Madonna Exposed By 'Hamilton' Star Anthony Ramos For Disrespectful Audience Behavior
By Kelly Coffey-Behrens on June 20, 2025 at 1:30 PM EDT

Madonna may be the Queen of Pop, but her alleged conduct during a "Hamilton" performance has Broadway star Anthony Ramos calling her out nearly a decade later.
During a candid appearance on "Watch What Happens Live!," Ramos, who starred in the original 2015 Broadway cast as both John Laurens and Alexander Hamilton's ill-fated son Philip, recalled a particularly "terrifying" celebrity audience member, Madonna.
'Hamilton' Star Anthony Ramos Slams Madonna For Allegedly Using iPad During Performance

"The most terrifying was Madonna with her iPad in her face," Ramos said bluntly when host Andy Cohen asked about star-studded audiences. "She was like this the whole time," he added, mimicking her staring at a device. "I was like, 'Damn, shorty. If you not enjoying it that much, you know the door's right there. You ain't gotta stay here.'"
Ramos isn't the first "Hamilton" cast member to shade Madonna over the infamous 2015 incident.
Creator Lin-Manuel Miranda appeared to reference her in a now-deleted tweet at the time, writing, "Tonight was the first time I asked stage management NOT to allow a celebrity (who was texting all through Act 2) backstage. #noselfieforyou."
Although Miranda didn't name names, rumors quickly swirled that he was referring to Madonna.
The speculation was so widespread that her publicist publicly denied the claims, saying, "It's not true. She was invited backstage four different times," and that she "texted post-show when they were doing their fundraising pitch. Madonna had already made a generous donation."
Jonathan Groff Blasts The Queen Of Pop's 'Hamilton' Etiquette

Still, other "Hamilton" cast members didn't hold back.
Jonathan Groff, who played King George III, slammed Madonna directly in a 2015 interview with Dot429, saying, "You couldn't miss it from the stage. It was a black void of the audience in front of us, and her face there perfectly lit by the light of her iPhone through three-quarters of the show."
He added that she wasn't invited backstage because "that b-tch was on her phone."
Madonna Was Reportedly Banned For Texting During A Movie

Before she was called out by "Hamilton" stars for allegedly texting through a Broadway performance, Madonna faced backlash for another phone faux pas, and this one reportedly got her banned from a movie theater.
Back in 2013, the Queen of Pop made headlines after allegedly texting during a screening of "12 Years a Slave" at the New York Film Festival. According to Page Six at the time, when another guest asked her to put her phone away, Madonna snapped back, "It's for business…enslaver!"
The screening featured the powerful historical drama starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, and Brad Pitt, a film that tells the harrowing true story of Solomon Northup, a free man sold into slavery in the 1800s.
The Texting Scandal At '12 Years A Slave' Screening Resurfaces

Despite her alleged outburst, sources told Us Weekly that Madonna appeared emotional during the film.
"Some people are shocked by this, because Madonna was visibly tearing up," one insider said. "Everybody there thought that she was very moved by it."
In fact, she seemed eager to show her support for the project afterward, reportedly posing for photos with the film's director Steve McQueen while dressed in an all-black lace ensemble, gloves and all.
Still, the controversy sparked enough noise that Alamo Drafthouse CEO Tim League tweeted that Madonna had been banned from their theaters unless she issued a public apology.
While she never addressed the incident directly, the moment became part of a growing pattern of criticism aimed at the "Material Girl" for her screen-time habits during live performances, one that would flare up again in 2015 when "Hamilton" stars accused her of texting throughout the second act.
Patti LuPone Once Slammed Madonna's Acting

Though she has a long history with Broadway, starring in "Speed-the-Plow" in 1988 and famously portraying Eva Perón in the 1996 film adaptation of "Evita," her performances have sparked polarizing opinions.
Broadway legend Patti LuPone, who originated the role of Eva on stage, once said, "Madonna is a movie killer. She's dead behind the eyes… She cannot act her way out of a paper bag."
While Madonna's music career remains iconic, her off-stage reputation, at least in theater circles, continues to stir up drama worthy of its own Broadway plot twist.