Life is a mystery. Everyone must stand alone. Unless you use AI to generate photos of yourself standing next to the Pope. Standing very close next to the Pope. Which is what Madonna did on Friday night, posting two images to her Instagram where she and Pope Francis are embracing, with the odd captions, “Going into the weekend like…” for one, and “Feels good go be seen…” for the other. But just like a dream, these pics are not what they seem. In both “photos,” Miss Madge is scantily-clad in lacey black while Francis complements her in papal white. While Madame X dressing provocatively isn’t anything new, her unsuspectingly dragging the head of the Catholic Church into a couple of intimate-looking poses has plenty of people upset. Let the choir sing:
The first photo depicted the pope, 87, hugging the “Frozen” singer, 66, from the side with a huge smile across his face. His nose was pressed against her cheek.
“Going into the weekend like…” she captioned the head-turning snap.
The second image showed Madonna in a lacy corset with Pope Francis seemingly going in for a kiss as he wrapped one arm around her waist.
“Feels Good to Be Seen……” the “Like a Virgin” singer penned atop the second snap.
Social media users were quick to slam Madonna over the images, with one calling her actions “ridiculously disrespectful.”
Another person wrote via X that the “Vogue” singer’s post was “creepy,” while a third unamused individual said, “This is just weird as hell… she’s lost it.”
“Disgusting! I pray her soul gets saved!” another critic seemingly shouted from behind their screen.
Page Six reached out to Madonna’s reps for comment on the backlash but did not immediately hear back.
The seven-time Grammy winner is no stranger to stirring up controversy, however, as she had done so several times throughout her career.
The Vatican once suggested that people boycott Madonna’s Blond Ambition World Tour due to her 1989 “Like a Prayer” music video, per Entertainment Tonight.
The controversial video featured her kissing a black saint who was wrongly accused of murder and several religious symbols, such as burning crosses.
Her commercial with Pepsi was even pulled at the time, though Madonna was given permission to share it in September 2023.
“Artists are here to disturb the peace,” she wrote in the caption of an Instagram Reel at the time, as she debuted the commercial after it sat in the dark for 34 years.
Earlier this year, Madonna was sued by a fan who attended her “Celebration” tour and accused her of exposing fans to “pornography without warning.”
Her shows surely had some punch to them — as her backup dancers were routinely filmed giving raunchy lap dances on stage.
Ah yes, I remember that lawsuit from the California concertgoer who was “forced to watch topless women on stage.” In that instance I was leaning on Madonna’s side — Celebration was her 12th concert tour, I think it was fairly predictable that Madonna would have racy material, girl. But the difference with a concert is that an audience member chooses to purchase a ticket. The Vatican may correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think Pope Francis sanctified Madonna using him as an AI prop. There is so much that doesn’t make sense to me in regard to these images. What do the captions mean? She’s going into the weekend with the Pope, and he’s the only one who really sees her? Why is he seemingly canoodling with her, going off of the body language? But I think my biggest question of all is, Madge had to have known that the photos would quickly be identified as AI-generated. So… why?? What is she trying to say here? This isn’t my religion, so I’m not offended on those grounds; I’m offended by a celebrity with Madonna’s following making such a desperate attention grab. Heaven help her.
Note by CB: It looks like these photos were created by an AI/Photoshop artist named Rick Dick and that Madonna, or her social media person, just reposted them in her Instagram stories.
Photos via Instagram and credit: IPA/INSTARimages
Just when I think she had crossed the line before, she comes up with some new sh-t.
It’s bad not because of the Pope, but using AI images at a time when most artists are trying to protect themselves from AI? Seriously? Had someone used AI to put Madonna in a photo, she would have filed suit in a hot minute. She’s a sad shell of a woman.
@SarahLee Exactly. This is the correct take. It’s the use of the Pope’s AI image that is the issue.
These pics are disrespectful but I’m not surprised by Madonna, I’ve thought she needs help for sime time
Cuddling up to one of the main players of an organization that tried to hide pedophilia? Gross!
Sinead O’Connor did this so much better by RIPPING up the pope’s picture.
I was just thinking that I wasn’t offended at all by Sinead O’Connor, but this was offensive to me.
Don’t/Never forget that not even 2months later Madge parody-shaded Sinead by ending her SNL musical performance w “Fight the real enemy” photo tear of Joey Buttafuoco.
Perhaps parody-shaded was too kind. Google’s AI said it better: “Madonna mocked Sinéad O’Connor’s Saturday Night Live (SNL) performance…”
Francisco is the head of a very problematic institution, but at least he hasn’t fully played blind to what makes it so… Perhaps that’s her message? I do think there are bigger fish to fry. She thinks this is scandalous when in reality it’s more like juvenile and naïve in the times we’re living…
I think one of the things Madonna has always feared the most is being culturally irrelevant. So she does stuff like this to stir the pot to get her name back in the news. She is 66 years old and probably terrified of being labeled a has been. I don’t think she is, but I also don’t see why she needs to mess with AI. But weirdly these tone deaf pictures do make her look like an out of touch boomer because no one understands the point of these pictures.
She’s exhausting. Just doing it to get a rise out of people because I honestly feel like no one pays attention to her anymore unless she’s doing something ridiculous. Poor Madonna.
Well, Madonna picked the religion whose followers are only going to get angry.
Meanwhile, KP desperately DMing a job offer to the guy who created these.
😂
This right here!
I wish Madonna had found a way to stay culturally relevant that didn’t involve publicity stunts like this, but I saw (and reported) many fake images of Biden, Harris and mango during the election cycle. If stunts like this make anyone realize how faked images are being fed to us online, the wingnuts wishing to destroy our Democracy and remove our rights and progress can cry their salty tears of hypocrisy. Rip Sinead O’Connor. She was right and got destroyed for speaking a truth people needed to hear.
Your desperation is showing Madonna.
Ive never been a fan so this is just more Madonna being herself. Only now this is a new level of desperate. And sordid. And just sad.
So 👏🏻 well 👏🏻 written 👏🏻 Kismet!!!
This article had me stitches. Well done!
Also, duh. This is what Madonna does.
The embedded lyrics😆
I came here to say the same. Great job Kismet! Love all your posts, but you’ve really outdone yourself this time! And….ew, Madge. There is provocative, and then there is tasteless. Desperately seeking relevance, anyone?
But what did the Vatican say about this? Some NY Post intern is just sitting on twitter mining for outraged comments about this photo. There are deeper issues in the world that these people should be outraged about.
I’m curious to see if this advances the conversation about AI imagery in any kind of useful way. I doubt that’s why she did it, but perhaps it will get more people talking about how crappy AI is increasing the shittification of the internet.
Not just imagery, but fake news stories about people and there doesn’t seem to be any recourse.
I feel like if Madonna wanted to have a real audience with him, the Vatican would approve it.
Oh Madonna…she refuses to age gracefully. A play for attention. Sad that someone who is damn good at what she does is so insecure about herself and needs constant attention from strangers.
Well this is just pathetic.
As a lapsed Catholic, those AI pics gave me a good laugh! Given Madonna’s fraught history with the Church, there is no way to confuse these images for the real thing — that is, for those who grew up with her music or who have followed her career. Generally speaking, tho, AI pics are scary cause they can look real. I wonder if the Church will go after the person who made these images? These pics are tame compared to the religious imagery and themes she has incorporated into some of her videos and concert tours.
People are so young! Go watch “Like a Prayer ” video by Maddona then your anger can have context.
This is a ridiculous thing to be angry at Maddona for, in isolation
This typical 🙄 behaviour from her
I am Catholic and I am offended. Especially the second one, which is intimating intimacy. It is disrespectful of a man who is celibate, and the head of a religion. I just don’t like her. I never did. Everyone always said she did so much for women. I felt like she was needy as fuck, and could absolutely not be seen as able to be alone and to be able to stand on her own two feet, without a man for show. Because I do think the boys she hired to be her boyfriends were for show. The photo to me is her attempting to be seen as disrupting again, because she knows it will start a row: so she is using another person without their consent, and creating a stir just to say I’m still here, but it has no meaning. Creating a stir just to create one. Stupid. As I’ve said so often before, go to a room, shut the door and write some good music/songs if you want to use your energy constructively.
Therese, I’m not Catholic, but I’m offended by these. (And wasn’t by S O’C).
I’m totally with you. I’ve always found her to be immature, bordering on silly, and deeply insecure. She’s a great dancer, but a mediocre musician at best.
I understand her fear re becoming irrelevant… But she could look to Stevie Nicks for a positive example.
This is too desperate and sad to be offending. She’s basically trying to recycle her Like a Prayer video moment but honey that ship sailed 36 years ago. Does she not realize stuff like this is no longer shocking, in a world where anyone can manipulate any image? Nobody cares anymore.