Madonna Hit With Lawsuit in California Over “Sexually Explicit Content” at Celebration Tour

Madonna performing on stage during her ‘Celebration’ tour on May 4 in Brazil.

Buda Mendes/Getty Images

Pop icon Madonna was hit with a lawsuit this week over her Celebration Tour after a Southern California man filed a complaint saying the massive stadium show he attended in L.A. forced him to view what he called sexually explicit content and caused him emotional distress. 

Justen Lipeles filed a class action complaint, which was obtained on Friday by The Hollywood Reporter, against the singer, Live Nation and other entities involved with the Celebration Tour on Wednesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, months after he attended her March 7 concert at L.A.’s Kia Forum; the show is based entirely on her back catalog and 40-year career. He accuses the pop star and organizers involved of negligent misrepresentation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false advertising and breach of written contract.

“Pornography without warning, topless women on stage simulating sex acts,” were a couple of the aspects of Madonna’s show mentioned in the legal filing. The complaint also says the singer lip-synced through much of her performance, and Lipeles says that he was sweltering inside the KIA Forum; he became physically ill in the heat and Madonna ordered that the air conditioning be cut off as she performed, the suit claims. The pop star’s tardiness to the stage is also mentioned in the suit.

This isn’t the first legal action Madonna is facing over being late to the Celebration Tour. While the career retrospective show is billed as having an 8:30 p.m. start time, she has hit the state at 10:30 p.m. for other performances. 

“I am sorry I am late… no, I am not sorry, it’s who I am… I’m always late,” the complaint states that Madonna told her audience at a Dec. 17 performance.

Previously, two men filed a case over her stage tardiness, calling it “unconscionable, unfair and/or deceptive trade practices.” Madonna’s team claimed it was an unforeseen technical issue that caused the delay. The pop superstar faced a 2019 suit for being late to the stage during her Madame X Tour. That case was dismissed.

The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to reps for Madonna.