Pink is also an artist who isn’t shy about expressing herself. Her boldness and confidence are certainly comparable to Madonna’s, someone Pink idolizes.
The two first met on Live With Regis and Kelly in 2003. Pink walked away from this experience feeling that Madonna didn’t like her. However, Madonna made it clear that wasn’t the case many years later.
When Madonna took the stage at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, it was a meeting of two different generations in pop music. Madonna, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera didn’t just perform but shared a kiss on stage.
The moment was a metaphorical passing of the torch from Madonna to the new generation of pop stars for whom she paved the way. The performance got a ton of media attention and now lives on as a classic Madonna moment.
Recently, we’ve been learning more about the planning behind the performance. Jennifer Lopez recently revealed that she was among the artists Madonna approached to be part of the performance. However, a movie she was filming prevented her from doing it.
“I didn’t wind up doing it, but yeah, we had talked about it,” Lopez said. “I love Madonna. I’m a huge fan, I always have been.”
“I think we all were [invited],” Pink remembered. “I think Madonna wanted to kiss all of us. I was in Costa Rica at the time, having all kinds of fun with my boyfriend Carey Hart. Gwen Stefani was also invited, I remember. It was a bunch of us.” “It was going to be a party,” she added. “It would’ve been a really weird party.”
In 2003, Madonna made an appearance on Live With Regis and Kelly to promote her children’s book, “Mr. Peabody’s Apples.” She also talked about her kiss with Spears and Aguilera, which had just happened.
Pink was also a guest on the show that day and performed. Toward the end of Madonna’s interview, Pink was brought out to meet her. Pink seemed visibly nervous and starstruck in Madonna’s presence.
To many people watching, it seemed like all was good between the two artists. However, Pink recently revealed to Howard Stern that, at least from her perspective, that wasn’t the case.
“Madonna doesn’t like me,” the singer proclaimed. She went on to say that Madonna “tried to play” her on the talk show. “I’m not the one, so it didn’t work out.”
“It’s such a silly story,” Pink continued. “I love Madonna, and I love her no matter what. I still love her. She was such an inspiration to me, but it sort of got twisted around that I was fangirling and was dying to meet Madonna when, in actuality, she invited me to her dressing room. So, I just said a joke when Regis brought me out and was like, ‘How does it feel to meet? I heard you’re just falling over yourself backstage.’ I’m like, ‘I thought she wanted to meet me.’ Didn’t work out for us.”
Pink’s comments to Philbin occurred later in the show after her performance, not when she met Madonna.
In 2012, Madonna was touring the world on her “MDNA World Tour.” She was on track to complete another hugely successful concert tour. However, at the same time, Madonna was rumored to be in a feud with another female pop artist, and it wasn’t Pink.
It was actually Lady Gaga. Gaga had made a name for herself with albums like “The Fame,” “The Fame Monster,” and “Born This Way.” The latter album’s title track was said to sound similar to Madonna’s “Express Yourself.” Madonna teased her audiences with these similarities by performing a mashup of the two tracks on her tour.
However, when she appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show during the tour, Madonna had only positive things to say about Gaga. Madonna also complimented Pink, saying, “I like her. She’s cool.”
This obviously proves Pink wrong when it comes to Madonna not liking her. Pink recently came to Madonna’s defense following her appearance at the 2023 Grammy Awards. While presenting Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ performance of “Unholy,” Madonna’s physical appearance generated a lot of attention.
“Let’s just give the people the respect they deserve and have earned, and be a bit nicer. Can we all be a bit nicer? I want to be nicer, to myself and others,” Pink told Mirror UK. “When a person walks out, the first thing I think is not, ‘Holy s*** did you see their face?’ I don’t think like that. I think, ‘Holy s***, that person has been amazing for so long.'”