The internet is swirling with reports that Madonna took poppers mid-conversation on a TikTok live stream Thursday with content creator Terri Joe. In video recordings of the live stream, Madonna appears to sniff something from a small bottle, and Terri Joe asks her directly, "Is that poppers?!" Madonna responds, "No!" and the two go on to discuss music and Lady Gaga's 2011 track "Judas" — but not before Madonna comments, "Whoa, everything's different right now."
Whether or not Madonna was actually doing poppers, it does have people wondering: what even are poppers again, and why do people like them so much?
Earlier this week, Madonna hopped on TikTok Live with Terri Jo while in hair and makeup for some kind of gig, and the first thing she did was show Terri Jo her angel-styled nails. "My momma wouldn't let me get it because she says that girls that get their nails done are harlot hussie whores," Jo replies.
It only gets more ridiculous from there, with Madonna showing Jo her fan merch, adopting the name Mary Ann Beth, and even whipping out a bottle of a certain recreational drug and sniffing it live.
Poppers are mostly known as a type of party drug, often associated with raving, sex, and gay hookup culture. Poppers may not be as popular as they used to be, but they're certainly a pop culture mainstay, frequently referenced in the original 2000s-era "Queer as Folk" series and even featured in a recent New York Times story on the drug's move from gay subculture to party girl aesthetic. (It's also worth noting that Madonna has spent a lifetime associating herself — welcome or not — with the queer community.).
Poppers are really just amyl nitrite, a liquid chemical that produces strong-smelling vapors that you would then, well, sniff.
LGBTQ+ health specialist Henry Ng, MD, told Cleveland Clinic, "Poppers are a product that's been used to enhance sexual experience and function for quite some time. But there are concerns that the use of poppers for sexual pleasure can have negative side effects that people haven't been talking about or might not be aware of."
The side effects can be pretty rough. While some people feel a headrush of euphoria (lasting a few minutes at most), others experience intense headaches, nausea, or dizziness. More severe side effects include fainting and tachycardia (or rapid heartbeat), and if used in combination with certain medications that affect blood pressure, heart health, or erectile dysfunction, Cleveland Clinic reports possible stroke, heart attack, or death from poppers.
Finally, using poppers runs the risk of sudden sniffing death syndrome. That risk isn't specific to poppers, though, as many inhalants (nitrous oxide gas, aka whippets) can cause death in rare cases.
"Nope! I am a Christian woman!” Madonna answered, with a half smile, after throwing her head back slightly, opening her eyes wide and holding her head.
Although it is not certain that the substance that Madonna inhaled is popper (is it a publicity stunt by the queen of pop(per)?), it certainly seems so. And, in case of being a strategy, the shot has backfired, since the artist has received strong criticism and rejection for this action.
Social media personality Nicole already had a legion of loyal followers who tune in to watch her outrageous TikTok live streams, and the one and only Madonna just pushed them to new heights of camp.
When she's not banned, you can usually find Nicole on TikTok live chatting with strangers as one of her various drag personalities. One of the most popular ones is Terri Jo, a small-town Christian girl from Louisiana who can help homosexuals repent their sins with her a peek of her you-know-what.
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