Broadway star Anthony Ramos recently opened up about an uncomfortable moment during his time in Hamilton — one that involved none other than Madonna. While appearing on Watch What Happens Live in June 2025, Ramos was asked by host Andy Cohen to name the most nerve-wracking celebrity he’d spotted in the audience. Without hesitation, he pointed to the Queen of Pop.
“The most terrifying was Madonna with her iPad in her face,” Ramos, 33, revealed. He went on to describe how distracted and disengaged she appeared during the performance. “She was like this the whole time,” he added, mimicking someone staring down at a screen. According to Ramos, it was painfully obvious that Madonna wasn’t enjoying the show — something that deeply frustrated the cast onstage. “I was like, ‘Damn, shorty. If you’re not into it, the door’s right there,’” he recalled.
This isn’t the first time Madonna’s theatre etiquette has drawn criticism. Back in 2015, Playbill reported that she attended a performance of Hamilton at The Public Theater in New York but was not invited backstage afterward — a highly unusual move in the theater world, especially for a celebrity of her status. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the musical’s creator and star, posted a since-deleted tweet at the time, saying, “Tonight was the first time I asked stage management NOT to allow a celebrity (who was texting all through Act 2) backstage. #noselfieforyou.”
An insider confirmed the story, stating that Madonna not only showed up late but also used her phone repeatedly throughout the show, causing a distracting glow in the small, intimate space of the Newman Theater. It’s behavior that many in the theater community — performers and patrons alike — find inconsiderate and disrespectful.
Ramos played the roles of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton in the original production of Hamilton, which premiered off-Broadway in early 2015 before becoming a cultural phenomenon. Since leaving the show in 2016, he has built a successful film career with roles in In the Heights, Dumb Money, and Twisters. While he’s come a long way from his Broadway roots, this candid memory proves that some moments, no matter how small, stick with performers for life.
