Mortifying Madonna: Why Queen of Pop's Most Cringeworthy Interview in Her Life Has Suddenly Resurfaced

Madonna's long-buried, notoriously hostile interview with Ruby Wax has resurfaced – a tense encounter the comedian once branded the most mortifying moment of her career.

The 1994 exchange, filmed during Madonna's controversial Girlie Show era, has reemerged after viewers of I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! debated Wax's behavior on the program. Wax, 72, rose to fame in the 1990s for goading celebrities in often chaotic interviews, but later admitted her clash with Madonna left her rattled as she was unprepared and surrounded by minders who made the singer appear untouchable.

Resurfaced footage being shared by fans shows Madonna on a hotel room bed, sizing up the cameras while Wax struggles to get through even the softest questions.

Wax said the power dynamics were stacked against her from the moment she walked in.

"We were surrounded by sycophants, and I couldn't call any of the shots," she said.

Wax added the set-up also made things difficult, adding: "With that many people watching me, you're self-conscious. She made me nervous, and I asked some really dumb questions."

According to a production source familiar with the shoot, the pop icon's defensive posture only intensified the awkwardness. The insider said: "Madonna was in full control, and every move Ruby made seemed to irritate her. You could feel the tension in the room."

Wax described the atmosphere as increasingly brittle, recalling how Madonna began dictating camera angles and signaling irritation at the slightest hint of humor.

The comic and actress said: "She kept saying which camera she wanted."

A source added: "Ruby tried everything – jokes, sincerity, small talk – but Madonna wasn't having it. She was poised for a fight."

Wax has also admitted she misread the possibility of a rapport. She said: "I thought we were going to bond but she hated me on sight."

One insider added: "Ruby was convinced Madonna would warm up eventually, but the opposite happened. The more Ruby tried to hold the interview together, the more Madonna froze her out."

The intensity was heightened by the star's public image at the time. In 1994, Madonna was emerging from a trio of provocations – her S-- book, the Erotica album and the sexually charged Girlie Show tour.

A music industry insider who worked with artists during the period said: "That era of Madonna was all control, all image. She didn't trust TV interviewers, especially ones like Ruby, known for being cheeky."

Wax has since said that she tried toggling between humor and seriousness but felt trapped by the expectations of her show at the time.

She said: "I had to make sure she wasn't insulted, because she was ready for an insult or a hardball question to be thrown. She was totally defensive, and that's not a way to do an interview. I tried to make her laugh, and then I tried to take her seriously, except I was doing an entertainment show, so I had to keep it funny."

Another source close to the production added: "That's why the interview has survived the decades – it's uncomfortable, it's fraught, and it shows two powerful women clashing at the worst possible moment."

Wax has battled with her mental health over the years, and quit TV more than 25 years ago as a result of depression. She has since been candid about her clinical depression fight, and in 2013, graduated with a master's degree in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy from Kellogg College at Oxford University.