EXCLUSIVE: Controversy-Baiting Madonna 'Hammered with Death Threats' Over 'Unethical' AI Picture of Her Posing With Pope
Dec. 17 2024, Published 10:33 a.m. ET
Pop diva Madonna has been hit with a slew of death threats by hardline Christian cranks over her controversial "hanging out with the Pope" pictures.
Her stunt has gone badly with devout Roman Catholics who have issued chilling vows to kill the star, who already claims to have been excommunicated from the church three times.
One nut penned on X: "She's gone too far this time. This woman needs taking out. Francis is God's envoy on earth and not a figure of fun."
"Another wrote: "There's a bullet waiting for you ein this life and damnation in the next."
And a showbiz source close to Madge revealed: "Her team is now looking at how she's protected when she's out and about. The threats are real."
The Material Girl singer, whose full name is Madonna Louise Ciccone, sent her followers spiraling after she shared the two images online.
Madonna’s first photo on her Instagram story featured the singer, 66, snuggled next to Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, while wearing a black lace dress.
Pope Francis looked as if he was grabbing her arm with his nose pressed to her cheek.
"Going into the weekend like… … …," her caption read.
"Feels good to be seen," she wrote on the next slide alongside the second image of her in a black bustier. In that photo, Francis was made to look like he was talking to Madonna with his arm around her waist.
Madonna tagged @rickdick_, the meme artist’s Instagram account, below the caption in red.
Though the controversial images were meant to be a joke, they also caused anger among fans of the Like a Virgin icon.
In fact, some believed her posts were "creepy" and "inappropriate".
On X, several individuals voiced their opinions. "This is creepy as hell," one person proclaimed, while another noted: "It's funny and pathetic at the same time."
A third said: "This is another web full filling tentative of AI s***. Nonsense, sad and a useless use of modern tools. What is the message? what do you want to say?"
Yet, amid all the criticisms, many of Madonna’s supporters defended her, arguing these photos were an extension of her humor.
"What 'fans' are actually angry? We love her wicked sense of humor. She simply reposted photos that were going around for days," one individual commented on X.
Meanwhile, a second said: "She’s so real for that omg."
Madonna’s history with the Catholic Church back to 1989 when she came out with her music video for Like a Prayer which sexualized Jesus and featured burning crosses.
Other members of the church were bothered by the video, too, discouraging their congregations and communities from listening to Madonna.
In May 2022, the Hung Up performer reached out to the 88-year-old Pontiff via X.
She wrote: "Hello@Pontifex Francis — I’m a good Catholic. I Swear! I mean I don’t Swear! It’s been a few decades since my last confession.
"Would it be possible to meet up one day to discuss some important matters? I’ve been excommunicated 3 times. It doesn’t seem fair. Sincerely, Madonna."