Madonna has finally spoken out about M.I.A.’s now-infamous flashing of her middle finger during the Material Girl’s Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday.
“To tell you the truth, I didn’t know about it. I didn’t know anything about it until I left,” Madonna told “On Air with Ryan Seacrest” today. “I found out about it in the elevator on the way to go to car to go to the airport. I was really surprised.”
Madge sounded upset by the rapper’s move.
“I wasn’t happy about it,” Madonna explained. “I mean, I understand it’s pretty punk rock and everything, but to me there was such a feeling of love and good energy, and positivity. It seemed negative. It’s such a teenager, irrelevant thing to do. There was such a feeling of love and unity there. What was the point? It was just out of place.”
M.I.A.’s move has become one of the most talked-about moments of the halftime show. Earlier in the week, a source close to the star said she was sorry for her actions.
“[It was] a case of adrenaline and nerves. She wasn’t thinking. It wasn’t any kind of statement,” the source told ABC News Radio. “She was caught in the moment and she’s incredibly sorry.”
Meanwhile, the NFL and NBC pointed fingers at each other over blame for the gesture remaining on air despite a delay system.
NBC proclaimed in a statement, “The NFL hired the talent and produced the halftime show. Our system was late to obscure the inappropriate gesture and we apologize to our viewers.”
And the NFL stated, “There was a failure in NBC’s delay system. The obscene gesture in the performance was completely inappropriate, very disappointing, and we apologize to our fans.”