In a recent interview, Sean Penn denied the long-standing rumor that he hit his ex-wife, Madonna, with a baseball bat in 1987. The Oscar-winning actor shared his side of the story with The New York Times on June 22, 2024, discussing the incident that sparked the rumors.
Sean recalled, “A SWAT team came to my house,” explaining that they arrived after receiving a report about an alleged violent incident. “I told them, ‘I’m not coming out. I’m just finishing my breakfast.’ But the windows around the house were smashed, and they rushed in. They cuffed me,” Sean Penn recalled.
The actor later learned that police had been informed he had allegedly “hung Madonna like a turkey,” a phrase he admitted to not even understanding at the time.
Afterward, Sean Penn began dating another woman who frequently questioned him about the assault rumors.
Sean Penn and Madonna’s tumultuous marriage lasted from 1985 to 1989. However, in 2015, the Queen of Pop defended her ex-husband, saying the accusations that Sean Penn had abused her during their marriage were “completely exaggerated, malicious, and wrong.”
“Although we certainly had our share of heated arguments, Sean never hit me, tied me up, or assaulted me,” she added, describing the actor as a “caring, compassionate person.”
In 2016, director Lee Daniels publicly apologized and retracted his statement calling Sean Penn a “wife-beater” in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. This public apology was part of a settlement in a $10 million defamation lawsuit Sean filed against Daniels.
Daniels issued a statement at the time: “I apologize for hurting you, Sean. I apologize and retract my reckless statements about you.”
In response, Sean Penn said, “I accept Lee’s sincere apology and appreciate his honesty.”
As part of the lawsuit, Madonna testified in court, denying the rumor that Sean Penn ever struck her with a baseball bat during their marriage.
After their separation, Sean Penn married Robin Wright in 1996. They had two children together, Dylan Penn (33) and Hopper Penn (30), before divorcing in 2010. In 2020, Sean Penn married Leila George, but the couple separated in 2022.
Meanwhile, Madonna, who has won multiple Grammy Awards, married Guy Ritchie in 2000, with whom she had two sons, Rocco Ritchie (23) and David Banda (18). The couple divorced in 2008. She is also the mother of Lourdes Leon (27) with ex-partner Carlos Leon and three adopted daughters: Mercy James (18) and twins Stella and Estere Ciccone (11).
