He’s taking care of him. It also doesn’t say Rocco hasn’t spoken to Madonna. Just that he hasn’t seen her. She could easily fly to London to talk to him if she wanted to do so. He’s 15. That’s really old enough to have a say in which parent you live with.
I as well thought the instagram pictures were pretty horrible. Especially her comments. I’d be mortified as a teen. Plus Madonna often stated that she’s a control freak when it comes to her kids – no TV, very strict rules…don’t know if her rules are still up since he’s 15 now, but she’s definitely not a walk in the parc. He should stay with his father and get some stabilty and normalcy.
Oh and running to your lawyers and demand from your son to come back when you don’t even celebrate christmas probably just proves Rocco’s point to stay away from her for a while.
(a) who says Guy isn’t (gently) encouraging Rocco to make peace? (b) if the issue is a bossy parent pushing their kid around with no acknowledgement of how the kid feels, maybe Guy knows better than to be forceful too?
Well put Enny =)
I know Madonna is hated but it’s ridiculous to say Rocco can decide custody. He’s older but this is for her and Guy to decide and work out. I’m assuming there’s an agreement so it should be honored until the court decides.
I’m sure her other three kids are heartened to hear that *he* is the sunshine of her life… what does that make them? Cloudy with a chance of rain? Scattered Showers? Wind coming in from the east? 😛 Drama Queen!
Yeah, and talking to your son via instagram is not very classy either. If he doesn’t want to talk to you, send a text message or mail and don’t share the problem with the whole world.
Exactly! And Madonna has just made this so much worse going to court and making this situation fodder for the world to talk about. I’m sure that’s helping Rocco! Seems all he wants is to live like a normal kid and his dad is able to give him that. I don’t get any sense that Guy is playing games. Just trying to shelter his kid who obviously needs it. Mom puts him on display with no regard via Instagram as well as through court. He’s 15. If he wants to live with his dad for a while then I feel she needs to respect that. He’s got a big family in London so let him enjoy them. He will respect M much more for giving him the space he desires. Honestly he seems like s good kid. Give him a break, M!
I’m with Sticks. Let Rocco spend time with his dad and family, and catch his breath off-tour, and work things out over time. His life sounds like he’s been a cog in the Madonna circus, maybe not the best thing when you’re his age, trying to form your own identity, thoughts, opinions, direction. You’d think she’d be relieved he didn’t just disappear. He ran to his dad, and his dad happily took him in. Other than the fact she’s very anti-Guy, did she have a real reason to take it to court? Seems overdone and silly. Let the kid be. He’s 15, and a person. Not Instagram fodder, not a toddler, not a dog.
She shouldn’t be going after court orders–that’s just going to irritate a teenager even more. I can’t see how bringing your teenager on a tour with you (basically forcing him to spend all hours of the day in your presence or living your life) was a good idea. Seems like he should have the choice since an agreement to reside with one parent isn’t the same as an agreement to go to work with them every day all day for months on end.
Agreed. And at fifteen he’s old enough to voice a preference for where, how, and with which parent he lives.
And btw, this may very likely have all come to a head ( so to speak) with Rocco’s anger and humiliation when his mother actually Instagrammed a photo of Rocco, accompanied by her belittling (literally) public joke about the size of his d*ck. Her son’s junk. His mother. Her son. AYFKM? What 15-year-old boy should have to put up with that kind of public ridicule and humiliation?
And all that aside, maybe he just wants a quieter, more normal home life with his father, rather than working as an indentured son on his Mom’s too-fabulous-for-words global ego-trip?
Agreed1000%! Sorry but Madonna on tour is even more anal, don’t think any kid wants to see his mom gyrating on stage n acting like a 20 yr old. Plus, she doesn’t celebrate Christmas so why the big deal.
Count me in agreement as well. At his age, he should be able to decide which parent he’d like to live with and she should let him go. Fighting him on it is only making him dig his heels in even more. She should let him have a break.
Wait – somebody named MADONNA doesn’t celebrate Christmas? Is she Jewish now because of the Kabbalah stuff?
I agree with this too! Having raised a son to maturity, I can’t imagine what it must have been like for Rocco to have his mother belittle him like that on social media! Completely unacceptable behavior from a parent towards a child, but especially a mother towards her son! It’s hard enough to be a 15 y.o. guy trying to figure out the world w/o having to deal with that kind of bs!
A kid his age should be in school and creating his own life, not on tour with his attention-seeking mother and her fawning entourage, where everything is about Madonna 24/7.
+1 I don’t get why he was working on her tour. Seems bizarre to have a teenager do that.
Exactly! This is the second report on this site saying that Rocco worked on the tour all summer. The first one insinuated that Rocco was being a “jackass” because he didn’t want to go to New York for Christmas with Madonna who was a “good” mother.
I really don’t understand the justification for taking Madonna’s side and bad mouthing Rocco. He has two parents, he’s 15, and one of them isn’t making him spend his free time working on his mother’s twilight years fantasy that she will always be hot.
I see no reason why anyone wouldn’t want to spend Christmas with the family that felt more emotionally stable.
I don’t know that it is a problem that he worked on her tour. My brothers worked with my dad during part of the summer. He wanted them to earn money and 2nd to see where the money came from. Nothing wrong with that. Many kids work for or with their parents; whether it is in a family business or something else.
I know Madonna is not a favorite; but I can understand her reaction to some degree. I would think many of the people posting would feel differently if it were their child. It will be interesting to see if living with his father is the solution.
They work several hours on the concert night. Usually it’s been in the costume department. She has a few concerts a week. They aren’t working every night.
Give me a break. Is there anything wrong with teaching your children work ethic and in a creative environment. Lola loved working in the costume department during the show.
If he wasn’t interested in this tour, then he should have been able to stay with his dad. I agree. Maybe he started out thinking he wouldn’t mind being ont he tour and it fell apart with him and mom at that age and would travel back to see friends. I have no idea. Lola, when she hit his age, traveled on the tour during the summer and came back to start school in September But Madonna’s tour started differently this time.
“They aren’t working every night”
But they are bound by the job 24/7 on tour. Time changes make it hard to keep up with friends back home. Jet lag. Being surrounded by your mothers employees, all of them older than you. If someone didn’t want to have that lifestyle, it would be very suffocating.
This. Well-said, Kath.
From the start of this mess, I did not see how it was automatically assumed he was being a brat. She may have encouraged him to work on her tour, and then he got tired of it.
As another poster already mentioned, the photo she posted of him doing a flip had a humiliating and inexcusable caption. Dealing with her ego and using him for attention could get old, very quickly.
He probably asked to go along. He wants a career “behind the scenes” in entertainment, apparently. She figured it would be a great education about the reality of the business and also he’d see the world in a different way–another great education. I doubt sitting penned up in a classroom memorizing crap is for him either. Bet she got him extra credit for it all. She’s no fool.
I agree. Maybe boarding school somewhere. Get an education, build a circle of friends and a network apart from those of his parents, clear his head. Plus, daily structure and other adults to look up to. All good things for a 15 year old.
I agree, kids need to create their own identity separate from their parents. I thought the same when AJ said her teenage son was working on her movies.
Someone in another post had said that Lola worked the tour when she was his age. Maybe he thought “hey, my older sister did it, maybe it would be fun.” He could have worse summer jobs but I think in the end, by the end of the summer he was ready to go back to school & be with his friends and mom said no.
Kids do this in regular divorced homes too. They go back and forth depending on who they like one week.
The real issue is, maybe he should be in school. You know, a little stability goes a long way. At his age, his sister was attending a regular high school. I’m pretty sure she lived with her father during that time… although, granted, that guy seems to be under Madonna’s thumb.
“…maybe he should be in school.” My thoughts exactly. I know he’s not a typical teen but it’s still weird to me to think that he can just “take off” and go/do whatever he wants. That said I don’t blame him for wanting to spend time with dad vs mom right now.
So basically mom and teenage son butt heads after spending too much time together, and teenage son gets mad at mom’s over-sharing on social media?
I’m glad my parents weren’t famous so no one saw what an awkward dork I was at 15. (Still a dork, just less awkward about it.)
Because his 15 year old style is killing me softly.
Someone downthread NAILED it when they said he looked like Spiccoli.
Seriously though she needs to let the kid breathe. If he needs a break and to be in one place at one time instead of touring then let him. I don’t even think that’s bratty.
I mean we all know the woman is a narcissist and narcissistic mothers aren’t fun (I have one) their biggest problem is they don’t understand that their children have distinct feelings and thoughts that differ from their own desires . She may very well love him but she’s chasing him away.
I thought the same thing. I’m also the child of a narcissistic mother and left home for good at 16. In my experience, these mothers react very poorly to the normal teenage desire to express agency and explore boundaries. I have a lot of empathy for Rocco (even if I cringe a bit at his fashion).
Well said Hindulovegod. I am sorry about your mother. Also, narcissistic mothers, in general, do not react well when they feel they are being replaced by the younger, hotter step-mom. I noticed someone on this thread had already criticized her for posting something. You cannot win being the step-mom. You have to be an individual and have the kids best interest at heart. But, please, she is just trying to have her life too.
Madonna is such a control freak, not used to people saying “no” to her. This whole affair just shows how overbearing she is. I’m sure she loves her kids but she doesn’t seem to see that they may have their own lives and their own preferences. What was Rocco doing touring with Madonna instead of going to school? He probably craves some stability in his life and maybe his Dad can provide it at this point? Can you imagine seeing your mom with boy-toys all the time? I’m sure he’s sick of it and wants some normalcy for a change. I can see Madonna’s kids growing up wanting more traditional lives. If Madonna were smart, she’d let him stay with Dad for a while instead of running to court to force his return. This could cause a very serious rift between her and Rocco. He’s 15, not 5 and cannot be just told what to do without having anything to say in the matter. Does she want to hear in court that Rocco doesn’t want to live with her?
Exactly.
He could’ve ran away sooner but he waited for them to stop in London because of her tour. I think he had it planned out to me that means the problems go WAY back. Madonna gave him a job there to have him close to her & maybe he did wanted to learn more about the entertainment business. I just believe that Madonna pushed him into the job & at first it worked fine for him but having his mom as a boss is way different. Also he’s 15 he probably missed his friends, something stable & not having to move around as much. The only thing it would help is if Madonna let’s him stay with his dad for a bit, he’s not in danger or living in the streets so she has nothing to worry about.
I know that Guy is not liked in this situation but I can see his default position being getting his attorney’s involved as he knows his ex better than we do. If he is still there, lawyers are speaking with one another on both sides.
WTF Rocco is wearing? He looks like a 90’s nightmare with this outfit…
I get the feeling he’s really into Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain didn’t wear his jeans like that. And no flowered shirts. This is Spicoli, aka Sean Penn’s first famous role. And I am sure he is aware of this too.
My ex husband has this identical outfit and wore it to the grocery store yesterday- tried to hide from him in another aisle.
LOL! Maybe it’s time for a bleach accident, ISO.
Nope. That’s not the 90s, it’s the 80s. 1982 to be exact. He’s dressed and styled like the movie character ‘Spiccolli’ in FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH played by Sean Penn. Google image.
Whoa, that’s kind of a poke in the eye, whether intentional or accidental. He must be aware of the recent Madonna/Sean news.
Yep. This isn’t the first time he has channeled Spicoli.
I noticed he had the same sunglasses as Kurt Cobain in an Instagram photo.
This just all makes you feel so very old.
LAK i think its a 80s and 90s combo. I had a pair of leggings with the pattern of his shirt when i was a kid in the 90s lol
Wow, I can’t decide if this is amazing or just plain creepy.
And it’s awesome you have those facts.
I find it ironic that the majority of comments on the board righteously demand that he should be able to decide for himself where and with whom he wants to live, yet condemn his clothing choices. If he should have free will over anything, it should be about what he wants to wear and how he wants to look. LOL. Hypocrisy.
Supporting his right to choose who he lives with isn’t the same as critiquing his taste. By all means, exercise your right to wear what you like. But taste has always been a matter of opinion.
Nobody is trying to argue that he doesn’t have a right to wear whatever he likes. False equivalence–look it up.
LOL, “condemn” is a little harsh, I think most people are more “goofing” on his clothing choices, no? Lighten up, man… tasty waves, a cool buzz, and you’re fine…
Douchery! Look at that outfit. Look. At. It.
You KNOW that it’s not ok.
He is a teenager. ALL OF THEM make questionable clothes choices.
I am so, so desperately glad I lived out my teen years before camera phones, let alone social media. My fashion choices are lost to the mists of time, where they rightfully belong.
I don’t care what he wears, let him express himself.
I do think he is old enough to choose where he wants to be, and has banked the life experience at this point to know what he wants. His life is not that of the usual 15-year-old guy.
Yup. Doing it on purpose. US Weekly had a story about this in August 2014.
And to answer your question: it’s creepy.
Madonna’s early image building played up her rebellion, her friction with her father, her desire to escape. How the tables have turned.
Was thinking that too.
I think Rocca has inherited both parents personality. Guy was one of the few men she was involved with who stood up to her.
Who the hell takes out a court order to force their child to spend time with them? Insanely possessive much Madge?
She needs to take several large steps back for a bit, and let him live his own life, and keep all of this OUT of the public eye.
“Running away” is concerning and hopefully he’s sober and there is no self-endangerment. Baring any obvious concerns, the courts usually lean with a teenagers preference.
“Running away” is sort of loaded language, though. He was in London, where he has citizenship, and went to his father’s house in London. It’s not like he’s starving or freezing or in danger of being trafficked.
Well said!! She takes boundary stomping to a whole new level. In 3 years he’ll be an adult able to go wherever he wants!
He should be in school, not touring all over the place. He’s old enough to decide where to live, especially since both his parents are qualified to parent him. He has the right to spend time with his father, too, not just his mum.
She may be embarrassing but I’m sure Madge is a good (also strict) mom. I think she’s clinging to him more since she misses Lourdes, too.
I’m sorry I just don’t understand this pervading attitude that people that display the kind of narcissistic qualities all around like Madonna have to be good mothers. I’m sure she loves her kids but that doesn’t mean that the over the top control freak isnt part of her everyday family life.
So what? Rocco is still her child and he is underage, it’s not like he’s ‘suffering’ he’s just being bratty.
He’s not being a brat. You know nothing going on in his life or what he’s dealing with when he’s in her home, so he very well could be suffering.
My mother was very narcissistic. Eventually I learned to deal with it but it was very hard when I was younger. She had no idea that her selfish wishes weren’t the blessed ground she thought they were and she would give a guilt trip if you said this. Oh what a horrible child you were! Poor Rocco – Guy must look great by comparison. Also, I am a former family lawyer and kids this age often argue with one parent and then leave go live with the other. Or they just leave without the arguing because they want to be closer to the other parent. Madonna needs to give the kid some room. I thought the court order demanding he return to NY was a mistake for her – so heavy handed and disrespectful to Rocco’s own wishes and only making him dig in his heels more. Not a good move.
I think the timing of this tells the whole story. Lourdes is no longer there to serve as a buffer between Madonna and Rocco. So Rocco gets Madonna full-blast with no big sister buffer. That’s my guess was a similar thing happened in my family years ago. My grandmother was very demanding but my grandfather was always the buffer. One of my uncles lived at home and took care of both of his parents. But within a year of my grandfather dying, my uncle moved out as he couldn’t stand my grandmother’s constant demands and demeaning manner. The buffer (my grandfather) was gone and my uncle got it full blast. Rocco got all-Madonna all-the-time and he bolted.
The photo of him in shorts with the “no sausage” hashtag would be enough to make any son want to get away.
I don’t think she was criticizing his lack of ahem “sausage” but apparently she had uploaded a video from a different angle first which showed plenty of “sausage”. She removed that and uploaded this video which shows “no sausage” hence the comment. I guess she meant that this video is less revealing.
She couldn’t have just quietly made the switch with no comment?!? She’s not acting like a parent but trying to be a cool friend. She’s done such things on social media before.
@Jwoolman
I guess there had been some comments to the first video regarding the “sausage” so she took it down and posted the new one with “no sausage”.
I don’t really see an issue here if Rocco had approved publishing the video.
How passive aggressive. Her kid complains about the first shot, too much ‘ahem’. Mom changes the shot but STILL mentions the sausage in the text.
All about Madonna all the time. I don’t think she has empathy, the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. She may be nurturing, but clueless about people except as objects revolving around HER.
This ^^^^ x 1000. Who would ever say that about her own son – ON INSTAGRAM? Can you imagine the beatdowns he got over that? Publicly crushing a teenage boy’s masculinity is not funny and not nice.
I am waiting for the RUN ROCCO RUN t-shirsts to start appearing.
Her instagram crap is just all kinds of stupid, and I don’t blame him for taking things into his own hands.
The “No sausage” comment didn’t help Madonna either…that’s what every teenager wants to hear from his mom, her captioning an Instagram with the NS comment.
Again a lot of this could’ve been avoided had Guy been a parent and said something before Rocco was just like “nope not flying home”. He didn’t just wake up and decide not to fly home so why didn’t they contact Madonna? It would concern anyone that your child is supposed to fly home and you find out they didn’t get on a plane. so again where was Guy in all of this?
I get the feeling that Madonna doesn’t care what Guy thinks. It’s not possible to reason with someone who considers no thoughts but their own.
Yup Guy’s a wuss who finances his lifestyle with HER money.
Sorry, I do not agree that Guy is a Douche. He had his career and made his own money long before marrying Madonna.
Why is/was he a Douche to take a financial settlement either. Putting up with Madge for as many years as he did, I would say he earned it.
As desperate and attention seeking as she is to stay relevant and young, I still kinda always loved her “rebel soul”,but let’s be honest the woman is not a walk in the park.
NGBoston: i’m sorry, but Guy is a class A dbag.
He wasn’t rich at all when he met Madonna. He’d just made the one film, and was riding the crest of it’s critical success.
He very quickly dumped his long term GF after meeting Madonna.
He was known to be quite rude to and about her during their marriage. Culminating in his statement that cuddling upto her was like being cuddled to gristle. His words.
And he definitely took her for a ride financially.
During the marriage, he made flop and flop, BUT he swore he would never take her money…
Fast forward to the divorce and he not only does he gouge £90M of cash and assets out of her, including that £9M country estate he could never afford on his own, before or after the divorce, he was crass enough to brag about it in an interview where he said he deserved the money.
There is a lot to criticise Madonna for, but I wouldn’t wish *him* on anyone.
I’m sure Guy let her know Rocco was safe with him right away. She was in London herself and got lawyers involved unsuccessfully to force him back on tour with her at that time. If she would just let the kid have a much needed cooling off period, she would have a better chance of dealing properly with the conflicts. She’s going back on tour until March, this is a good time for him to be with his dad. Trying to force a kid his age to leave his dad is stupid and counterproductive. Apparently the UK judge felt similarly, and did not agree to tie up the kid and chain him to an airplane seat on the first flight to New York (or wherever Madonna was). What is she going to do once he turns 18? If she wants to keep him, she has to let him go.
Sure my point is why wasn’t this done BEFORE he was scheduled to come back? That’s the question. I agree going to the courts to force him back was too much but again Guy should’ve said something or had them talk it out. If you want to choose where to live then be mature about it and talk to your mother. Now if hat didn’t work then sure there’s nothing to be done. But at least take that step
Alex – there is no evidence that Guy did anything out of line or hasn’t tried out of court discussion with Madonna. It’s quite clear that the driving force here is Rocco, not Guy. His dad isn’t pulling his strings and would probably be happier not have to deal with Hurricane Madonna himself, so he had no reason to get her riled up like this. But it is very reasonable for Rocco to want to stay with his dad, and his dad has an obligation to help him through this if he can.
Obviously Rocco was talking with Madonna before he left the tour. I wonder if the big argument was actually precisely this – he wanted to leave the tour and stay with his dad, and she didn’t want him to do that. Madonna waited until she was back in New York to try to get a US judge to do what the UK judge refused to do – force her son to come back to her house rather than stay with his father. When the boy first went to his dad, she was in London on tour and tried the legal route there with no success. So although the publicity is recent, the situation is not. He has been with his dad for a few weeks, I think. He left the tour in London. It is ridiculous that she is trying to force him this way via court proceedings. It’s a waste of the court’s time and risks losing any chance of rebuilding her relationship with her son. They both need time apart as a cooling off period and he has a right to live with his dad. I’ve never heard of anybody going ballistic like this when a teenager just wants to switch houses between parents. It’s very normal and happens frequently when parents are divorced. Normal parents just go with the flow. If she had just let him do it in the first place, he might even have decided by January (or by March, when her tour ends) to go back to New York. Now she’s made it into a big power struggle.
OT, but I have to laugh when I catch myself imagining a situation as it would unfold in my life, as opposed to the more likely reality of the very, very rich:
My reality: I reserve far in advance the nicest seats I can afford (in my case, the trans-Atlantic version of Southwest), and make arrangements to take time off work while hoping the flight is on time so I can save time and money by picking my kid up out front and not having to park.
My Madonna-land fantasy: I schedule one of my privately owned planes to transport said child and child’s ‘manny’ on whichever day works best. After enjoying the plush private lounge; a gourmet meal; de-planing at Teterboro and settling into the limo which has been waiting patiently; said child is delivered to one of my homes. If there is a burp in the plans, my assistants notify me and my lawyers immediately.
Not saying a rich parent can’t be as brokenhearted as a poor parent, not saying (the love of) money isn’t the root of some evil, but (that much) money changes . . . everything.
Madge needs to cool it. He’s not on the street or shacked up with some woman 3x his age. He’s in a safe place. She’s not going to help this by involving the courts. Let him be and the relationship can be repaired. Force matters and you could make it a lot worse.
Why does Rocco need a “manny” when he’s got a dad? & that “no sausage” thing…why would you ridicule your child like that?
He needs a babysitter because He is under age whether he is with his dad or mum. All kids do. You wouldn’t leave your kids at home alone would you?
The fact that his babysitter is a male has no bearing on proceedings.
At 15? I was regularly babysitting my siblings and many other children (not all at the same time). At 15 I was also attending school. I find it interesting that the reports mention a “manny” but not a tutor?
At 15 I was babysitting others, not being babysat.
Jensmom: you probably had a regular schedule and your parents distracted by a million, bajilion things and couldn’t legitimately pay attention to you.
Backstage of a tour is chaos. Add in meetings to fine tune aspects of it, rehearsals etc and trying to maintain some semblance of a life on the road. Any kids are going to need a babysitter if their father isn’t around to look after them.
Correction: Parents didn’t have million things to distract them.
At 15 you are independent, and don’t need a babysitter in the traditional sense, but you are still going to need a point person to give you low level of pastoral care. If parents can’t do it, and a parent on tour definitely can not do it, then you will need someone assigned to do it.
If you have regular parents at home, with a regular schedule, you may determine that you don’t need pastoral care. Especially if you are baby sitting others. However, that’s not true at all. They are in the background, but they are there. Otherwise you would have set up home on your own at 15 and started your life as an adult.
Anyone who has read Christopher Ciccone’s book knows this woman is horrible to everyone- family included. If even 25% of that book is true, she is a nightmare.
Also…he appears to be wearing Madonna’s jeans from the Papa Don’t Preach video. 😁
Lol! I was just humming ‘Papa Don’t Preach’.
“Papa don’t preach, I’m in trouble deep,
But I’ve made up my mind, I’m keeping my baaaby…”
Her brother’s book was interesting. I wonder what he thinks about Rocco running to Guy given he didn’t think much of Guy.
That song was in my head. Sadly it’s about forbidden romantic love, so doesn’t quite fit the situation.
She better be careful that the situation doesn’t deteriorate to ‘oh Father’. That song excoriates her father.
Stability goes a long way for children of divorce. Why was he even on tour with his mother?? That is ridiculous to me. And Madonna taking this stuff to court reminds me of her having some version of a temper tantrum. These two parents need to get their s**t together, keep this out of the courts (as the only one who will lose out in that debacle will be their son) and behave responsibly. As others have pointed out, it’s not like Rocco ran off and is in some kind of danger to himself — he is with his father. Jesus, sometimes it amazes me how immature and horrible parents behave during divorce and with custody issues! My 15 year old daughter would be mortified if I posted stuff like that on my Instagram too….pretty much everything I do is embarrassing to her….it’s called being a teenager lol. Deal with it, but not by going to court!
Madonna should stop these court proceedings or she’ll lose her son.
He’s 15 why is he spending his entire summer and beyond on her tour? I’m sure he’d rather be with his friends.
I am confused is he in NY or London? Wasn’t he ordered by the judge to return to NY last week.
He is in London. He didn’t follow the order to return to NY.
He’s in the UK.
So Madonna was already in London when Rocco ran away. In the previous article, her apologists were saying that she shouldn’t have to travel from NY to London to talk to Rocco, because she’s busy and whatever else (even though Skype exists).
So while in London and after Rocco left, did Madonna walk over to Guy’s house and ask to speak to Rocco, or did she just go straight to her lawyers and the UK court? Then flew off to NY to her other set of lawyers and the NY court instead of staying in London and trying to work it out with Rocco? She’s got enough money to hire a last-minute therapist or mediator if she needed a third person in the room to talk things out with Rocco.
Was her attitude, ‘I don’t need to discuss things with Rocco. He does what I say or else?’
…………….
Her apologists were saying that if Rocco is with Guy, then he wouldn’t be in school because Guy is too lenient. Uh, but Rocco was on tour for months with Madonna and the article says after he left, she fired his ‘manny.’ It doesn’t mention firing a certified teacher who followed the tour in order to home-school Rocco while he was out of school working for Madonna.
…………….
One of Madonna’s Instagram post was a short video of Rocco doing a back flip, on a sunny day, in someone’s backyard, surrounded by people his age. For that Madonna wrote “Rocco’s preferred profile #nosausage.” It’s still up on her account.
I know she wants to act young, but she needs to be more mature than Rocco at least.
Of course, her kids are homeschooled while on tour. they always have been. In her documentaries it showed where they had class at a certain tiime (hmm, I guess like Angelina and Brad.) Lola was even being taught French as part of her curriculum while on tour to keep up with her French lessons in school when she got back. Then they pick up right where they left on when they go back into the classroom, not fallen behind since they attend a regular school normally and probably follow the school’s curriculum while on tour. She tours every three years under her deal she did This was the last tour under that deal. Before that deal, she had taken like seven years off from touring
Madonna’s ridiculous behavior reminds me of Celia in Weeds when Nancy won’t help her.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1oF_oLKpEk
WHAAAAT???? My son won’t come home??? Fine call the lawyers!
I saw that Instagram Madonna posted of her son in underwear which she made a comment referencing his “sausage.” That may have been the last straw…who knows.
My opinion about her is that she’s a control-freak narcissist. These are some of the hardest people on the planet to live with. It’s either their way or no way. I know as my father is one. Life with a narcissist is filled with being on their agenda, feeding their ego, mirroring their wants, even parenting them. It’s incredibly stressful and exhausting. Children of narcissists often end up with low self esteem, lack self development, and often feel unloved or they may emulate their parent’s behavior. You basically give it your all catering to that person, trying to make them love you. The sad thing is that they don’t see you as an independent human being with any other interest other than them. How could you possibly want anything else than ME?
If that’s what Rocco is going through, then he has my utmost sympathy. I’ve been there and it’s incredibly hard breaking away from that person. They will do everything in their power to get you back into the fold.
EXCELLENT description KatyD! My dad is the exact same control freak narcissist. The only way to engage was to step into his world. ANd anytime you acted differently than he would, you were a stupid idiot because OBVIOUSLY “you do or see or be just like me.”
Living a childhood doing everything you possibly can and always wondering why your parents did not love you.
My mother was also narcissistic. This poem describes that horror all too well.
“Accomplishments”
I painted a picture-green sky-and showed it to my mother.
She said that’s nice, I guess.
So I painted another holding the paintbrush in my teeth,
Look, Ma, no hands. And she said
I guess someone would admire that if they knew
How you did it and they were interested in painting which
I am not.
I played clarinet solo in Gounod’s Clarinet Concerto
With the Buffalo Philharmonic. Mother came to listen and said
That’s nice, I guess.
So I played it with the Boston Symphony,
Lying on my back and using my toes,
Look, Ma, no hands. And she said
I guess someone would admire that if they knew
How you did it and they were interested in music which
I am not.
I played an almond souffle and served it to my mother.
She said, that’s nice, I guess.
So I made another, beating it with my breath,
Serving it with my elbows,
Look, Ma, no hands. And she said
I guess someone would admire that if they knew
How you did it and they were interested in eating which
I am not.
So I sterilized my wrists, performed the amputation, threw away
My hands and went to my mother, but before I could say
Look, Ma, no hands, she said
I have a present for you and insisted I try it on
The blue kid gloves to make sure they were the right size.
Cynthia Macdonald
@Rudy. I am so sorry of your experience. Thank you for sharing your poem. I had a histrionic/narcissistic mother and I felt the pain from your poem.
I thought that story was true that was put out there that Guy wanted David and Rocco to go to boarding school from the age of thirteen on. I guess just another gossip rag story printed and reprinted all over the place as truth.
He said in Details magazine after having his third child, “Because everyone told me that to be good at school was important, but for me it wasn’t. So I am anti-school. “
I have NEVER seen a child/parent conflict improved by the presence of lawyers or the tabloid press.
So should anything be read into the fact that in these many photos, step-mother is clinging to Rocco and barely touching her husband?
@JAG
I’m usually right there with ya! I looked at multiple pictures of them all together..
I was actually happy that she’s so giving with love and affection. She has two small children herself. It shows how big her heart is! She shows equal love and attention to everyone around. You can tell Rocco isn’t a typical teenage boy. He seems kind and sensitive. I can tell she spends time talking to him and being there. He likes and trusts her. I don’t look at the body language as if she’s trying to influence and control. It’s not sexual to me. It’s not there in her eyes. I see someone who is a lover showing equal love and always being mindful of that!
If I were Rocco, and my stepmother looked like that, I wouldn’t want to spend my time complementing mother’s bras either.
Madonna shouldn’t bring this to court, way to overreact, but on the other hand Guy should be encouraging him to go home not giving him his lawyers to fight madonna. It sounds like typical teenage stuff, it didn’t need to be this dramatic if both parents calmed down and took a more measured approach. If Guy encouraged him to go home and at least talk to madonna and maybe work out an agreement where he could arrange to move to London later that would be better. But the fact that he just took off and refuses to go home and is supported by Guy in this, is not good wise either. imo.
Madonna was already in London when Rocco ran away from her. So she had the opportunity to see and talk to him there.
Minors get their own counsel. In NY, he would get his own counsel too.
Terribly sad to read that Madonna has pushed her son too far. Yeah every teenager pushes a parent it’s called normal but to respond back angrily & involve a court is a sign of a controlling mum who doesn’t want to listen. What happened to unconditional love .. Oh sorry she hides behind religion. Her son is 15 which is a sensitive time for a male. I hope Madonna backs off let’s go off trying to control him (miracles happen) & begin to trust her son & give him some breathing space. Madonna you are lucky at least you know that he is safe.
I interpreted the no sausage comment to mean “his sausage is not showing–sorry guys, you don’t get to see any sausage”
But yeah, either way you shouldn’t be mentioning your sons sausage. I cannot possibly imagine myself doing that as a mother.
She posted a few photos of her son (and her other kids) hanging out with his friends at her Hamptons house back during the summer. She posted a photo of him doing a backflip There were a lot of comments about his “package.” She took it down and posted a photo of him doing the backflip from a different angle that didn’t show that. Then she had the very poor judgment of putting that hashtag on there.
Let me preface this by saying that I really, really don’t like Madonna. For realz. But the comments on this post show a lack of understanding of how child custody works, and true ignorance about the repercussions of giving a child the power to run the show (sorry for the pun) regarding custody arrangements.
I could go on and on here – but the most important things to consider: 1) Assuming that Madonna was supposed to, according to a custody agreement, have Rocco at the time he split, she has every right to use the courts to compel him to come back if the other parent doesn’t agree to send him or her back voluntarily – as Guy should have done. This happens every day in this country. And as a mother, regardless of whether the world thought I was being a shit parent or not, I’d certainly enact any and all court orders necessary to get my kid back to me.
Why? Myriad reasons. Mainly because I’d know my child was sad or in pain, and I’d want to be able to hug and reassure and speak with him about the situation. Secondly – and very importantly – you DO NOT let the child call the shots in a custody situation. never. Any child psychologist, family court judge or mediator worth their salt would say the same. It sets the stage to give the child too much power and control. Then guess what starts happening? Rocco gets mad at Guy or his stepmom or whomever and demands that he wants to go back to NYC. Then he knows he can play Mom and Dad against each other and feels a resulting loss of boundaries, guilt over choosing to spend Holidays with one or the other, etc. I’ve seen it first hand – and it is not in the best interest in the child.
Yes you should listen to your teen children if they want to make a change to an arrangement. Yes you and your ex and a mediator if necessary should consider changes to make the child happy. But the parents must make the decisions based on their experience, situations, child’s wishes, etc. No parent I know facing Madonna’s situation would say, “Eh – you ran away to your Dad’s, go ahead and stay there. You my 15 year old son know what’s best!” That’s a terrible, terrible way to parent.
My partner has a child from his previous marriage. We have tried to get increased custody of his daughter so I know a bit about this issue. The custody agreement lays out the terms of who gets the kid when (including alternating holidays) and it also specifies that after the child turns 14, she can decide which parent to live with full-time. (A parent can contest the child’s selection, but they almost never win.) So once the child is over 14, they get to choose – they have to give a reason to the court , and the custody agreement has to be legally amended, but after age 14 it is pretty much up to the kid.
That may be the case in some states/countries. But that is not the issue in this case. The issue is that Madonna is within her rights to have Guy comply with the custody arrangement. Giving Rocco the power to defy the agreement is not smart. I wonder if everyone would be all in support of Rocco if he decided that he didn’t want to leave NYC and visit Guy and his fam in the UK ever, and Madonna supported him in that? I doubt it. That would be considered parental alienation.
Not to mention the repercussions this kind of thing has on the other children in both families. It’s such a slippery slope.
Pennylane is right. The child’s age is the defining issue. 14 and up – the judge will consider their wishes first and foremost. I know personally of several situations across more than one state and/or province. What is written in the custody agreement is not forced upon teenagers.
It doesn’t sound like it was Guy’s idea to keep Rocco.
Rocco and Madonna were in London when he left her and went to his father’s. Then he refused to leave.
I don’t know how Guy is supposed to force Rocco to get out of his house or onto a plane. Is Guy or hired muscle man supposed to physically force Rocco all the way to a plane seat? Carry him over the shoulders? He’s not a small little boy that you can pick up and get onto a plane against his will.
Rocco is 15 years old. If he doesn’t want to leave voluntarily, then there’s not much Guy could do except throw him out of the house and have him live on the streets.
If Madonna had given him space and not gone to court this thing could probably have been resovled by now. Rocco is a teenage boy now she trying to force him he will put up even more of a fight. He needs to spend time with his Dad it seems Madonna has had him with her for months and months. I wonder if Madonna is thinking about all the things she got up to at his age and is worried! Cause Madonna was no angel. Just let Rocco stay with his dad and he will probably go home in a much better frame of mind. And Madge needs to let go I have always thought she was a good mum but there comes a time when you need to allow your kids to find there own way.
Uh, my guess is that if Madonna did everything her dad wanted her to do at 15, she wouldn’t be where she is today. Pick your battles girl, this one isn’t worth it.
I am quite shocked at some of the comments here. First of all, if the sexes would be reversed in this situation and Guy was the one in NY who went to court, you would be praising him to the maximum for going to court to protect a legal custody binding and insulting Madonna for keeping her son from Guy.
I am not going to judge cause I don’t know the facts in this case. But Guy Richie, who probably exists just because of Madonna’s money, isn’t perfect either. He knocked up a much-younger woman twice and only married her after the third time. He is known in the industry to be an alcoholic.
Also, the people commenting on Madonna’s “Rocco’s Preferred Profile: #NoSausage” comment — she was actually protecting Rocco. She innocently posted a picture of him doing a backflip without realizing that the picture showed a little too much. People were commenting on the “sausage” and she took it down and posted a new one, hence the new hashtag. Rocco posted the same exact thing on his Instagram. I doubt he’s embarrassed and that’s just the tabloid media speculating.
It just amazes me how people can comment on something without having any idea about what’s going on behind the scenes. Oh well.
You and Layla wrote great posts.
At least, Madonna has little David comforting her while she’s going through teenage angst with Rocco..
There was video of her soundcheck a week or two before Christmas, and something was wrong and Madonna was signaling for them to check it out and they were up there trying to figure it out. Anyway, little David came onto the stage and started hugging her and patting her head. It was so sweet.
Jayna, did you get to see the Rebel Heart Tour? It absolutely blew me away. Madonna was so warm and friendly to the whole audience, at least in Los Angeles. I didn’t know she could sing so well until I heard her do those acoustic songs. She definitely has a future even if her body doesn’t move as much as it used to.
@Antonio, it’s a fantastic show. I was over Madonna the last few years with her antics until she made a huge comeback for me with this tour. This tour shows why she is the top pop star as far as a performer. I love the acoustic set. I love Deeper & Deeper so much and that choreography is amazing with her dancers. Her rendition of Like a Virgin commanding the stage all alone with her old school dancing, who knew she could turn that song upside down and make it so fresh just from her performance.
The opening was amazing with Iconic. Yep, she may not dance like she used to, but still tons of energy and taking the time to show her vocals. I never would have thought her ukelele rendition of True Blue (a song I couldn’t care less about) would bring me to tears almost. I adored her costumes this tour and her lightheartedness and warmth.
And Heartbreak City/Love Don’t Live Here Anymore on that spiral staircase is stunning with that choreography with her dancer. It was like watching a Broadway show in that performance..
That montage of art of Madonna done by fans on images of her from over the years on the screen backdrop for the song Rebel Heart she performed was breathtaking and made me nostalgic for all she brought me as a fan for all these years. Another teary moment for me. Love or hate Madonna, but her legacy as a performer or her discography is set in stone and she’s still going at 58.
. The interlude with the dancers high above on those bending poles over the audience, wow for Illuminati.
This is literally one of her best tours ever.
For old school fans of Madonna, here’s the screen backdrop of artwork made by fans of her iconic images. She picked the best submitted and made a montage. Quite beautifully done. Lyrically, it’s probably one of the most revealing songs from Madonna on her album Rebel Heart also.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_rPAFRZuvs
Other than her crazy touring life and way too liberal take on things (drugs, alcohol), Madonna seems like a good mum. Lourdes – who was permitted to get implants at 15 or something – is going to college, which is a good sign.
Guy Ritchie should be taken to court for allowing his son to leave the house looking like that. WTF are those keys hanging off of his jeans? Is he a locksmith?
+100 best comment
So what happens when next year at 16, Rocco doesn’t want to listen to dad or has an issue with dad?
Madonna really embarrassed herself with her reaction and taking it into court.
Not a clever way to deal with your son like that.
No wonder most people are not on her side.
I think it’s interesting that everyone (both her defenders and critics) seems to be taking this report as gospel. Radar is NOT a reliable source. Nobody knows for sure what happened, but I’m skeptical of this claim that Rocco “ran away” and Madonna immediately freaked out and went to court in England. I think it’s more likely that Rocco was always supposed to visit his father for a few weeks around the holidays (as I’m sure he does every year) and Madonna was fine with this. I think it was only after her son refused to come home from his scheduled visit, that Madonna went to court and tried to bring him back. Again, it’s hard to know what’s true, but other sources claim that Guy was the one who went to court in England, while Madonna only filed in NY. The question is, who went to court first? If Guy filed first, then I don’t blame Madonna for filing her own petition in NY. If Madonna was the one who initiated court proceedings, then perhaps she overreacted. Not that I blame her for being upset, but it would have made more sense to fly to England and try to work things out with her son privately before involving the courts.
i just think that the true story was less dramatic than the soap opera that Radar is making it out to be.
I get confused by the internet assumption that Guy is “not blameless” here. What is he supposed to do other than support his son? Did he kidnap him? Did he start a legal process to take away custody? No. Just because he is not taking Madonna’s side and ordering his son to speak to his mother doesn’t mean he is the problem. It’s not his job to help Madonna. If he was having relationship troubles with Rocco would we expect Madonna to get involved and try to force Rocco to reconcile with his Dad? Doubtful. When Madonna is encouraging people to think Rocco looks like Sean Penn and posts photos of them hanging out do we crap on her? No. Fathers are parents, just like mothers. Why do mothers get the halo all the time?