Madonna‘s going to be unapologetically Madonna despite the opinions of others, especially Wendy Williams. The talk show host, 55, recently slammed the 61-year-old singer on her December 16 show calling her a “grandma” after Madonna was photographed getting cozy with her backup dancer Ahlamalik Williams, who is 36 years her junior. We’ve learned that while Madonna isn’t fazed by the ageist comments, it’s that very thing — age-shaming — that the pop icon is concerned about.
“Wendy Williams is simply being ageist and it’s not okay,” a source close to the singer tells HollywoodLife, exclusively. “Madonna is constantly fighting against ageism, she’s constantly getting judged for not being young enough and it’s really sad and tiresome. In Wendy’s case, it’s extra sad because she’s not much younger than Madonna. She should be supporting her fight against ageism, not tearing her down.”
The insider goes on to admit that Madonna won’t be speaking out about the host. “At the end of the day, Wendy’s opinion really doesn’t matter to Madonna. She’s so used to people judging her, and if Wendy wants to add to the noise, so be it.”
It was just this week that the daytime host took aim at Madonna during Hot Topics on her show. She reacted to new photos that showed her 25-year-old backup dancer with his arms around her waist as the two overlooked the Miami views on a hotel balcony. The dancer rubbed Madonna’s shoulders in more PDA snaps, and was pictured shirtless in other pics.
“You know what, she’s become that old lady that I feel bad for,” Wendy said about Madonna, explaining, “Because, I don’t think she understands that it’s ok to grow older gracefully. Like, we do stuff, we go through stuff. If a 26-year-old girl is lucky, she’ll live to be 61 like you, Madonna. It’s ok!”
It’s unclear if Madonna and her backup dancer are romantically involved. She has yet to directly address the photos or relationship reports.