The mayor of Rochester Hills, Michigan has responded to Madonna’s comments regarding her hometown and its “basic, provincial-thinking people”, penning an open letter to the singer.
During her recent appearance on The Howard Stern Show on SiriusXM, Madonna discussed various topics, ranging from dating Tupac Shakur to how she spent her first $1 million. But she also made some comments about her hometown of Rochester Hills that upset many people, including the town’s mayor, Bryan Barnett.
Madonna had said that the Detroit suburb that she grew up in is not somewhere that she would ever like to return to and insulted the people who live there.
In his letter, Barnett writes: “Admittedly, I don’t know what experiences led you to that opinion, but let me assure you, our community is anything but basic or narrow minded. In fact, we are and have been home to some of the brightest minds shaping our world.”
He goes on to write: “Despite your distaste for us, we actually have enshrined you on our Community Wall of Fame at the Van Hoosen Museum. Your portrait sits alongside Bertha Van Hoosen, one of the first women to graduate from the University of Michigan in 1888 and one of the world’s leading surgeons for nearly 60 years. A female trailblazer in the field of medicine at the University your daughter now attends.”
“Madonna, you have achieved unbelievable success and while we appreciate your talent and achievement, we expect you to appreciate ours,” he continues. “I invite you back to Rochester Hills to see who we are and what we believe in. While we certainly don’t need your stamp of approval, I am quite confident we would earn it.”
Speaking with Local 4 news about the letter, Barnett said: “To espouse that the people of our community are, as she suggested, simple or basic, I think, is just misguided, and that’s what I really wanted to use the letter to say.”
Madonna will soon be heading out on her Rebel Heart Tour, which will visit Europe/the United Kingdom and North America. You can see her full tour details below. Tickets are on sale now.
North America/Puerto Rico:
August 29 - Miami, FL - American Airlines Arena
September 2 - Atlanta, GA - Philips Arena
September 5 - San Juan, PR - Coliseo de Puerto Rico
September 9 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
September 12 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center
September 16 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
September 19 - Brooklyn, NY - Barclays Center
September 24 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
September 26 - Boston, MA - TD Garden
September 28 - Chicago, IL - United Center
October 1 - Detroit, MI - Joe Louis Arena
October 3 - Atlantic City, NJ - Boardwalk Hall
October 5 - Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre
October 8 - St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
October 11 - Edmonton, AB - Rexall Place
October 14 - Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena
October 17 - Portland, OR - MODA Center
October 19 - San Jose, CA - SAP Center at San Jose
October 22 - Glendale, AZ - Gila River Arena
October 24 - Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena
October 27 - Los Angeles, CA Forum
Europe/UK
November 4 - Koln, Germany - Lanxess Arena
November 7 - Prague, CZ - O2 Arena
November 10 - Berlin,Germany - Mercedes-Benz Arena (02 World)
November 14 - Stockholm, Sweden - Tele 2 Arena
November 17 - Herning, Denmark - Jyske Bank Boxen
November 21 - Turin, Italy - Pala Alpitour
November 24 - Barcelona, Spain Palau Sant Jordi
November 28 - Antwerp, Belgium - Sportpaleis
December 1 - London, UK - O2 Arena
December 5 - Amsterdam, Holland - Ziggo Dome
December 9 - Paris, France - Bercy
December 14 - Manchester, UK - Manchester Arena
December 16 - Birmingham, UK - Barclaycard Arena
December 20 - Glasgow, Scotland - The SSE Hydro
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