Madonna is a once-in-a-generation talent, pop provocateur, dedicated LGBTQ+ ally, legendary singer-songwriter, and showstopping performer — but what is she really like behind the scenes?
Well, if you asked Bob the Drag Queen — who emceed all 81 shows of the singer’s epic Celebration Tour — he’d say, “Madonna is exactly what you expect.”
But don’t worry, according to him, “that is a compliment.” LOL!
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@bobthedragqueen Working with Madonna was fun thanks next question.
♬ original sound – Bob The Drag Queen
It’s been months since the RuPaul’s Drag Race star wrapped up his stint on Madonna’s greatest-hits tour, but he’s already back on the road with his very own comedy tour, This is Wild!
Of course, the fans are craving some tea on his time alongside the Queen of Pop, and the We’re Here alum was happy to oblige with a recent standup clip on TikTok.
“There’s a moment where you’re like, ‘This is the motherf*cking queen of pop.’ Madonna is just standing in front of me,” he began, quickly adding, “Then there’s moments where you’re like, ‘This is a 65-year-old boomer,’ and the moments are back to back to back.”
As he explained, one of his funniest stories involved planning the show alongside Madge, who went above and beyond in recalling the lyrics to her biggest tracks. (A story that Ryan Reynolds can corroborate.)
“When Madonna is talking to you about a song, she will sing the song to you, and I don’t mean like a normal amount like everyone sings,” Bob said before launching into a Madonna imitation that spanned several bars of “Like a Prayer.”
Still, it’s not every day that you get a private performance from music royalty!
“She gives you a mini concert every single time you have a meeting about one of the songs,” he said. “It is very charming and … I feel very privileged to have been in that moment.”
@bobthedragqueen Nothing like getting ‘dragged’ by the Queen of Pop herself! 😂 It was all love, I think! Anyway, just had to share that little story… #Madonna #celebrationtour #DragHer #LegendaryShade #AllLove #HopeIMakeItToTomorrow ♬ original sound – Bob The Drag Queen
That being said, it sounds like Madonna also had fun roasting Bob backstage.
In another clip, he recalled an inappropriate (but hilarious) moment when Madonna comforted a hairdresser who felt nervous and said, “You’re really good at what you do. You’re fantastic. That’s why you’re under the stage.”
While the moment wasn’t meant to be shady, Bob couldn’t resist yelling, “Drag her!” — to which Madonna quipped, “Shut up, Bob!”
The “Like a Virgin” singer’s revenge came before her final, herstory-making performance for 1.6 million people in Brazil. “Everyone was going around saying something sweet … and then I accidentally said something that was a little bit shady, and in that moment, Madonna finally was like, ‘Drag her,'” he recalled. Ha!
Nevertheless, Bob does not take the opportunity to create art alongside Madonna for granted.
As he told Billboard in 2023, “She respects me in a way that doesn’t feel like a novelty. Obviously, what matters most is how I feel about myself, but still, a stamp of approval from Madonna is just like … ‘What?!'”
Still, as he joked at the end of another clip: “If I’m dead tomorrow, Madonna had me killed.” LOL!
