Support truly
independent journalism
Our mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.
Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.
Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.
Louise Thomas
Editor
Madonna’s 18-year-old son, David Banda, has assured his fans there was no need for concern after he joked that he was “scavenging for food”.
Banda – whom the “Material Girl” singer adopted with her ex-husband Guy Ritchie – recently took to his Instagram live, detailing his struggles since moving out of his mom’s house. The aspiring musician packed up to move in with his 21-year-old girlfriend, Maria Atuesta, shortly after his 18th birthday.
During his Instagram post, Banda reportedly talked about “being hungry” and needing extra money to buy “enough food”. According to People’s report, Banda said: “It’s lovely to experience it being nine o’clock at night, me being hungry and realizing that I don’t have enough money to get food, but we don’t have enough food in the house and scavenging. It’s fun.”
He also admitted he was starting his own business, teaching guitar lessons to earn money. On his social media page, the instrumentalist shared a link to his booking site for anyone interested in a session with him.
However, as worry for the “Hung Up” star’s son amped up, Banda followed his previous statements with a clarification.
“To all those concerned. My mother is very supportive of me. She has always been supportive of me,” he wrote on Instagram, according to screenshots obtained byHuff Post.
His message continued: “I am very happy in my life, and I am not living out on the streets, starving! Please stop worrying, everything is good.”
Banda is one of six kids next to his sister Lourdes Leon, 27; Rocco Ritchie, 23; Mercy James, 18; and twins Stella and Estere, 11. Madonna’s longing to be a mother stemmed from her desire to open her home to children in need of one.
Speaking to People in 2017, Madonna confessed: “Sometimes I would just close my eyes and just think, ‘Why isn’t my kitchen filled with dancing children?’ There’s so many children that need a home. I thought, ‘What am I waiting for? Just do it.’”
Madonna welcomed Lourdes with her ex-partner and fitness trainer Carlos Leon, while she shares her son Rocco with Guy. The 65-year-old performer gave birth to both Lourdes and Rocco before she adopted Mercy, David, Stella, and Estere.
For her recent Celebration Tour, Madonna’s four adopted children traveled across the world to watch their mom perform in her hits.
But though her kids are getting older, balancing motherhood and her illustrious career hasn’t gotten much easier. “Today I am still struggling to understand how to be a mother and do my job,” she told Vanity Fair in 2023. “Because, whoever you are, having children and raising them is a work of art.”
She went on to say: “And no one gives you a manual. You have to learn from mistakes. It is a profession that requires a lot of time. And it is exhausting because there is never rest.”