The Most Troubling Rumor About Madonna And Sean Penn's Marriage

The following article includes allegations of domestic abuse.

Madonna and Sean Penn's marriage led to many sensational headlines while the two stars were together. They married in 1985 and divorced little more than two years later, in 1987. Although their time together was oftentimes tumultuous, one of the breaking points was when Penn attacked his wife's friend, musician David Wolinksi. It happened while they were at a bar in 1986 as the "Colors" actor thought Wolinksi had tried to kiss his wife. "The marriage had been undergoing stress all the time, but this was the first major stress, the first really traumatic episode for her," one of Madonna's friends told People in 1987. "Wolinski was someone she knew, and it really shook her up." Penn was charged the year before for assaulting two photographers who had followed him and Madonna. The actor's erratic behavior was frequently chronicled in the press.

Decades after Penn's marriage to Madonna was over, director-producer Lee Daniels mentioned the "Mystic River" star while discussing domestic abuse allegations made against Terrence Howard, who worked with Daniels on "Empire." "[Howard] ain't done nothing different than Marlon Brando or Sean Penn, and all of a sudden he's some f***in' demon," Daniels told The Hollywood Reporter in 2015.

That Penn to file a $10 million defamation lawsuit against Daniels. "The Butler" director's comments were rooted in a disturbing rumor that had followed Penn since his time with Madonna.

During Sean Penn's marriage to Madonna, multiple reports circulated that he had been abusive to his wife. In 1989, after they had split, U.K. outlet The People wrote that authorities came to the "Material Girl" singer's home while she was still married to the actor and discovered she had been "bound and gagged" by Penn (via Gawker). 

That same year, Madonna was quick to shut down the reports that her ex had left her tied up. "Extremely inaccurate, as they usually are," she told Rolling Stone in 1989 while discussing the rumors. "They made it all up. But I expect it. They're always making s**t up," Madonna added. The "Lucky Star" artist was also asked about charges she filed (and dropped) against Penn, but she would not go into detail. "It's totally unfair to Sean, too. I have great respect for him."

Madonna once again came to her ex-husband's defense in 2015 when she prepared a statement as part of his defamation suit against Lee Daniels, who claimed the "Milk" star had been abusive. "I am aware of the allegations that have surfaced over the years accusing Sean of incidents of physical assault and abuse against me," Madonna wrote (via The Guardian). "I know the allegations in those and other reports to be completely outrageous, malicious and false," she added. Madonna did concede that tempers occasionally rose during their time together, but she was never assaulted. In fact, she and Penn remained on good terms.

In 2016, Sean Penn and Lee Daniels reached a settlement in the defamation lawsuit. Daniels was forced to publicly recant his statement that Penn had been abusive to Madonna. "I am so sorry that I have hurt you, Sean, and I apologize and retract my reckless statements about you," Daniels said, per The Hollywood Reporter. The "Precious" producer was also forced to make a sizeable contribution to a charity as part of said settlement.

A couple years after allegations were published in 1989 that Penn had forcibly tied up Madonna while they were together, the "Carlito's Way" actor discussed the reports during an interview. Penn mostly laughed off the incident. "It was also a great disappointment to some of my acquaintances to tell them that it hadn't occurred," he told Playboy in 1991 (via Gawker).

Decades after divorcing, Penn and Madonna not only had zero animosity for each other, but openly gushed over one another. The "Vogue" singer gave a speech at a charity event, Raising Malawi, held by her ex in 2016. "I'm still in love with you," Madonna said, while jokingly suggesting the two should give marriage another shot (via Entertainment Tonight). A couple years later, in 2018, Penn was equally effusive when discussing Madonna. "Ah, I love my first wife very much," Penn said on "Late Night with Stephen Colbert" when asked to choose between "Madonna or Britney [Spears]" during a segment.

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.