Years after a deeply personal chapter played out in public, Madonna and Guy Ritchie found themselves standing side by side again for a very different reason.
This time, there was no legal battle involved. Instead, the former couple reunited in London to celebrate their son Rocco Ritchie and his growing reputation as a visual artist. The occasion was the opening of Rocco’s art exhibition, 'Talk Is Cheap.'
Rocco marked the night by sharing a rare family photo on Instagram, one that showed him smiling confidently between his famous parents, framed by two of his portrait paintings. For Rocco, the image carried more meaning than a typical opening night photo.
© Henry Goodfellow“It’s obvious why some people might hold judgment against me, I don’t blame them,” he wrote in his caption. “However, I am proud to be who I am, but I’m even prouder to have both of my parents together in one room supporting me. The work should speak for itself, that’s why the show was called ‘Talk Is Cheap.’”
The photograph quickly resonated, not only because it captured a milestone in Rocco’s artistic career, but because it marked a rare public reunion for Madonna, 67, and Ritchie, 57. The two were married from 2000 to 2008 and share a long, complicated history that includes a highly publicized custody battle over Rocco in 2015.
© Henry GoodfellowThat chapter was something Madonna revisited earlier this year during an appearance on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast. Reflecting on the months-long legal fight over where their then-15-year-old son would live, she described the experience as one of the most painful periods of her life.
“Even though my marriage didn't work out, I mean, a lot of people's marriages don't work out,” she said. “They marry the wrong people, they're not aligned, they're not meant for each other. Someone trying to take my child away from me was like...they might as well just kill me. That's really how I was thinking."
© @madonnaAt the time, Rocco had refused to return to New York with his mother and remained in London with his father. The former couple ultimately reached an agreement in 2016 that allowed Rocco to continue living in the U.K. Nearly a decade later, the tension that once defined that period appeared replaced by mutual pride and support.
The exhibition itself reflected Rocco’s steady evolution as an artist. Having studied fine art at Central Saint Martins and the Royal Drawing School, he has been carving out his own space away from his parents’ towering legacies.
© Gareth Cattermole“I’ve been painting since I was a kid, as you may well know, I grew up in a household with creativity on steroids,” he told Whitewall last year. “My mum didn’t really give us the choice, which I’m so grateful for now, but she made us try all the creative paths.”
In a more recent interview with Fantastic Man, Rocco shared that Madonna often regaled him with stories about legendary artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, whom she once dated, and Keith Haring, further shaping his artistic curiosity.
© Lawrence SchwartzwaldMadonna has been a constant presence at her son’s exhibitions. In April 2024, she attended his Miami show and proudly posted about it on Instagram. “So happy to have the night off to enjoy my son Rocco’s latest collection of paintings called ‘Pack A Punch’ inspired by Muay Thai fighters,” she wrote at the time.
Her support was equally visible in London, where she arrived in full glam. Both parents attended with their respective partners. Madonna was joined by her boyfriend, Akeem Morris, while Ritchie arrived with his wife of 10 years, Jacqui Ainsley.
