Madonna and the Bored Ape NFT: What Happened and What It Means

In March 2022, Madonna publicly announced that she had bought a Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT and joked that she had finally entered the metaverse. Coverage at the time framed it as a major celebrity endorsement of the NFT market, which was then near its peak attention.

The purchase was announced on social media rather than through a formal project launch, so the public record mostly consists of her post and the news reports that followed. Several outlets noted that the ape was bought on the secondary market, meaning from a previous owner, not minted directly from the project.

For readers, the useful takeaway is that a celebrity post is a marketing event, not a guarantee of value. The NFT's worth depended on what other buyers would pay for it at any given time, and that can move sharply.

If you want to follow a similar purchase today, look for the transaction on a block explorer and the listing history on a marketplace. Those records show the price paid, the seller and the date, which are more reliable than the headline.

Bored Ape Yacht Club is a collection of 10,000 generated ape images on Ethereum, created by Yuga Labs. Each token is a separate NFT with its own traits, such as background, clothing and expression. Owners have historically been able to use their apes as profile pictures and for access to community events, although the specific perks have varied over time and depend on the project's own announcements.

Yuga Labs later released Mutant Ape Yacht Club, which is a related but separate collection. Mutant Apes were offered to existing Bored Ape holders and to others through a sale, and they are a different asset with their own floor price and trading history.

The key point is that owning a token from a collection does not give you rights to the artwork beyond what the project's terms say. Read the official terms and any license attached to the project before assuming you can use the image commercially.

When you look up any collection, check the contract address, the total supply and the official website or social accounts listed by the project. Be cautious of imitation sites that copy the look of a well-known collection.

Madonna's NFT activity was not limited to the ape. In May 2022 she announced a three-video NFT series, titled Mother of Creation, with the digital artist Beeple. The videos were presented as a three-part artwork, with reports describing the themes as flora, fauna and technology.

The release drew both praise and criticism. Some commentators saw it as an experimental art project; others focused on the marketing and questioned whether the value would hold. Because the project was a collaboration, the artist's own reputation and the singer's audience both shaped the early interest.

For anyone studying this part of the market, the lesson is that multi-piece artworks may be sold as a set, and the value of each piece can depend on the others. Read the sale terms carefully to see whether the works can be separated, transferred or resold individually.

If you want to explore similar art-focused drops, look at the artist's verified accounts, the minting platform's documentation and the on-chain record of each piece. Art NFTs often trade on curated marketplaces, which can have different listing and royalty rules from general platforms.

Customized NFTs are often described as one-of-one pieces, or as tokens with traits chosen by the buyer. In the context of a celebrity ape, the phrase can mean several different things: a personalized trait set, an artwork commissioned for the owner, or a standard token that the owner has modified for their own profile.

These are not the same asset. A personalized trait set is usually part of the existing collection's metadata. A commissioned piece depends on a contract between the artist and the buyer, and may not carry the same rights as a standard token. Modifications made off-chain do not change what the blockchain records.

When you see a claim that an NFT is customized, ask three questions. What exactly was changed? Where is that change recorded? Who has the right to use or sell the artwork?

Check the token's metadata on a block explorer and compare it with the official collection. If the metadata does not match what is advertised, treat the claim with caution. The public reporting on Madonna's purchases did not describe a clearly documented custom token of the kind the phrase often implies, so verify any specific claim before relying on it.

In December 2022, a group of NFT buyers filed a class action lawsuit against several celebrities, including Madonna, along with other public figures and the founders of Bored Ape Yacht Club. Reporting from Bloomberg, Artnet and others described the case as alleging that the celebrities promoted NFTs for compensation without clearly disclosing the payments, and that the promotion misled buyers.

The complaint focused on celebrity statements about the collection and the project's marketing. The plaintiffs argued that these statements created a misleading picture of demand and value. Coverage also noted that the case named the celebrities as defendants and sought to hold them responsible for the alleged promotion.

These are allegations, not findings. A court has not necessarily decided whether they are true, and the outcome may have changed since the early reporting. Some claims in such cases can be dismissed, narrowed or settled.

To see the current status, search for the case name in the court's public docket system and read reporting that follows the filings. Do not treat a single headline as a final ruling.

NFT floor prices, meaning the lowest listed price for a collection, can move quickly. Reporting in late 2022 noted that the floor prices of Yuga Labs' collections, including Bored Ape Yacht Club and Mutant Ape Yacht Club, fell sharply during a period of broader market stress. That is one example of how the same asset can trade very differently over time.

A floor price is only a snapshot. It reflects the cheapest listing at one moment, not what a buyer would pay for a specific token with particular traits. Rare traits, sale history and recent volume can all push the price of an individual NFT above or below the floor.

Because prices change constantly, this guide does not give a current figure. To check, use a collection page on a major marketplace or a data tool that shows floor, volume and listing depth. Compare several sources and look at the time window they cover.

Also check whether a price is in ETH or another token, and what it equals in your local currency at the time of sale. Currency swings can change the result as much as the NFT price itself.

Celebrity announcements often bring a wave of copycat listings, fake giveaways and phishing sites. Before you buy any NFT linked to a famous person, take a few steps to confirm it is real and that you are on the correct platform.

1. Find the official collection or artist website from a verified source, not from a reply or ad.
2. Confirm the contract address on the project's official channels and on a block explorer.
3. Check the seller, the transaction history and whether the token's metadata matches the collection.
4. Look at recent sales and listings to see whether the price is in line with the market.
5. Read the sale terms, including any license for the artwork and any royalty rules.
6. Use a hardware wallet or a well-known wallet app, and keep your recovery phrase offline.
7. Start with a small test transaction if you are new to the platform.

If a deal seems to require urgency, a private message or a payment outside the platform, stop and verify it through official channels first.

Most NFT losses in this area come from phishing rather than from price falls alone. Scammers copy official sites, post fake mint links and ask buyers to sign transactions that give access to their wallets. A signature can grant a contract permission to move tokens, so read what each request does before you approve it.

Some practical defenses:

• Bookmark the platforms you use and type the address yourself.
• Never share your seed phrase or private keys with anyone, including people claiming to be support staff.
• Review token approvals in your wallet and revoke any you do not recognize.
• Use separate wallets for trading and for holding long-term assets.
• Be wary of unsolicited airdrops or free mints that ask you to connect your wallet to an unknown site.

If you think you have been phished, move remaining assets to a new wallet that you have set up from a fresh seed phrase, revoke any approvals you can, and report the incident to the platform and, where relevant, to local authorities.

Several established marketplaces list Bored Ape and Mutant Ape tokens and related Yuga Labs collections. OpenSea is one of the best-known general NFT marketplaces, and Element Market is a multi-chain aggregator that compares listings across venues. For art-focused collections, a curated platform such as SuperRare may show different works and different buyer requirements.

Choose a marketplace based on the collection, the fees, the royalty rules and how well the interface shows the token's history. Compare fees and any creator royalties, because they can change the net cost of a purchase or sale.

Neither the platform nor the celebrity endorsement removes the risk of loss. You can lose the full amount you paid, and an NFT can become difficult to sell at a price you want.

If you are considering a purchase, decide your budget in advance, understand the tax treatment in your country, and consult a qualified adviser if the amount matters to your finances.

The Madonna and Bored Ape episode shows how quickly attention can move NFT markets and how far a single endorsement can carry. It also shows how legal claims can follow when promotion is not clearly disclosed.

For buyers, the lessons are practical. Verify contract addresses, read the terms, check recent sale data, and assume that any announcement may be partly marketing. Keep an eye on court filings if you are considering a purchase connected to a legal dispute.

For creators and public figures, the lesson is about disclosure. Making a paid promotion clear to the audience is a basic step that reduces the risk of confusion and dispute.

The topic remains relevant because collections, artists and celebrity partnerships keep appearing. Use the same checklist each time: confirm the source, the chain record, the terms, the market data and the legal status, then decide whether the risk fits your situation.