“Mentally disturbed senior citizen”: Candace Owens rips into Madonna’s aging, calling her a ‘cautionary tale’ in explosive new book

For more than four decades, Madonna has occupied a singular space in global pop culture; revered, criticized, reinvented, and endlessly discussed. In 2025, that conversation took a sharper turn after conservative commentator Candace Owens devoted several pointed passages in her new book, Make Him a Sandwich: Why Real Women Don’t Need Fake Feminism, to the pop icon’s public image and personal choices.

Owens’ remarks, which cut directly at Madonna’s approach to aging, relationships, and celebrity, have sparked intense reactions across political and cultural lines. Supporters see Owens as voicing uncomfortable truths about fame and denial, while critics argue her language reflects deeper societal discomfort with powerful women who refuse to fade quietly.

Candace Owens frames Madonna as a warning about celebrity, age, and denial

In her book, Owens portrays Madonna not as a triumphant rule-breaker, but as an example of what happens when fame collides with insecurity. She claims the singer is “terrified of growing old,” accusing her of taking “drastic, painful measures” to preserve youth and arguing that Madonna repeatedly “humiliates herself” in the process.



The critique extends beyond appearance into Madonna’s personal life, which Owens labels “a cautionary tale.” She points to the artist’s two failed marriages and her pattern of dating much younger men, “at a minimum, twenty-eight years younger than her”, as signs of a deeper struggle to accept aging.

Perhaps the most controversial passage challenges Madonna’s long-standing image as defiant and ageless. Owens writes that while the singer may see herself as untouchable, “rational people view her as a mentally disturbed senior citizen unable to come to terms with reality.” That phrasing has drawn strong backlash, but it has also fueled a wider discussion about how society treats aging women in the spotlight.

Critics of Owens argue that Madonna’s career has always been rooted in reinvention and autonomy, and that condemning her choices reinforces double standards rarely applied to male celebrities. Supporters counter that Madonna’s relentless pursuit of youth sends troubling signals about self-worth and authenticity.

Owens situates Madonna within a broader argument against what she calls “fake feminism,” tying celebrity behavior to selective empowerment narratives. The public reaction has been predictably split, some applaud the bluntness, others see cruelty masked as critique.

What’s clear is that Madonna remains what she has always been: a lightning rod. Owens’ criticism may fade, but the questions it raises about aging, fame, and who gets to define womanhood are unlikely to disappear anytime soon.

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