In light of the recent passing of Aretha Franklin, producers of the 2018 MTV VMAs were under pressure to find a way to honor the Queen of Soul's legacy during the broadcast.
Their efforts ultimately resulted in Madonna giving a rather StRaNgE speech before presenting the award for Video of the Year. [To sum it up, she talked mostly about herself, referencing Franklin only a handful of times.]
Needless to say, people were mad.
However, Madonna has taken to Instagram to defend herself from the backlash.
"..I was asked to present video of the year by MTV! And then they asked me to share any anecdotes I had in my career connected to Aretha Franklin! I shared a part of my journey and thanked Aretha for inspiring me along the way. I did not intend to do a tribute to her! That would be impossible in 2 minutes with all the noise and tinsel of an award show. I could never do her justice in this context or environment.Unfortunately most people have short attention spans, and are so quick to judge. I love Aretha! R.E.S.P.E.C.T.," she wrote in a post featuring a photo of herself with VOTY winner, Camila Cabello.
Thoughts?