Anthony Ramos Slams Madonna’s Bad Behavior During Hamilton on WWHL

During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen on Thursday, the Twisters star dished on a particularly distracting audience member during his run in the original cast of Hamilton — Madonna!

When Cohen asked Ramos to name “the most terrifying celebrity to spot in the audience during your Hamilton days,” the 31-year-old didn’t hold back.

“The most terrifying was Madonna with her iPad in her face,” Ramos quipped, as he threw up a hand to mimic someone peering down at a screen. “She was like this the whole time.”

“I was like, ‘Damn, shorty,'” he continued. “‘If you not enjoying it that much, you know the door’s right there. You ain’t got to stay here.'”

Madonna has yet to publicly address Ramos’ comments — though her rep did respond to a similar claim by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who tweeted, “Tonight was the first time I asked stage management NOT to allow a celebrity (who was texting all through Act 2) backstage. #noselfieforyou.”

“It’s not true,” her rep said at the time. “She was invited backstage four different times. She texted post show when they were doing their fundraising pitch. Madonna had already made a generous donation.”

Jonathan Groff also referred to Madonna in 2015 as the “bitch was on her phone,” in an interview with Dot429 (via EW).

“You couldn’t miss it from the stage,” he told the outlet. “It was a black void of the audience in front of us and her face there perfectly lit by the light of her iPhone through three-quarters of the show.”

Ramos played both John Laurens and Philip Hamilton in the hit show, which debuted off-Broadway in early 2015 before transferring to Broadway later that year. Hamilton would go on to win 11 Tony Awards and cement its place in pop culture history, catapulting both Ramos and his castmates, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr., Renée Elise Goldsberry and others, into stardom.

The original cast recently reunited for a special performance celebrating the show’s 10th anniversary at the 2025 Tony Awards on June 8.

As for why he was the only cast member on stage without a solo, Ramos told Cohen, “Honestly, there was a solo moment in that whole sequence, but I didn’t say yes to the Tony’s until Saturday morning and the Tony’s where on Sunday.”

He continued, “So they weren’t planning on me being there. So they cut that part, they choreographed the whole number, and then I text Lin Saturday morning like, ‘Is it too late to join y’all?’ He’s like, ‘Are you serious?’ I’m like, ‘No, yeah I’m serious.’ He’s like, ‘You got a black suit?’ I’m like, ‘Nah, I can get one.’ He’s like, ‘OK, hold.’ So they fit me where I could fit. There was a moment for me, but they had to take it out because they didn’t plan on me being there.”

As for whether it was fun to reunite with his Hamilton compatriots, Ramos undoubtedly said “yes.”