Pink Breaks Down Her Little-Known Tension With Madonna

Madonna glamorized greed and excess in "Material Girl," while Pink has taken aim at "Stupid Girls" who only care about snagging sugar daddies to bankroll their lavish lifestyles. So maybe it makes sense that the '80s music icon and one of the early aughts' edgiest pop stars never became besties.

Before Madge and the "Lady Marmalade" singer met in person and didn't hit it off, Pink revealed that she greatly admired her pop predecessor. "Madonna was my god," Pink said on "Watch What Happens Live" in 2021. "I remember watching 'Truth or Dare' and just thinking, 'My god, look at how fierce she is.' She's such a force, and she always stood for something." Pink further applauded Madonna for not just being provocative for attention, pointing out that the "Express Yourself" hitmaker has always been true to herself when creating her art. Madonna had previously complimented Pink when she appeared on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in 2012, but wasn't nearly as effusive in her praise. "I like her. She's cool," she stated.

During a February 22 appearance on "The Howard Stern Show," Pink proclaimed, "Madonna doesn't like me." She also gave Howard Stern a reason why she might be on Madonna's list of enemies, explaining that she was basically a hazard to herself when presented with the opportunity to meet her idol in person on a morning talk show. And maybe it didn't help that she had to turn down a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity from the "Like a Virgin" singer.

According to Pink's interview on "The Howard Stern Show," Madonna requested a meeting with her when they both appeared on "Live with Regis and Kelly" in 2003. "She kind of tried to play me," Pink claimed. "It sort of got twisted around that I was fangirling and was dying to meet Madonna." In her recollection, she was trotted out to say hi to Madonna. When host Regis Philbin asked Pink how she felt, she remembered boldly responding, "I thought she wanted to meet me." Pink said that her joke fell flat with the "Frozen" songstress. However, a YouTube clip of Pink and Madonna's "Live with Regis and Kelly" encounter doesn't show Pink saying any such thing. Instead, she joked, "I got sweat marks over here," after greeting Madonna with a hug.

Before Pink apparently made a bad first impression on Madonna, she had to turn down the chance to share the stage with her at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. She told KTU 103.5 (via Billboard) that she had been asked to participate in the famous kiss between Madonna, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera. "I think Madonna wanted to kiss all of us," she quipped. "Gwen Stefani was also invited, I remember." But the "Get the Party Started" singer was vacationing with her future husband, Carey Hart, at the time, and didn't seem too bummed about having to turn Madonna down. "It would've been a really weird party," she mused.