Madonna‘s return to the MTV Video Music Awards stage came with lots of attention. Along with praise, though, came criticism related to the pop icon’s age.
On Monday’s (Sept. 28) episode of The View, the co-hosts pushed back on the backlash, arguing that women in the public eye are often criticized no matter how they choose to age.
Madonna, 68, opened Sunday night’s 2026 VMAs with her first performance at the awards show in 23 years. She performed “Bring Your Love” with Sabrina Carpenter before bringing out Charli xcx for “Danceteria Afterhours,” with additional cameos from Julia Garner, Sombr, Seth Rogen and Debi Mazar. She entered the ceremony as the night’s most-nominated artist and went on to win seven awards, a career-best total at the VMAs.
But the performance also reignited commentary about Madonna’s appearance and age and whether she was attempting to re-create the image and choreography associated with her younger years.
That conversation was top of mind for The View co-hosts Monday — especially since actress Jasmine Guy, 64, has also been receiving comments about her appearance as she made a return to the sitcom universe of A Different World.
“The Internet can be brutal to women as we grow older,” Whoopi Goldberg read, referencing what Guy had written on Instagram. “It asks us to celebrate life while criticizing every sign that we have lived in.”
For co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin, the situations surrounding Madonna and Guy demonstrates an explicit “no-win” scenario that women face as they age in the public eye. “So Madonna’s being criticized for being too overtly sexual and trying to look too young,” Griffin said. “And then Jasmine’s being criticized for trying to age gracefully. It’s like, you can’t win no matter what direction you take it.”
The discussion also touched on the pressure placed on women in order to maintain a certain appearance as they get older, while also being expected to age naturally.
“I think that’s what’s so sad about all of this that’s going on about women and aging is, like, what is the alternative?” co-host Sunny Hostin said. “It is such a blessing to be able to age.”
The hosts also found light in the conversation when Ana Navarro compared herself to Ricky Martin, who performed during halftime of the Baltimore Ravens-Dallas Cowboys game in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday.
“I felt so aged,” she joked, noting that Martin is only four days older than she is. “And then I see all this stuff on Madonna, and I’m like, ‘OK, leave women alone.’ It’s hard.”
The conversation returned to the “big picture” issue of how women are treated as they grow older, especially under a microscope. Rather than viewing aging as something to hide, the hosts made it clear that they stand by the notion that aging is a privilege and something that should be savored.
“I’m going to be 58 this year,” Hostin said. “I can’t begin to tell you how many emails I get almost on a monthly basis about someone being widowed in my age group, someone having a stroke, someone having a heart attack.
“How dare you shame someone for trying to age well and just live?” Hostin continued.
Watch Madonna’s VMA performance below.
