Madonna's savage comeback to trolls on her Grammys appearance: 'Ageism and misogyny'

Madonna introduced singers Kim Petras and Sam Smith for their performance at Grammy Awards 2023.

Music icon Madonna hit out at people commenting about her appearance at the Grammy Awards earlier this week saying she was once again “caught in the glare of ageism and misogyny”. The singer opened about how she felt after a large section of the internet reacted to how she looked and how she was “unrecognisable” at the Grammys.

Madonna introduced singers Kim Petras and Sam Smith for their performance at Grammy Awards 2023.

“Instead of focusing on what I said in my speech which was about giving thanks for the fearlessness of artists like Sam and Kim, many people chose to only talk about close-up photos of me taken with a long lens camera by a press photographer that would distort anyone’s face,” Madonna, 64, wrote in the caption of her Instagram Reels which has a montage of her moments from the event.

“Once again I am caught in the glare of ageism and misogyny that permeates the world we live in,” she said.

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“A world that refuses to celebrate women past the age of 45 and feels the need to punish her if she continues to be strong willed, hard-working and adventurous,” Madonna said.

Kim Petras and Sam Smith took home the Grammy for best performance by a pop duo or group for their hit collaboration "Unholy," which made Petras the first openly transgender woman to win in the category.

Earlier this month, Madonna announced a massive global tour paying homage to her more than four-decade long career. The 35-city string of dates will kick off on July 15 in Vancouver, with stops in US cities including Detroit, Chicago, Miami and New York, where her storied rise to superstardom began.

Some of Madonna's Hot 100 hits include “Vogue,” “Music,” “Crazy For You,” “Like a Virgin,” “Like a Prayer,” “Justify My Love,” “Live to Tell” and “Papa Don't Preach.”