Madonna Reveals Spiritual Encounter That Led To Healing of Family Rift

Madonna just appeared on her very first podcast – and she is revealing a very personal, very moving story of healing and forgiveness.

The “Material Girl” singer appeared on Jay Shetty’s “On Purpose” podcast. Shetty is a British author who focuses on mental health and life purpose. He sat down with Madonna for a wide-ranging conversation that “goes beyond her iconic career into the spiritual foundation that has carried her through life’s greatest challenges.”

Madonna revealed that when she was hospitalized for a severe bacterial infection in June 2023, she was in a medically-induced coma.

She said: “I was almost there on the other side and I had a conscious moment and my mother appeared to me and she said, ‘Do you want to come with me?’ And I said, ‘No. My assistant was in the room with me, but I was still unconscious, but she heard me say, ‘No.’ And then when I did eventually wake up, I realized that the ‘No’ was about me needing to forgive and make good with people that I still held grudges against.”

One of those people was Madonna’s younger brother, Christopher Ciccone, who died almost one year ago. Madonna said that even after she recovered, she still resisted getting in touch with him because she thought she’d have more time. That all changed when he fell ill and reached out to her. Madonna revealed it was a turning point when he said he needed her help. “Me having that moment like, ‘Am I going to help my enemy?’ That’s how it felt. And I just did. I felt so relieved. It was such a load off my back, such a weight that was removed, baggage that I could put down to finally be able to be in a room with him and holding his hand — even if he was dying — and saying, ‘I love you and I forgive you,'” she said.

Also in the podcast, Madonna revealed she contemplated suicide during the custody battle with ex-husband Guy Ritchie over her son Rocco in 2016. She said it was one of the most painful moments of her life: “Even though my marriage didn’t work out … someone trying to take my child away from me, it was like, ‘They might as well just kill me.’ That’s what I was thinking,” she told Shetty.

Madonna has a new album coming out next year and said there are two songs on it, “Fragile” and “Forgive Yourself,” which are about the forgiveness she extended both to herself and her brother.

Here’s a link to the podcast on YouTube if you want to listen to more!