Madonna's cheeky bum flash nearly ended her career, says the star, after very public display caused consternation

Madonna's cheeky bum flash, during a live performance, was a moment that could have changed the course of history, she said, as her management said it was 'over' for her.

She's never been shy of a little controversy and keeping things fresh. From daring moves like Madonna's new look and Madonna's new hair to Madonna's shoutout to legendary artist Frida Kahlo in a recent Instagram post - this legend goes her own way. Despite it seeming like she's never cared what others thought - she revealed on the Jimmy Fallon show that that's not quite the case.

Promoting her upcoming record, Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones, the star opened up about some of her more controversial moments. One included an incident that has been lost in the annals of time - Madonna's cheeky bum flash at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs).

"I did that show and I walked down the very steep stairs of the wedding cake and I got to the bottom and I started dancing around in my white stiletto pumps fell off," explained the singer. "And I was trying to do this smooth move like, dive for the shoe and look like it was choreography. And my dress flipped up and my butt was showing. Can you imagine," she said.

Of course, the world has changed in many ways since then and incidents like when Madonna flashed her thong on TikTok are just not a big deal. Back in 1984 - this wasn't the case. "Those were the days when you shouldn't show your butt to have a career. Now it's the opposite," she added frankly.

She admitted that it was all actually an accident, saying, "I didn't even know my butt was showing, it wasn't even like the whole butt it was just like a butt cheek, like half a butt cheek."

That half a butt cheek was enough for Madonna's manager to think her career was in tatters. "Yeah, when I went backstage," she added, "my manager told me my career is over with."

Luckily, that incident didn't even make a dent in her illustrious career and the fact that she's had a remarkable 50 number ones in the Billboard Charts shows that there's no harm in a little cheeky bum flash after all.