Madonna on the Late Show with David Letterman in 1994

Lore & Background

Madonna's appearance on March 31, 1994, was her first on U.S. television that year, following controversy over her book Sex, album Erotica, and films Body of Evidence and Dangerous Game. It was also her first appearance since Letterman moved from NBC to CBS in 1993. Talent coordinator Daniel Kellison had booked her with a pre-arranged premise that she would scold Letterman for mocking her personal life, but upon arrival she was surly and admitted to having smoked marijuana before coming.

Reader's Guide

The interview featured Madonna saying the word 'fuck' fourteen times, asking Letterman to smell her underwear, smoking a cigar, and refusing to leave the set. She made sexual innuendos, accused Letterman of being a 'sick fuck,' and asked if he had ever urinated in the shower. The Federal Communications Commission received numerous complaints. Madonna later defended her behavior as a failed stand against television censorship, and Letterman noted she sent him a profane fax on his birthday shortly after the episode aired. The incident was widely referenced in popular culture, including parodies on The Critic and Space Ghost Coast to Coast.

Did You Know?

• Madonna said the word 'fuck' fourteen times during the interview.
• The episode was the most censored in American network television talk-show history.
• Madonna admitted to smoking marijuana, which she called 'endo,' before the show.
• The scheduled segment with the United States Grocery Bagging Champion was cancelled due to Madonna's refusal to leave the set.