Although landing roles in films like A Star Is Born, In The Heights, and Twisters, Anthony Ramos will always remember his time in the Broadway hit Hamilton. First taking the stage back in 2015, the singer gained high praise for his role as both Philip Hamilton and John Laurens. He even won a Grammy Award for his performance. But when looking back at that time in his life, he recalled how he never forgot Madonna spending a great deal of time on her iPad when she attended the show. And apparently, he wasn’t the only one that noticed. 

Appearing on Watch What Happens Live, the host, Andy Cohen, asked Ramos about the one celebrity that terrified him when he noticed them in the audience. Needing little time to think the question over, he revealed, “The most terrifying was Madonna with her iPad in her face.” 

Although it happened years ago, Ramos never forgot that moment and even wondered why she decided to stay. “I was like, ‘Damn, shorty.’ I’m like, ‘If you not enjoying it that much, you know the door’s right there. You ain’t got to stay here.’”

Not all that shocking, Ramos wasn’t the only one to notice that Madonna was a little distracted during the performance. Jonathan Groff, who portrayed King George III, remembered being able to see her from the stage. “You couldn’t miss it from the stage. 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.”

If that wasn’t enough, Madonna’s antics during the performance even caught the attention of the star, Lin-Manuel Miranda. Like his fellow performers, Miranda was so shocked by the move from the singer, he tweeted about it. While not calling her out by name, he wrote, “Tonight was the first time I asked stage management NOT to allow a celebrity (who was texting all through Act 2) backstage. #noselfieforyou.”

While more than one member of the cast spoke out about Madonna’s iPad habits, a representative for the singer fought back against the narrative at the time, insisting she gained an invitation backstage numerous times. As for the iPad, apparently, she was texting. “She texted post show when they were doing their fundraising pitch. Madonna had already made a generous donation.”

No matter the reasoning behind using the iPad, the moment remained a strange highlight in the history of Hamilton.

(Photo by ANDRE COELHO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)