Madonna Louise Ciccone, otherwise known as Madonna, or The Material Girl, Madge, The Queen of Pop, Buzzbomb, The Queen of Reinvention, or Veronica Electronica, or simply M, if you are friends, took the stage last night during MTV’s Video Music Awards to pay tribute to Aretha Franklin, who passed away last week at the age of 76. Madonna, dressed like a character who got into a fight with a wind chime that was left on the cutting room floor of The Mummy, paid tribute to the Queen of Soul the only way the Queen of Pop knows how: By talking about herself. For six minutes.

Unfortunately, the full speech has not been made available by MTV, but let’s just say the speech started back in April with Madonna’s humble beginnings and *checks watch* ended about 30 minutes ago when Madonna — in a now empty venue, save for one guy who fell asleep during Madonna’s ’90s biography — raised her hands in the air and sang an acapella version (because the band had left) of “Like a Prayer,” because it was the song that Pepsi used for their Madonna commercial, and one time Aretha made a Pepsi commercial, too.

It was a very moving speech about struggle, and survival, and making it in this business as a woman. Madonna may have also mentioned Aretha Franklin once or twice during the Aretha tribute, as well.

Viewers at home were moved enough by her speech to pay tribute to it in sentiments that can only be expressed through character counts and GIFs.

Me: It's weird that #Madonna is doing a tribute to Aretha Franklin, but what's the worst that could happen?

Madonna: pic.twitter.com/DvfueYKgCu

— Brittany Stephanis (@bmstephanis) August 21, 2018

Madonna payed tribute to Aretha Franklin by talking about herself in the most culturally appropriated outfit she could find. #Madonna

— AliensrReal 👩🏾‍⚕️ (@abratnamednoel) August 21, 2018

Is this about Aretha or Madonna? Yes I am wondering why you are telling us this. #vmas #madonna pic.twitter.com/T5R9UHrHk1

— Rebel Knowledge (@RebelKnow) August 21, 2018

See this is what happens when you let someone on stage that hasn't received an award in awhile. It becomes about them and not what they are actually up there for. #Madonna #VMAS#VMA #vmas aretha franklin #VMAs pic.twitter.com/zkO6sZ3glN

— Fit2BeJustMe (@sexytnmami) August 21, 2018

Wow, it was so nice of #Madonna to come back from Wakanda for that #ArethaFranklin tribute and #VideoOfTheYear award presentation at the #VMAs! 🙅🏾‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/7NKGpn1g3q

— Kofi Outlaw (@KofiOutlaw) August 21, 2018

"Hey there, I'm #Madonna and I don't even know WHAT culture I'm appropriating anymore!" https://t.co/1KrjIZK37H

— Brad Wietersen (@ImBradMan) August 21, 2018

Now why they let #Madonna get up here and do her “I have a black friend, too” speech #VMAs

— spicy brown. (@missssflowers) August 21, 2018

You know what, though? This guy gets it!

You want to go the lowest of the low? Trashing @Madonna for speaking about her connection with Aretha, her muse. People are pure trash. Madonna is a humanitarian and helped people around the globe. What have you done? #Madonna #VMAs

— Albie (@_MANDONNA_) August 21, 2018

People are pure TRASH, I say! Madonna paid her R-E-S-P-E-C-T in the only way that Madonna knows how: By recounting her life story, which included that one time she met Aretha, and if that’s good enough for Albie, it should be good enough for the rest of us!

Dustin is the founder and co-owner of Pajiba. You may email him here, follow him on Twitter, or listen to his weekly TV podcast, Podjiba.

Header Image Source: Getty

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