Madonna Opens Up About Hip Replacement Surgery: 'I'm a Bionic Woman'

Madonna is getting painfully candid in a new celebrity-studded Q&A special for Paramount+, marking the first time she has spoken about having had hip replacement surgery late last year.

In "Madame X Presents: Madame Xtra Q&A," a special shot in September that piggybacks on her "Madame X" tour film, Madonna — wearing a "F-CK YOU" tiara — submits to video questions from stars like Ariana Grande, Amy Schumer, Billie Eilish, Doja Cat and others.

When fighter Conor McGregor asks how she stays so fit, Madonna, 63, tells the intimate gathering of fans, "Let me be really honest with you — I used to be, like, a fitness/workout maniac. You probably know that right?... During my [2019 Madame X] tour — I don't know if you've noticed it, but I'm limping a lot — I was in more pain that I've ever been in in my life. I'm a bionic woman — I had hip replacement surgery. So, how do I stay in shape? It's all in your head... It's called will, it's called no one's gonna stop me, and how I stay in shape is no one's gonna stop me. And how I stay in shape is I don't believe in limitations."

The Queen of Pop had previously posted images that made clear she had been in pain and had undergone some type of surgery, but the special appears to be her first time going into detail about the hip replacement.

When Madonna's downtown-'80s pal Fab 5 Freddy asks her for some of her fondest memories from their time together, Madonna offers a sneak peek at the biopic she's writing and is set to direct for Universal. "We go way back, so I wanna acknowledge him for a moment, no joke, because I'm writing a script about my life and when I first came to New York and my journey as an artist," she says. "Coming to New York, 1979, and living through the '80s and being able to work with and spend time with and become friends and be at the same level with people like Keith Haring and Basquiat and all the other amazing musical artists, fine artists that were around at the time, the convergence of people, the breakdancing, the graffiti artists, there's never been a time like that and I truly, I cherish it, I miss it, and I wish we could have that again."

Tackling topics including persevering in the face of criticism, whether she'd do another "Sex" book, the toll it took on her losing friends to AIDS, and more, Madonna also banters with co-hosts Aquaria and Symone in the special.

Other questioners include Katy Perry (who asks if Madonna's controversial kiss with Drake at Coachella in 2015 was planned), Lil Nas X (Madonna says she has told him, "I'm handing over the torch to you — you are the new gay poster child!"), Kim Kardashian (who asks to raid her closet), David Letterman ("do you miss me?"), Jonah Hill ("why don't you return my calls?"), Amy Schumer ("have you ever faked an orgasm?"), Paris Jackson (who Madonna calls "my other daughter"), and many more!