During a 2023 appearance on the podcast, “Let’s Talk Off Camera,” Kelly Ripa asked Anderson Cooper about his time onstage with Madonna. “I’m mortified,” Cooper admitted. “I love the experience of it. I don’t love the video that exists of it.” Ripa and Cooper’s families are friends, and not only did she accompany Cooper to the show, but she also recorded his performance on a cell phone. Even though it was a new experience for Cooper, inviting a guest onstage was a scripted part of Madonna’s song, “Unapologetic B**ch.” Cooper nearly escaped the experience completely, as Madonna had to decide between calling up either him or Ripa. “I’ve been dancing with him at nightclubs,” Madonna later explained on “Live with Kelly and Mark”. “He’s a good dancer, he’s very enthusiastic.”
Madonna was surprised to discover her friend’s dancing was compromised by stage fright. After decades of touring experience and dance training, being on stage is second nature to Madonna. In the moment, though, Cooper said he was preoccupied with trying to figure out what was expected of him. Even so, he praised Madonna and her dancers, noting the experience gave him added respect for their skills. Luckily for Cooper, he got a second chance to demonstrate his dance prowess when he joined Madonna on “Live with Kelly and Mark” in 2017. Three years later, Cooper asked funk musician George Clinton how he could have improved onstage. Clinton recommended Cooper relax and just have fun.
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