Tragic Details About Madonna's Daughter Lourdes Leon

Madonna's six children may live a lavish life, but being the spawn of a pop icon comes with its own set of challenges. The "Like a Virgin" singer, who lost her own mom at age 5 to cancer, has previously admitted to not being the perfect parent. "Growing up with a mother like me is a challenge," she told Vanity Fair Italy in 2023, adding, "I am still struggling to understand how to be a mother and do my job." One person who has had to bear the brunt of the pop icon's parenting woes is her eldest child, daughter Lourdes Leon, who was the subject of Madonna's song "Little Star." 

Born in October 1996 to Madonna and her now ex-boyfriend, Carlos Leon, Leon has made a stunning transformation into a successful model who has worked with major luxury brands like Marc Jacobs and Versace. She's also a music artist who performs under the name Lolahol and has even dated A-listers like Timothée Chalamet. However, the "Lock&Key" singer's life hasn't always been rosy, and her relationship with Madonna was even tense at one point. The truth about Leon's life is far more tragic than you might expect.

Lourdes Leon has been criticized for choosing not to shave her underarm hair. The backlash began in 2017 when the gossip account Just Jared shared a photo of her at the beach in which her armpit hair was visible. Commenters quickly attacked Leon, with one writing, "Nasty as her mama."  Another quipped, "Someone tell her she missed a spot." The truth is, Leon likely was just following in Madonna's footsteps, who famously doesn't shave under there. 

In 2011, Madonna told Harper's Bazaar that her desire to reject beauty standards started young. "I saw how popular girls had to behave to get the boys. I knew I couldn't fit into that," she said, adding, "So I decided to do the opposite. I refused to wear makeup, to have a hairstyle. I refused to shave. I had hairy armpits."  While Madonna likely faced similar criticism to Leon due to her choices, her massive star power may have protected her from some of the vitriol. 

Leon has also acknowledged how being Madonna's daughter has made her an easy target. Speaking to Paper magazine in 2021, she said, "So many people like to hate on my mom, so it's obviously like I'm the spawn; I'm the oldest daughter; I'm going to see the tail end of that hate. So anything I do negative, it's, 'Like mother, like daughter.'" Fortunately, Leon hasn't let critics pressure her into shaving and continues to sport her underarm hair at major events, including the 2021 Met Gala.

Growing up under Madonna's roof was seemingly no walk in the park. In 2005, Madonna told Newsweek that her kids weren't allowed to watch TV or look at magazines. Milk and ice cream were also banned in their household. "I'm the disciplinarian," she said, sharing that Leon often faced repercussions for leaving her clothes on the floor. In instances like this, Madonna explained, "We take all of her clothes and put them in a bag, and she has to earn all of her clothes back by being tidy. She wears the same outfit every day to school until she learns her lesson."

However, while Madonna seemingly had time to make these strict rules, she didn't have a lot of time to see her kids. According to a 2010 Daily Mail article, the "Material Girl" crooner was said to have used a diary to schedule 15-minute sessions to see each of her children. During these planned appointments, she would help them with their homework, cook with them, or sing to them. While it's understandable that Madonna is a busy woman, 15-minute time slots with her kids seemed a little stingy given that she also reportedly worked out for two to three hours a day.

Madonna's authoritative parenting seemingly created a divide between her and Lourdes Leon. After graduating from high school, Leon decided to be financially independent of Madonna, which resulted in her putting herself through college at the University of Michigan's School of Music, Theatre & Dance and paying for an apartment after graduation. This may not seem like the most devastating detail, but taking on such a huge financial burden at a young age likely felt overwhelming. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (via Best Colleges), 82% of college graduates have had help from their parents paying for college. But for Leon, taking on this responsibility was worth it because she got to free herself from Madonna's overbearing ways, which may be the saddest aspect of her experience.

"My mom is such a control freak, and she has controlled me my whole life. I needed to be completely independent from her as soon as I graduated high school," she told Interview in 2021. Leon added: "I feel like if your parents pay for things, then it gives them leverage over you." 

Fortunately, the mother and daughter now appear to have a better relationship. Madonna praised Leon in a 2019 interview with British Vogue, saying, "I'm green with envy because she's incredible at everything she does — she's an incredible dancer, she's a great actress, she plays the piano beautifully, she's way better than me in the talent department." But despite Leon paying her way through college, she still has to deal with nepo baby accusations because her mom is Madonna. "People think I'm this talentless rich kid who's had everything given to her, but I'm not," she told Vogue in August 2021.

Lourdes Leon has been turning heads for years with her bold fashion choices, which oftentimes show a lot of skin. The media, however, has not always been her biggest cheerleader when it comes to these spicy ensembles. In her 2021 interview with Paper magazine, Leon and interviewer Raul Lopez talked about how the media tries to portray her as a promiscuous woman because of how she dresses. "I would say that showing skin does not equate with hoe activity," Leon explained. "And I think it's a bit ridiculous that people are still living in this world where we're equating showing skin with wanting attention or being a hoe. Literally, like let a b***h. Let her wear what she wants."  

In addition to press ostracizing Leon for her style of dress, she's also been labeled as difficult. In January 2022, an unnamed source spoke to the New York Post about Leon's alleged attitude problem. "Lourdes has an enormous sense of self — she is spiky and tough," the source told the outlet, adding, "Her attitude is defiant, all day, every day." Another purported insider claimed that Madonna fired Leon as a backup dancer after a mother-daughter spat. It's unfair to Leon that the media is using anonymous sources to create its own narrative of her.