The tabloid TMZ decided to air some dirty laundry about Michael Madsen. It seems that even dead men can’t catch a break from vicious gossip sites.
TMZ posted on social media that Madsen “owes his wife $1.2 million in back child support.” Madsen’s delayed child support payments to Jeannine Bisignano go back to 1995, the tabloid alleged. Ironically, the magazine also acknowledges that Madsen has recently passed away.
It’s also possible for Madsen to pay the backlog in child support through his estate, even if he’s already passed. This is why the late actor’s children and Bisignano are fighting for control over his estate.
But there’s hardly any point in bringing the issues up, as the Reservoir Dogs actor suffered from cardiac arrest in July 2025. Even if he did owe people in life, what’s the use of bringing his name up? Should Bisignano become a necromancer so she could speak to her deceased ex-husband about his debt?
Another social media user joked, “hope she can hire a good necromancer.”
This is unsurprising coverage for TMZ—they are notorious for bringing celebrity scandals to life. Is there a shortage of stories today that makes the outlet entitled to grave robbing for a story? Perhaps, but a drought of headlines is no good reason to bring up distasteful issues.
TMZ’s history of harassing celebrities
But TMZ is hardly concerned about journalistic ethics. The tabloid joined the hunt for Britney Spears in the early 2000s, at the height of her fame. Paparazzi from the magazine chased Spears and have even recorded her retaliating against reporters who had been invading her privacy. Spears looked visibly distressed at the time, but the magazine shrugged it off as a ‘meltdown.’ The tabloid called her a ‘popwreck,’ but ceaselessly followed her for photos even when she was running personal errands.
Spears is just one anecdote, but the tabloid cares little for celebrity boundaries. Stars like Jessica Biel, Lindsay Lohan, and Paris Hilton have also been targets of photos and controversy.
It’s no longer the 2000s, though. Social media users are less keen on snarky remarks about celebrity failings, unless they’ve committed unspeakable crimes. So, bringing up Madsen’s debt to his wife just a year after he passed away? It’s a new low, even for TMZ standards.
Why are people paying attention to TMZ?
There’s been a positive reception for TMZ lately because of their coverage of members of Congress. For holding politicians accountable, there’s credit to be given to the outlet. TMZ encouraged citizen paparazzi to submit photos of Congress members who were out on vacation during the partial government shutdown.
Several lawmakers were seen on Disney—Sen. Lindsey Graham was even seen with a bubble wand. Some TMZ paparazzi even infiltrated the Capitol to grill politicians about issues—some of them less serious than others.
Needless to say, it’s easy to get behind the tabloid for harassing politicians that are doing too little for Americans. What made TMZ effective in this case is that they employed their clickbaity way of reporting against officials, who definitely deserved to be grilled in front of cameras.
But this is a rarity for TMZ—perhaps if they stick to chasing politicians the way they did with celebrities, they’d have better hopes for positive engagement online. Until then, it appears that TMZ has resorted to grave robbing for a story.
(featured image: Miramax)
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