Madonna surprises NYC Pride's LadyLand Festival as guest judge at vogue battle: 'Without you I am nothing'

When she’s not checking off new career milestones, Madonna is very content to let others take the spotlight.

On Saturday, the Queen of Pop turned heads with her surprise appearance at New York City’s LadyLand Festival in Brooklyn. But rather than taking the stage for a performance, Madonna served as a judge for the ballroom performers who participated in the event's Vogue Ball House Battle. 

In a studded white mini-dress, the “Express Yourself” singer doled out judgment at one of the city’s premier Pride Month celebrations. Afterwards, she shared a few words with the crowd.

“Thank you all for coming out. Aside from my birthday, New York Pride is the most important day of the year,” she said, per a fan-recorded video. “Thank you to all the houses who came to dance for us and perform. But most of all, thank you to my incredible judges."

After shouting out the rest of the judging panel, which included performance artists Arca, Bob the Drag Queen, Tokischa, and Sevdaliza, she concluded, “Thank you all, New York City. Without you I am nothing.”

Madonna was joined at the event by her preteen daughter, Estere, who stepped in for a DJ set ahead of the Vogue runway contest.

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Though Madonna wasn’t on the festival’s original lineup, rumors of her guest appearance have been circulating since last week. The event’s organizer, nightlife producer Ladyfag, even teased her presence on Instagram. 

"We don’t respond to ru-M-ors,” she wrote in a Thursday post. “But we are sooooo excited to add a moment to celebrate ballroom excellence with some very special guest judges."

Madonna herself let fans know that she was all prepped for the upcoming festivities earlier in the week, sharing photos of herself draped in the rainbow flag. "NYC Pride Weekend coming up……" she wrote on Instagram. "Are you ready?!"

The pop star's cameo at the event comes nearly two months after she wrapped her Celebration Tour — which spanned 81 dates and 15 countries — with a free concert at  Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana beach, where she played for her largest audience ever: a crowd of 1.6 million people.