The Madonna Fan In A Wheelchair Defends The Singer’s Insensitive Comment During Their Viral Exchange At ‘The Celebration Tour’

The Celebration Tour was supposed to be Madonna’s victory lap following her unexpected medical scare. But instead of basking in the love of her fans around the world, the “Vogue” singer has pissed off quite a few folks. Those folks include the estate of Luther Vandross, a lawsuit-filing pair of concertgoers, and disability advocacy groups.

On March 9, a clip of Madonna demanding that a fan rise went viral after the attendee informed her that they were in a wheelchair. Users online immediately called about the singer for being insensitive and even making the request. But, now the supposed fan from the exchange has come forward to defend Madonna.

During an interview with TMZ, Vanessa Gorman revealed that she wasn’t offended by Madonna’s remarks despite being paraplegic. In fact, Gorman says she was more star-stuck than anything else. While attending the show’s stop at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena (previously assumed to be at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum), Gorman believed Madonna could identify her bright pink wheelchair, but that wasn’t the case.

After telling Madonna why she couldn’t stand, the musician immediately apologized. Gorman dubs Madonna’s actions as a simple mistake. “Some people are in wheelchairs and can stand,” she said. “[Madonna] had no idea I was paralyzed.”

Although Gorman wasn’t offended by Madonna’s onstage flub, users online have refused to be as forgiving. View their responses below.