Madonna posted this ^^ Instagram of herself and her four kids on Saturday. It’s a throwback photo, and it looks like it was taken maybe three years or so? In case you can’t read it, she wrote: “Its possible to be an entertainer and a good mother!!! Too bad we don’t live in a society where many encourage strong independent single working moms! The next great Frontier! ❤️#revolutionoflove continues ❤️#rebelheart4ever.” IT IS = It’s. Its = possessive. I mean, I’m a crappy grammarian, but if you’re going to make some kind of social statement via Instagram, for God’s sake, proofread your message. And don’t use hashtags that make it seem like you’re using your son’s custody dispute to promote your Rebel Heart album.
So, in case you needed it underlined by Madonna, her latest cause is that she’s being oppressed by society because she’s a working mother. This message came after she leaked at least one story (possibly two) to People Magazine over a 48-hour period. Take a gander at this, published on Friday:
Madonna and Guy Ritchie’s custody battle over 15-year-old son Rocco may be heating up soon.
“She is going to fight, fight, fight, and she is going to fight to the end,” a friend of the former couple – who finalized their contentious divorce in 2008 – tells PEOPLE of the singer. “She is not happy. She is an excellent mother, and people can say whatever they want – but her children mean the world to her.”
But the gossipy friend wasn’t through gossiping. In a second story published on Saturday, either the same “friend” or a different “friend” went to People and said more words:
“This is far beyond a situation about Rocco – it’s about a situation between Madonna and Guy,” a friend of the former couple tells PEOPLE of their squabble over their 15-year-old son. “They don’t have a good relationship; it’s more of a power fight between them and if he can one-up her. This is the best way he can do it….Prior to their divorce, [their relationship] was horrible.”
People Mag also rehashed the divorce drama, and it is startling to realize that back in 2008, Madonna paid Guy $76 million as part of their divorce settlement. I think that included property, right? Guy kept Ashcombe House, the huge Wiltshire estate which was probably the biggest chunk of the divorce settlement. And to pour salt in the wound, Guy and Jacqui Ainsley held their wedding at Ashcombe House last summer.
Anyway… yes, Madonna and Guy are settling old scores and they both seem like they have axes to grind. But Madonna really isn’t helping anything or anyone by being so public with all of this drama. #RebelHeart
Oh, and guess who came out at Sean Penn’s Haiti event last night? Not only did Madonna come out, she seemed to be Sean’s date. And she brought her two youngest kids.
Photos courtesy of Instagram, WENN, Fame/Flynet.
The ingratitude and selfishness just oozes out of this woman. Always the victim. Typical narcissist.
Totally agree. Her behavior is almost textbook narcissism. When something doesn’t go your way, hold a BIG pity party for yourself and try to score sympathy points.
She’s turning her custody battle into a big circus with all the Instagram posts. I have a feeling she could have quietly settled this whole conflict by talking to her son heart-to-heart. But narcs hate being shown up, and she immediately used her money, power and fame to hire lawyers and fight a battle royal. In short, her ego rules her actions. Guy doesn’t seem like a great person either, but he may be the lesser of two evils.
People keep saying that about Guy, but I just don’t see it. There’s just no demonstrable evidence that’s a bad guy or even at least as bad as Madonna. Why? Because he took money from her? Women take money in divorce settlements all the time. Why is he wrong for doing so? When women do it everyone says, “you go girl, you get that money!”. But Guy Ritchie did it and he’s “scum” and a horrible person for “living it up with his stay-at-home wife on Madonna’s money”.
Others wrote that he said during their marriage he would never take money from her…and then got in a messy divorce fight about money. And that he was badmouthing her after the divorce. Which is not very classy in my opinion. Like Katy D says, he’s still probably the more tolerateable parent.
My opinion of Guy doesn’t come from him taking Madonna’s money. I read the book by Madonna’s brother and he describes his sister as a controlling narcissist and Guy as a “man’s man” and homophobic. Also, the British press blasted Guy for lying about his upbringing. Guy tried to paint himself as the cool kid from the wrong side of the tracks when he grew up in a posh neighborhood. So, that’s where I get my opinion on Guy. Of course, I can be wrong…but the book read as sincere. Who knows? Guy has been smart enough to stay out of the limelight and keep his private life more private. That in itself may be why Rocco prefers his dad to mom. I know I would…
KatyD- I didn’t like Guy before I read Christopher’s memoir, but my feelings toward Guy were cemented after I read it. I have no difficulty believing that Guy’s an asshole.
Guy is JUST as craptastic. He just knows when to stay quiet and that always ends up looking better.
People really like to throw the narcissist word around a lot on here. Sorry to say, but I think this is typical of a lot of divorce and custody cases. The only difference is the publicity and the money. Wish a lot of these celebrities would stop trying to stick it to their exes, just bad for the kids.
It should not be a situation between Madonna and guy. That’s wrong wrong wrong wrong. This should be about THEIR son and his happiness and well-being. If they’re using their son in a power struggle then they need a mediator. Madonna, you are not the victim here; your son is. What went down between her and guy years ago is irrelevant right now.
I agree she is using her son to get back at Guy, its pretty obvious and she’s using feminism to excuse her narcissistic behaviour.
Madonna shut up before you lose your sons respect and love.
I think they are BOTH using the kid. And I think the kid is playing them both too. Teens are masterful at exploiting conflict between two parents. And in this case, where one parent is almost tyrannical and the other has happily slipped into the role of “fun parent”, its a perfect storm. The bottom line is that Guy should have sent Rocco back and approached the court for a different living arrangement. What he is doing here (or at least is complicit in) just stinks to high heaven.
Everything @Naya said.
Plus Madinna should spend as much time as she can with Penn now, since his butt might be heading to jail soon for that El Chapo nonsense. She sure can pick ’em.
Exactly Naya.
Madonna don’t compare yourself to single mothers, they r not millionaires, they don’t have drives,nannies,chefs etc… u don’t know the 1 st thing about single parents. Why would a teen son want to tour with u while ur show is full of sexual acts…its uncomfortable. Guy has not spoken out once, let the boy be. Its you he’s running from not your wipe is me single mamalife
@Naya everything you said. And thanks also for mentioning what the correct behavior on Guy’s part should have been. Amazing that this is the first time I’m reading anything about that…
I agree Naya. Custody arrangements are NOT about the adults and their feelings, no matter how many people would like to believe they are. They are about the best interest of the child. Often that means benefiting from both parents who should grow up and get along for the kid. In this case Rocco is old enough for a choice and the respectful ways to handle that change don’t seem to have been taken by anyone. This is such a tiresome constant in stories lately and I can’t believe how many people doggedly take one side out of all the badly behaved adults.
Exactly Right
If I were Madonna, I’d be angry, too. She paid Guy a huge sum to get rid of him. Now, if he has primary custody, she’d have to pay him child support. Meanwhile – as he’s taking the money she has earned from being successful and constantly being on tour – she’s being kicked for not providing a “stable” home for her kids, because, well she’s successful and constantly on tour. Then, he and his stay at home wife can now provide a “stable” home for her son with HER money.
While I think both of them need to get over themselves, I also think if she was a man things would be sooo different.
If she were a man she would be lauded for fighting to spend Christmas with her child since wanting to spend time with your offspring is all it takes to be declared best dad ever.
@Naya I think that’s a little unfair since until recently men were basically expected to leave the kid to the mom and pay up. Many men struggled to get to that 50/50 custody rather than every other weekend because they really DID want that time. And wanting to put in time is a good thing.
@Naya if she were a man who had custody of the child for the months leading up to Christmas and, during that time, kept the child on tour and then demanded the child be returned to have Christmas at home when the child ran away to the other parent due to issues including the lack of stability, she’d be pilloried.
Her “I’m be vilified for being a strong, working single mom” act is a straw man in her case. She is a star who has control over her schedule, she is not the average working mom who, while she may love her career, considers her work as the primary way to pay to support her family. Madonna opted for a hectic tour schedule that is difficult for most adults and she imposed it on her minor children.
Many dads are actively engaged in the lives of their children and yet, all too often, women (including their wives) derogatorily refer to the father as “babysitting.” Perhaps if we women don’t automatically assume dad as “just a babysitter” more men won’t feel as such and act that way
It’s a myth that fathers were just expected to give up up custody. When a man has all the necessary means and resources to raise a child, they can most definitely try to get full physical custody or 50/50. Courts prefer 50/50.
I have seen examples of this many times in my own as my own female friends lost custody because they didn’t care enough to fight or they did not have the means (their own home) to take care of their child(ren). My cousin who is a nasty drunk and cheater got 50/50 because he fought for it and the judge didn’t think his addiction and manipulative behaviour was bad enough to grant his ex-wife full custody!
My housemate now is an older man who has all the means to raise his child but prefers to live in a shared house for his young student girlfriend (she’s 27) and pay her fees, therefore he cannot fight for custody. Yet he moans about how he’s being treated by his ex and how the child is being abused by the ex. If he would try, he would most definitely get full custody but the point is he chooses not to.
When people would read family court cases, they would be surprised to see so many fathers not caring for custody. Most men don’t contribute much to households anyway besides financially (according to research) so why would they start raising a child after a divorce? They’re fine with weekend visitations otherwise they would demand different custody arrangements.
Guy is a rich white ‘succesful’ man who has all the means to demand more custody and he never did so. Not even during the divorce, their issues were about everything but the children.
@Naya: I’m a single Dad and I have my kids with me three nights a week and I always think it’s a bit strange when people congratulate me for it. I would’ve been happy to have my kids for 50% of the time but because there are only seven days in a week I decided that three nights with me and four nights with my ex each week would be the most stable routine for the kids. However, my ex did try to throw me under the bus. Initially she wanted me to have the kids every second weekend and to leave me with nothing more than a handful of material possessions, I tried to be reasonable and I asked for a mere fifteen grand to set up in a new place, when she balked at that I got a lawyer and it ended up costing her a hell of a lot more. I also made sure that our finances were settled once and for all with our separation because I didn’t want her putting her hand out for money for the next twenty years. I wanted a clean break. So yeah, I don’t really relate to Dads who don’t want to see their kids that much and I don’t relate to Dads who allow themselves to be victimized by unfair divorce settlements. It doesn’t have to be that way.
@Artemis that may not be the current situation but just 9-10 years ago my husband had to fight his ex for 50-50 custody. That put him so deeply in debt that by the time it was recommended 50-50 with the caveat that if full custody was awarded it should go to him, he couldn’t afford a longer fight. And his lawyer told him he would never get full custody because they could only prove one of her suicide attempts and one of her acts of violence against him. So some men do fight just as hard to be present and are up against the same problems that some women have faced.
@paleokifaru
I understand what you are saying but historically men had the most power, even in custody law (European and US law). Historically women and children were the property of men/fathers and after a divorce, a man could do whatever they wanted with the child which often meant that the mother had restricted or no access to the child. Judges were more often than not men so it makes sense they protected the patriarchy.
It did change to the advantage of women but still based on sexist bias: a mother’s love is the best love (due to men traveling more for work while women tended to be housewives, academic research about attachment and the start and surge of women’s rights). Custody has always been about sexist values which men more often than not capitalized on.
Even back in the 80s, research in family court law suggested that if men wanted joint custody, they would get it most of the time (between 60 and 70% of the time). I think many men like to keep traditional roles intact (mother at home taking care of the kids, father goes out to work) WHILE moaning about women stopping them from seeing their kids and how they miss their kids. At the end of the day, it is tough to work and raise a family and while men might like to see their kids more, they also seem to want to work the same (cake – eat it too and all) so weekend visits sounds much more appealing and realistic. To say one thing but do another is very common in people.
I do know that stories like yours exist but I tend to view them as the exception rather than the rule. And that’s sad because I love seeing fathers dote on their children and wanting to be actively involved in raising them. I think a man fighting for joint or full custody and getting it (when he’s a good person and father) is an inspiration for men who indeed feel there is a gender bias.
But most of all, I think people should think twice before starting a family with somebody because any person (man or woman) who engages in a custody battle for no reason, is just not a good person imo. If parents would get along after splitting up, there would be no legal need for custody arrangements.
@Artemis it’s a real shame there’s still so much bias and stereotyping for each gender in different ways. My husband has gotten a lot of side eyes at work for taking off time for school conferences or adjusting his schedule so he can accommodate school drop off. Everyone expects him to be an every other weekend dad. It was hard when he was dating too because women thought he would have his son less. We keep hearing how common the 50/50 split is now but it hasn’t always felt like it, including in court or mediation. His ex is not expected to pull her weight financially so he still pays for 98.5% of everything even though he has him 50% of the time. She’s got a college degree, has never had an employment gap but refuses to work full time. There’s still a lot of bias in every part of the system and culture.
I also agree people should be more careful. Hubby was 21 and she got pregnant. Never any intention to marry but religious families played into. I figure either way there would have been a custody dispute. He knew she would go for full custody and a payment either way and just hoped he could make it work. Too many stories of people not thinking long term and one or more adults not thinking about the kid(s). I’m especially disheartened by the celebrity cases when they’re plenty old and financially stable and it’s clearly just bickering for ego and spite.
She paid Guy to “get rid of him”? What does that mean? It was a divorce settlement! He is still the father of two of her kids and therefore part of their lives. Maybe, just maybe, the truth is that a teenage boy prefers to live with his dad for a while rather than being on tour, mocked on Instagram by his very loving mother and having to watch her rub herself over guys closer to his age than hers. But of course, it has to be Guy’s fault and he should shut up because “he was paid off”. (And no, I don’t give a rat’s ass if she wants to sleep with a rotation of boy toys but her son might feel different.)
I agree, vauvert. People just discount the fact that children also love, want and need a relationship with their fathers. I think it would be very lonely to be on tour with your mother. She’s performing, so he doesn’t see her, he probably misses having a “normal” life with school friends and a home, not being dragged all over from one hotel to another. I don’t doubt that Madonna loves him, but this seems a lot more about getting back at Guy or not letting Guy “win” than it does about her loving her son. She hasn’t cited a single reason why it would be detrimental to Rocco to live with Guy other than he wouldn’t be with her.
@Vauvert
I believe it’s as simple as what you wrote. Exes at each other’s throats? That’s normal. But I doubt it is the center of the problem here. The problem is Rocco is flexing his independence muscles. I don’t consider that a problem, but it’s obviously a problem for his parents. I also believe that Madonna adores her kids – I wouldn’t call this into question AT ALL – but she’s a narcissist (a REAL one) and a terribly insecure woman. As such I’m sure Rocco’s perceived rejection of her is very painful both as a mother and as a pathologically insecure egomaniac.
Or he could just want to live with his father because he doesn’t want to follow the rules Madonna has. Didn’t he run to his father’s house because Madonna took his cell phone away? You’re projecting your own feelings about Madonna onto this.
Maybe Rocco doesn’t want to be on tour anymore or wants to see his mother “rub herself over guys closer to his age than hers” or maybe he is just a 15 year old brat playing his parents against each other.
Regardless of what the reasons are Rocco is at an age where his opinion is considered. What is unfortunate is that no matter what the reasons, the parents should be supporting he have time with both of them and maintain those relationships in a meaningful way no matter what the living situation. Even if Rocco is not being a brat and playing them, they’re playing each other and demonstrating it can be done and they’re open to the drama. That’s bad parenting.
First off, during their divorce there was never talk off Guy wanting full physical custody of any of their kids (Rocco and David). Their back and forth was about each other’s lifestyle, personality, flaws but mostly MONEY.
Just like with Carlos Leon, custody seemed to be Madonna having full custody and the ex generous visitations. Madonna never kept her kids away from their father. Both men clearly did not contest this and were just fine with it. Note how Guy is running to the media talking trash but is not claiming how Madonna kept the children away from him.
Second, Rocco being unhappy didn’t happen just suddenly so I assume he was talking to his dad about coming over (whether to visit or permanently) before he ran off the first time in Stockholm. Rocco is close to both of his parents and wouldn’t run off to a person he didn’t trust. At no point did Guy seem to through the correct route to prevent an escalation like this by going to the court or trying to contact Madonna. He didn’t even come and visit Rocco to chat otherwise we would’ve heard about that by now.
Third, when Guy uses the media to tell his side of the story it’s more about how awful Madonna is and how Rocco feels bad about how he’s treated by her rather than focusing on the positive without dragging his ex-wife through the mud e.g. how he loves his son and how he’s going to fight for custody because it’s what his son wants. Telling.
So for me it’s not about Rocco’s feelings, it’s about Guy and Madonna’s relationship. Guy didn’t give a damn about Madonna raising Rocco primarily as he NEVER went to court. Now that Rocco ran off he suddenly goes off on Madonna. Come on…I’m sure he’s a good and fun father but I doubt his true motives. It doesn’t help that he will get even more off Madonna’s money (child support) if Rocco will live with him.
And Madonna would be right to question Guy’s parenting when it comes to education and giving a damn about it since he admitted this:
DETAILS: You recently became a father for the third time. What kind of life advice do you give your kids?
Guy Ritchie: I don’t. I’m fucking glad no one gave me too much advice. You’ve got to work it out for yourself. What works for me might not work for anyone else. Because everyone told me that to be good at school was important, but for me it wasn’t. So I am anti-school. And I’m anti people putting so much pressure on kids and robbing their childhood by giving them so much homework. I think if kids want to arse around, then they should.
Basically he’s anti Madonna’s approach which probably sounds like a dream to teenager Rocco now but seeing how Guy only became successful through coattailing others, it might spell disaster for adult Rocco. Guy isn’t the best example when it comes to work ethic.
So when rich men pay their less successful (because he had money and income) wives divorce settlements are they paying to get rid of them? This is how divorice WORKS!! The person with more money pays out more money unless there was a prenup!! Madonna is not some victim and Guy has a career and earns money he just received what was rightfully his from the divorce.
And sorry but Madonna loves her kids so much? She is just fighting to keep them? Which ones? The ones she illegally adopted? Or the ones she is using for her PR campaign for her music tour? Sorry but does she care because sounds like this is a perfect opportunity to get press for Madonna and promote her album.
This isn’t about society, this is about her child and if she really loved him that is what she’d focus on.
It has nothing to do with her only touring. She’s planting stories everywhere.what is wrong with a child wanting to live with a parent that is home most of the time. His mother has embarrassed him with posts of his manhood, it might be exciting to tour with her if your a fan, but a teen needs roots, stability. She can share n have him when her tour is done. Desecrating crosses,nuns n Christians is not my idea of a concert. She’s desperate to recapture the taboo talks of her, she’s just not that interesting anymore.
THIS. As a single mom, I have years of experience seeing how it all works. Single dads are heros, single moms are sluts and bad mothers who can’t keep a man. It’s shameful and hurtful. I don’t care if Madonna’s much richer than I am, that doesn’t make her “not” a single parent. She had custody and the boy ran away, period, and instead of encouraging him to respect his mother, apparently Guy is actually helping him with this. Would a different living arrangement be possible, where maybe he stayed with Guy while she was on tour and with her while she wasn’t or something like that? I mean, really, the boy’s 15. His opinion should matter, certainly, but I don’t blame her for thinking he’s not old enough to make that decision on his own.
I am so sorry you’ve had a bad experience. People can be really unfair and hurtful.
I agree that the parents did not handle this well. There had to have been a way to resolve this without the publicity.
Thank you, @shannon
Well said, Shannon.
“She paid Guy a huge sum to get rid of him”. What the? Madge may have been able to discard people throughout her career once they are no longer useful to her but she should think twice with that approach about the father of her children. When everything is centered around her needs, she would find out sooner or later she’s that person no one wants to invite to HER family’s holiday party. Mommy dearest *shudder*
Madonna’s efforts to “win” this battle—that shouldn’t be a battle at all—are grotesque. I thought she was smarter. If she truly wants a good, solid relationship with her son in the future, she will let him be. Trying to force him back to her now will not only poison their relationship, but will come to nothing anyway, as he is of the age to make this decision himself.
Madonna cannot tolerate this rejection by her own child. It looks to me that she is acting out of an “instant gratification” impulse to keep Rocco from leaving her, rather than a thoughtful consideration of how Rocco feels, both now and when he’s older.
And because of her own image-obsessed narcissism, she’s going to paint herself as a beleaguered independent working mother, which is kind of hilarious, as Madonna has had very little in common with single working mothers.
Ugh, these two.
Wow. Nothing like playing out your custody battle on INSTAGRAM. FFS, grow up.
Kind of outta topic but did anyone else read that interview conducted by Sean Penn with El Chapo? Talk about crazy!
Sean Penn has Will- Graham-level of obession with sociopaths.
I read it…. and its a long read. I know he is getting flack for it (I guess some people think that interviewing a drug baron is equivalent to an endorsement) but I thought it was an amazing coup. But we can at least agree that the rush for an El Chapo film just got more intense.
I hate to be commenting on this, but the way she has handled this situation with all the legal actions and media coverage just gives Rocco more reasons to run away.
Right? Classic what not to do. She’s just going to push him farther away and escalate this into an epic battle. Stupid.
I agree completely. There is no doubt she loves Rocco and her other children. HOWEVER, going immediately to court to demand his return (when he was not in harm’s way, but with his own father) and these messages via social media….UGH! What teenager wouldn’t run from that? I feel she is just pouring gasoline on the fire with her actions. She and her ex need to bury the hatchet and resolve this amicably for the sack of their son.
I’m more grossed out by the Rebel Heart hashtag than anything. Seriously, Madonna? This was all about promoting your album?
I hope Penn gets prosecuted for aiding and abetting a fugitive.
100% agree.
ditto
Guy Ritchie is probably after child support. That 76 million is not enough for his new family. If he was indeed interested in being a good father he’d try to mend his son’s relationship with his mother. Both, he and Madonna, are making this a public spectacle.
I’ve always wondered about the rumors that he physically abused her. There was that photo of her with a black eye
Amen!
I have no idea, but would he get, want or need child support? He has 76 million dollars.
He will most definitely get child support, a huge chunk, and he will ask for it. He has a passel full of kids and an expensive lifestyle and nannies, a huge country house to maintain and London house, and even though he makes a good living as a director, I bet he as a practical matter will still seek child support.
But I don’t believe this comes down to money and child support. Madonna adores Rocco and facing not being a day-to-day mom with him his last three years of school I’m sure is a painful thought, with him being in another country, It changes everything. I’m sure Guy loves his son and is all too happy if the boy wants to live with him full-time.
I think both love their son very much, though.
Would anyone complain if a woman sought support? I think depending on the state he may not have to ask. It would simply be readjusted or instated when custody changes.
I’m not complaining about it, I just honestly didn’t know if someone with such ample resources would get more money in the circumstances. It seems silly, whether you are a man or a woman.
I’m sorry GNAT I meant for that to go directly under @Liz’s comment! Sometimes I don’t get the hang of it on my phone. Sigh. I agree with the very wealthy it seems silly when the support is adjusted or asked for but I *think* in a lot of states it’s just automatically part of the process and you’d be in contempt of court to not follow through on the paperwork.
Got it, paleokifaru. I guess they don’t take need into account, and maybe they shouldn’t, idk.
hell yeah he wants and would get child support! guys hustle of madonna is really the apex of his career.
Actually is has not as much as peeped about this. As for money, it has nothing to do with it. He spends mad $ on his kids.
Why do you assume it is about child support? Most divorced parents want to raise their kids themselves regardless of getting child support. How many divorced parents do you know (mother or father) that honestly do NOT want to have custody of their kids? Probably only the truly deadbeat ones…..
If you go back and read around the time of the divorce, both Guy and his parents were pretty unhappy about losing easy access to time with Rocco in particular, who had been with them for eight years. David was only three years old at the time and hadn’t been in the family all his life, and it was obvious he would be with his mom mainly until he was older. Rocco very likely has a very strong bond with his dad. Madonna needs to respect and encourage that. She can’t keep her kids handcuffed to her forever. She needs to learn how to deal successfully with long distance relationships, just as Guy has had to do. She has two younger children to focus on and her intensity about this matter must be scaring them. What would she do if Rocco was at a boarding school far away? When he goes to college like her daughter? I don’t understand her reasoning here.
Child support was handled in the divorce agreement along with the parenting plan. The only way to get that child support changed is to go back to court and have it changed. When my son started living with his dad, child support from dad continued until it was taken to court and he no longer had to pay it.
That’s interesting. Where I am it’s just a form that has to be updated and submitted when there’s any major change, i.e. shift in custody or major raise or dock of pay. No need for court, just turn it in. Not sure how it is in NY.
Is it just me or in that bottom picture does it look like the son is trying to stand far away? And she has a grip on him so he can’t pull Rocco?
I noticed that, too. David looks very unhappy in all of the pics. In the top picture, neither David nor Mercy seem connected to what is happening there. I know it’s only a few photos…but I wonder about them…
I don’t see him standing away. He’s right up next to his sister, holding her hand. I don’t think she’s too worried right now about David. He’s young and very much a momma’s boy, and he’s the one she said wants to be an entertainer, so loves being around Madonna making records, etc. There was a cute recent video from a fan (she allows fans to watch her soundcheck rehearsals often) shot during soundcheck on her tour where something was going wrong during rehearsal and David came out on stage and was hugging and loving on his mother, rubbing her head, because she was having a bad day. It was sweet.
Now, cut to five years from now and he’s a teenager and it might be different. LOL
I must be out of it, but when did she get the 4th kid? I thought she only had 3?
She adopted Mercy maybe a year after David. They are the same age, I think.
While Madonna is divorced and/or no longer with the father of 3 of her children, does that make her a single parent when the father’s had a custody arrangement. It is not like Guy or Carlos abandoned their children. It just seems this is one thing playing victim on is not smart.
This is a semantic that always is a little troubling for me too. I think originally this phrase was used for a parent who was not only single but raising a child or children completely on their own with no support in time or money. I feel like now with most custody situations you are single AND a parent, rather than a single parent and all that it would truly entail. This is not to diminish that it is still difficult to be alone while you are working and raising a child. But I do think it’s different and in that your child is not 100% reliant on just you at all times.
And again, I want to emphasize I still think being single AND a parent is difficult. I’m not saying it isn’t.
Agree.
I don’t like that term either. It makes it sound like you’re raising the kid all by yourself, which you’re not if the other parent is in the picture. Plus, most of the time when someone says that about themselves, they’re doing it to get sympathy or help, IMO.
Guy dropped out of school at 15. He said the last school he was expelled for drugs. His dad said he skipped classes all the time at his posh private school and was caught with a girl in his room. He has always been an avid reader, though, throughout his life.
Guy has said he doesn’t believe in telling kids what to do, because they will find their own way, because he was told school and education were important, but that for him that wasn’t true. He always had an interest in movies, but he said he never went to film school because graduates of film school make “boring” and “unwatchable” movies.
I think he is a loving father and truly loves all of his children, but I think his macho attitude and that boys will be boys and possibly lackadaisical view towards raising a male teenager might concern Madonna. Teenagers do need a firm hand at times, often some years LOL, and do need some kind of rules. Will Guy provide it? Lets not forget the last straw for Rocco was his phone taken away because he wasn’t doing his schoolwork. Guy’s attitude about school seems to be far different to Madonna’s and Rocco is banking on that. Madonna was a straight A student in high school and won a dance scholarship to college. I do believe her heart is in the right place wanting a good education for her kids, at least a strong high school education, even if they don’t go to college.
And apparently he has a girl in London he likes, he met over the summer when visiting dad, so that seems to be a big draw also.
I don’t think it’s wrong for Rocco to be with his dad at his age and in many ways will be good for him to spend more time with him on a full-time basis, but who knows if Guy is going to give the structure he needs as a teen that everyone on here seems to assume he will get being with Guy.
Guy may not be “smart”, but he has enough sense to not keep embarrassing his kids over & over. And all of that social media desperateness that Madonna can’t quit with is gross at any age (remember the one she posted with Rocco & the booze a few years back?) I just feel bad for all the kids.
I never said Guy wasn’t smart. I think he is intelligent. I said he was “anti-school,” his words in an interview, and not a big believer necessarily in education/school, since ultimately it wasn’t for him, which most people would not agree with that stance. He has never voiced any regret in quitting school at 15, in fact, the opposite. Rocco is 15, and I’m sure dad is looking more appealing than mom, who took away his phone because he was refusing to do his schoolwork.
Guy’s entire marriage festivities can be found on social media though. His wife is just as active as Madonna but not as famous so eh.
And Guy has said this about his son’s speech at the wedding:
And the father-of-five said 14-year-old Rocco, whose mother is Guy’s ex-wife Madonna, had guests including David Beckham and Brad Pitt in stitches.
Guy told The Sun newspaper: “I was in no condition to remember [what he said].
And he doesn’t have enough sense to not blab to the press about him. His own lawyers back in the day commented on Madonna’s body in a disparaging manner and word came out that they hadn’t had sex in almost 2 years (whereas Madonna was singing how sex with Guy was ‘incredible’). Guy can be just as embarrassing when the right buttons are pushed and Madonna is more than the right button.
People are already forgetting that the first big articles coming out about Rocco running away had to come from his camp. Rocco doesn’t have his own PR team. Madonna would never slate herself and those articles were full of details of why and how Rocco was running away to the detriment of Madonna’s image.
Why not give Guy a chance though? If he doesn’t do right by Rocco then in a year reevaluate. Madonna could also stick some stipulations on him staying with his dad, that in order to stay he has to attend school. I’m sure any judge would agree to that.
Agreed. Legally he would need to stay in school and I’m sure that could be emphasized and written in as a violation of the custody agreement if he doesn’t. Although admittedly the Kardashian kids were “educated” as well so it’s probably best to be specific! 😉
Yes, Madonna would certainly have clout concerning Rocco’s education and could set reasonable requirements. Parents have to come to some agreement about such things after divorce. But I wonder if taking the cell phone was a way to keep him from calling his dad, since Rocco has been talking about wanting to live with his dad for a while. And if Rocco wasn’t doing his schoolwork, why keep him on tour? Assuming that was really happening.
Yes, he rejected an education choosing instead, to ride the coattails of a mega rich, famous, well-connected woman. A quick view of his IMDB shows that he didn’t have much of a career before he met her. SHE made him. Ritchie is a leach. Easy to say don’t worry about school when you marry Madonna.
I would disagree. He had some success before her and pretty much bombed during the marriage. The Tom hardy movie and the Sherlock films all came after. He was working and paying the bills before her.
Yeah, I disagree as well. His big breakthrough was Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels which was released in 1998. He met Madonna when the soundtrack for the film was released on her record label. He’s not as wildly successful as she is but he’s a solid director and works steadily.
If I remember correctly, he blamed her for his work bombing during their marriage. It was in one of his first interviews after the divorce.
Are you kidding?! He only caught her attention because his film,”Lock, Stock and 2 Smoking Barrels” was a smash & Guy Ritchie was THE hot young up & comer.
Hate all you want, but at least get the facts right.
Too bad we don’t live in a society where many encourage strong independent single working moms!
She is really doing the MOST. Please stop taking an actual problem and framing it to suit the crappy power struggle you are having with your ex-husband. Normal single working moms are continually demonized by this society and none of them have a tenth of your power, wealth or publicity to bring attention to their plight as they try to survive and raise families. What the hell have you EVER done for actual struggling single mothers besides pay lip service? You and Kelly Rutherford need to form a support group for privileged, butthurt white women.
The bottom line is that you’re both spiteful assholes using your kid as a pawn at a time when he just wants some semblance of a more normal life.
Madonna : “Society does not encourage ME”.
And no, I don’t think for a second that Guy Ritchie is a great parent or person.
Two self-indulgent people fighting their own egos. No wonder this child is so unhappy and willing to go to such extremes.
She may be right about society in general, but I don’t think it applies to her situation at all. This is, or at least should be, a private matter between Rocco and his 2 parents. No outside forces are oppressing Madonna’s right to have children and a career.
This is the most attention she’s gotten in awhile, and I think it’s acting in her like a drug. Attention to somebody like her – good attention, bad attention, doesn’t matter – is validating and she craves it and always has.
She’s in Kelly Rutherford territory now; she’s actively working against herself.
Mad at her ex-husband. Mad at her son. Mad at society.
Madonna is a vengeful nasty piece of work. A vortex of negative emotion.
I feel sorry for anyone who is forced to call her mom.
Why does anyone want to see her perform? I don’t get it.
There have been plenty of less famous women who divorce their more famous spouse, take half his money and then use that money to fight for (or maintain) custody of their kids. Why is Guy worse for doing it, just because he is a man? Rich or poor most fathers want to raise their kids themselves.
Poor Rocco! No matter what’s really going, he’d be better off if his parents weren’t fighting in public so yeah, it’s obviously not about him any more 🙁
If she was so concerned about Rocco and maintaining custody, why didn’t she fly to London to talk to the kid and hash things out? A real parent would have done that rather than going straight to court and airing dirty laundry to the public.
yes, poor Madonna, poor single working mom making minimum wage…no wait… poor single working mom living in a one bedroom apartment….no that’s not right….poor single working mom with a multimillion dollar empire, bodyguards, chefs, nannies, lavish homes, lawyers, accountants, assistants, agents, publicists, housekeeping ..yeah, the struggle is real
Exactly !
+10000ⁿ0000 infinity!
Does anyone feel like Madonna and Sean Penn should get back together? Would that be a good thing… or bad? LOL.
Because, looking at pictures of the two of them, it just seems like they really do belong together.
I don’t see how they would last.
But, holy cow, this is what she said at the Haiti fundraiser last night.
“Sean was hosting a fundraiser for Haiti in Bev Hills, and Madonna was not only there with children David and Mercy, but she was openly affectionate with her ex-husband, walking arm-in-arm.
Madonna told the crowd, “I want to say Sean that I loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you and I still love you just the same.”
Awww Madonna…
I wonder if he’s one of the few true, still things in her life.
Yes they should
She is playing her cards all wrong. And the only thing I’m noticing is her complete selfishness. Jacking the whole “working mom society thing” is pissing me off. Maybe Rocco has a point here. Stay with your dad a bit, kid. No one would blame you.
My issue with Guy was that he was publicly adamant that he didn’t want a dime of her money and yet accepted so much. Why didn’t he ask for custody at that time.? Why not follow the decree but go back to court, why this way? I surely believe he’d ask for child support.
Madonna should tone it down and resolve this quietly. .
A lot of men assume that the mother is more competent to handle young children. They feel more comfortable with custody when the child is older, especially in the teens. It’s a cultural thing.
Madonna should have kept this a private matter. Her getting on social media to rant isn’t going to help her relationship with her son. It’s best to keep quiet.
Dear Madge,
When you have to go to work at a restaurant
and put in your 8 hours as a waitress
because the rent is due
even though your kid has a fever and
you have to take him to your mothers
( whom you are LUCKY to have at your side)
And you raise your child this way and 20 years later still doing it…..
ThEN you may call yourself a hard working single mother.
Oddly specific isn’t it?
Even in the 80s everything this women did and does is trite superficial. The music is never more than marginal to catchy at her best.
Always hated it.
Rebelhearts sounds like a bad romance novel with a picture of Fabio on the cover.
I think society would rather have single moms be independent and working than be on welfare. Who is against single mothers being independent? Most of the people I know love to see single moms in the work force !
Absolutely! I always admire anyone who gets back on their feet after a divorce or breakup that leaves them responsible for a child. And it’s statements like Madonna’s that really diminish the accomplishments of people who had to go back to school or work after a prolonged absence or find appropriate childcare as they took on more hours or another job to provide support they otherwise could not.
I have a divorced friend who is a captain with a major airline and has a longtime nanny during the week, four days, when gone. The nanny is like family at this point. I consider her an excellent mother and strong role model, and she has traveled the world with her children over the years, exposing them to so much. She has been judged by most of the stay-at-home moms in her neighborhood either subtly in remarks or even blatant remarks over the years and even judged for trying to have a dating life on top of everything else when home. Her ex, also an airline pilot, but not a captain (and was jealous she was above him and earned more than him) was never that involved.
. She has had her male peers in the same profession that she works with, or that are beneath her, ask her who is taking care of the kids, etc., remarks that are never asked of the men. She told me this is not uncommon of females in the industry.
It can be a double edged sword and a double standard. We still expect people to play “traditional” gender roles, especially when kids are in the mix, and even after a divorce. It’s pretty bizarre because I agree 100% with ME that we should all want both adults to be working for themselves and having their kids 50% of the time (if everyone is fit). But I have seen women questioned for working (horrible anyway and should be considered impossible in most divorce cases) and men questioned for fighting for custody of their child. Men are expected to pay and hand the kid because they “need” to work for the ex to care for the kid. And women are expected to remain locked into being financially dependent on the man because it’s “best” for them to be at home. So odd.
That’s messed up ! I mean NEVER depend on a man for financial support. When those kids turn 18 what is a woman going to do then? No job experience, nothing on a resume for 18 years? No. Never put yourself in that position. People should be applauding single moms for actually working and making their own money. No one can be with their children 24/7. Why is it always the mother who has to do all the child-rearing? It’s really not fair.
@Me absolutely! I know a woman with 50% custody who wasted several years of alimony that were supposed to go towards finishing a few college classes for her degree. She refused to work or go to school because she wanted to blame her ex and be a stay at home mom…even though she never had been one. I think she thought when she divorced and went for full custody that would be her “right.” Since then she finished and has refused to work more than minimum part time even though she’s demonstrated she has no issues getting part time jobs several times over. It’s mind boggling and gives a bad name to the people really struggling and trying so hard for themselves and their kids. And then what happens when the kid is gone? And what example is it to the kid to tell him life 100% revolves around him? We should really encourage full lives.
That is only a cousin to the issue of someone like Madonna playing the single working mother card for sympathy. Especially when you are dragging a 15 year old on tour against his wishes. If she were simply talking about balancing the two while still pursuing her passions, I might buy it. The difference between Mother/Successful Career Woman and Single Working Mother are pretty vast. It is unbelievably obtuse and self absorbed for her to try and play that card.
Oh definitely. I have seen some really sexist comments on the previous threads about her in terms of working while being a mother but the whoa is me single mom card is not a good play.
I can’t stand her in anything.
Is she talking about working single mothers or about working divorced/separated mothers without the ex hubby’s help?
I’ve seeing so much on the web nowadays that mothers want to kick out of her child’s life their exes even if they’re decent fathers.
It’s Feminism.
I’m totally sickened by this whole ordeal, but mostly due to the adopted children. They’re never mentioned or even seen. Just courted out for publicity. Where are they kept in the meantime? In Rocco’s statement, he mention Lourdes, but not the other two? I think the boy is named David, that’s all I know. They just seem to be used to serve a purpose for Madonna and it makes me ill.
Really? I see her mention them often and see them with her and photos on her instagram. The older kids started being seen more when they hit about twelve because they were older and she took them to more things with her.
http://www.celebritybabyscoop.com/2014/05/13/madonna-shares-photos
Madonna sharing on her instagram five holiday pics with her kids (and Rocco’s friends) during the summer.
http://www.celebritybabyscoop.com/2015/05/26/madonna-enjoys-memorial/gallery
I’m sorry I angered you. I don’t keep up with anyone’s Instagram. I thought those pictures were really cute. I still think all of this mess should be kept private.
You didn’t anger me. It just confused me. Madonna has a lot of faults, but I don’t think there’s any doubt she loves all of her children.
I agree with you about keeping it private and not all of this in the press. It serves no purpose and becomes about the adults, not the child.
Love for your children is not enough for good parenting.
Madonna wants the public recognition for being a good mum. And to get that she drags out her children. Not good.
Madonna, as a millionaire (many times over) saying how hard it is to be a “single mother”??? PLEASE!!! I too am a single mother who has had to work hard (even when my ex did not pay child support for years) to provide for my daughter. I doubt she knows much about struggling to make ends meet while still trying to support her child. I feel for her loss in terms of having her son basically choose his father right now, but hey, think about your kid here!! Put aside your differences with the ex, and come to an agreement. This public dispute will only push her son further away. BUT, please, Madonna, complaining about society’s lack of recognition for single mothers……don’t act like you know anything about struggling to make ends meet as a single mom raising her children!
I could not agree more. She has been super-rich the entire time she has had kids. She’s never had to worry about utilities being turned off, or falling behind on her mortgage (which a few single mothers I know have struggled with). For many single mothers, every day is a struggle to keep things together.
Don’t pretend you know what that’s like, Madge!
Exactly!! And…my ex and I were adult enough to put aside our differences from our marriage and learn to co-parent our daughter, even though we were no longer together. We would never dream of putting her in a situation of mom vs. dad!! Talk about emotional damage!!
Madonna is 100 percent right here. And she has a right to DEFEND herself after being slimed in the media by Guy Richie’s PR team. Many people are saying that since she is a woman, is almost 60, and has kids, she should “retire.” Nobody would dear say that about a man. Though I think Rocco is old enough to decide what parent he wants to live with, I am 100 percent on Madonna’s side for defending herself. As a strong woman, you can never win.
I hear and respect what you say, but single working mother is the WRONG card for her to play. It just shows what a narcissist she is. Its like whining about a paper cut to a room full of amputees.
YES @SJO perfectly said. Don’t compare yourself to other single working mothers and suggest that’s a struggle, PLEASE!!!
Rocco is 15 and wants to live with his dad. Madonna is a narcissist. That is all.
David is not happy in either of those pictures; perhaps its Sean Penn’s vibe; whatever. David is not happy and some may not see it, doesn’t change it. LOL won’t change it either.
Her sperm donor, Carlos Leon, had a baby boy last year with his wife Betina Holte. Guy has three kids under five with Jacqui. And both families are living off Madonna’s money. I think that’s the driving force of her anger. She feels like she was used (“Love $pent”) but honestly it can’t be that surprising.
As a few other commenters have mentioned, Madonna using #rebelheart/s on all her posts shows that what is REALLY of the most importance to her is her latest commercial enterprise.
What kid wants to wake up and be secondary in their parent’s life every day?
Being on this tour probably crystallized that feeling for Rocco. Especially compared to his Dad’s household where he had just spent time over the summer. Of course Madonna loves him and is probably the best mother possible for a powerful, busy woman like her. But do any of us doubt that in Madonna’s life, she comes first? Kids need to feel like they are the center of the universe sometimes – it’s part of growing up feeling secure. Why can’t Rocco experiment and see if living with his Dad (and family) really does work better…
She might be strong, independent, working and a mom; but all those words together loose its meaning when being used to describe her.
Madonna = strong, indepentend, working mom
AS IN:
Strong = making everybody bend the way she wants them to and when she wants
Independent = not listening to any advice from anybody
Working = pop singer half nude on stage, clothes also appropriate for porn/strip/prostitution
Mom = “I can’t hear you and DO AS I SAY!!!”
I would hardly describe a 15 year old choosing to live with their father instead of their mother as running away. At 15 he is old enough to decide which parent he wants to live with.
Famous women nowadays are doing a lot of damage to feminism.
Yeah it’s possible… But the only opinion you should be concerned about whether you are a good mother is that of your children.
I have no trouble believing that Rocco prefers the more easy-going less-paps lifestyle in GB and the probably not always madonna-macrobiotic food.
But seriously. If Madge has an axe to grind with Guy Ritchie does she really
a) draw her child/ren into that
b) sell it as working-mum-on-revolution-trip
c) wash her family’s laundry in public
a + b + c doesn’t make her look like a great mother, to be honest.
Hmm, no one is going to buy that you’ve had it tough, Madge.
What a bunch of malarkey coming from her. SHe has all the resources in the world so being a single mom is no hardship for her. Those who wish to court her talent (record companies, concert promoters et al) will support her as a single mom in whatever way she deems needed in order to get into business with her. I was a successful business woman and a single mom for several years–and my employer supported me as a mom because my contributions at work were needed and valued and they wanted to cement our working relationship. Now my level of success is not comparable to hers……….and my level of success was far above average. I am NOT saying that all women have it the way that Madonna or I had it.
But really—she just needs to STFU. No one wants to hear dribble coming from this privileged narcissist that in no way reflects the struggles of the average working single mom in this world.