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Meet Madonna’s eldest artist son, Rocco Ritchie: the painter, who just exhibited in Miami, has the pop diva and filmmaker Guy Ritchie for parents – but what’s his relationship with them like?

Who is Madonna and Guy Ritchie’s son Rocco? The artist is exhibiting this month in Miami – here’s what you need to know about him. Photo: @roccoritchie/Instagram
Born to pop diva Madonna and filmmaker Guy Ritchie, Rocco John Ritchie is more than just his famous parents.
Rocco Ritchie attends the National Gallery’s Summer Party in June 2023, in London, England. Photo: Getty Images

Rocco, a talented painter, showcased his two day pop-up exhibition “Pack a Punch” in Miami Design District over April 10 and 11.

With his artworks among the personal collections of fashion designers such as Stella McCartney and Donatella Versace, the young Ritchie is a rising star in the art world.

 

Both of Rocco’s parents have been supportive of his art. Madonna, who visited the exhibition, proudly showed off her son’s accomplishments on an Instagram post.

“So happy to have the night off to enjoy my son Rocco’s latest collection of paintings called ‘Pack a Punch’, inspired by Muay Thai fighters,” she wrote.

But what appears to be a happy family today has had its fair share of troubles and drama over the years. From Rocco’s cannabis possession in 2016 to his parents’ tumultuous divorce that made young Rocco crave a life away from the glitz and the glam of celebrity life, here the five things to know about Rocco Ritchie.

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Rocco Ritchie is a concert pro

Rocco Ritchie used to perform with his mum on stage and once modelled for Adidas Originals athletic wear amid his low-key lifestyle. Photo: Instagram

In 2004, little Rocco, now 23, made an appearance in Madonna’s I’m Going to Tell You a Secret DVD documentary on her Re-Invention tour that stole everyone’s heart. Years later, he appeared as a backup dancer in his mum’s MDNA world tour in 2012 and worked behind the stage at her Rebel Heart tour in 2015.

He doesn’t enjoy the limelight

Rocco Ritchie is seen in 2023, in New York; the son of Madonna and Guy Ritchie prefers to stay under the radar. Photo: Getty Images
Despite being a celebrity kid, Rocco doesn’t enjoy being in the limelight. He did one interview at the age of 12, appearing alongside his mum on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Beside the occasional paparazzi shots of him on a skateboard or hanging out with his pals, the eldest son of Madonna has stayed under the radar until he debuted as an artist. In 2016, he deleted his then 140,000-follower Instagram after he took a dig at his mum, but has since re-emerged.

That same year, he was arrested for possessing weed near his Primrose Hill home in North London, after the neighbours called the cops on him.

He now posts under his account @maisonrhed, where he has 34,500 followers, as well as his personal account @roccoritchie, with 86,300 followers, at the time of writing.

He had a rocky relationship with his mum

 

In 2015, after a brief appearance at Madonna’s Rebel Heart concert in the UK, Rocco left and decided to stay with his father. Despite a following court order, Rocco insisted on staying in England which started an intense custody battle between his parents.

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Rumours swirled about how Madonna’s strict parenting and her career supposedly caused a rift between the two. Things escalated in 2016 after young Rocco blocked Madonna on Instagram, and later deleted his account.

However, the mother and son seemed to reconcile after the custody drama, as Rocco was spotted with his mum in a charity trip to Malawi the following year. He was also by his mother’s side when she had her health scare in 2023.

He loves experimenting with fashion

Rocco Ritchie at the Saint Laurent womenswear autumn-winter 2023/2024 show during Paris Fashion Week 2023. Photo: Getty Images
The Central Saint Martins graduate in England also has a suave fashion style, which clearly runs in the family. From wearing oversized shirts to baggy jeans in his mid-teens, Rocco has also been spotted donning retro outfits inspired by the 30s and 40s menswear trends, such as pinstripe suit and a matching fedora. He also attended events such as Paris Fashion Week.

He used to show his art under a pseudonym

Rocco Ritchie initially made art under the alias “Rhed” to remain under the radar. Photo: @roccoritchie/Instagram

Rocco picked up the paintbrush at a young age, according to his interview with Artnet this month. His later honed his artistic skills at the Royal Drawing School in London.

When Rocco was in the early stages of showcasing his work, he did so under the pseudonym “Rhed” to avoid being linked to his parents.

“I’m proud of who I am and where I’ve come from, but I know people would have judged me aggressively in my early stages if I came out with my name. I wanted to develop technically before showing under my name,” he told Artnet.

Who is he dating?

Rocco Ritchie and Olivia Monjardin attend the UK series global premiere of The Gentlemen at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in March, in London, England. Photo: Getty Images

Although Rocco likes to keep a fairly low profile, he made a couple red carpet debut last month with his girlfriend Olivia Monjardin for the London premiere of his dad’s new project, The Gentlemen.

The fashionable duo were first reportedly linked in October of last year, and have since been snapped attending events like the F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain together.

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He and Brooklyn Beckham were tight

Brooklyn Beckham in 2022, in Los Angeles, California; he and young Rocco Ritchie had been tight. Photo: Getty Images
During his parents’ bitter custody battle, young Rocco started to hang out with another celebrity kid who became one of his best pals. Brooklyn Beckham, 25, appears to have been a good influence and support for the once-rebellious Rocco. The two were often seen together in circa 2016 and 2017, though there has not been much news about the pair’s friendship lately.

Additional reporting by Sumnima Kandangwa

  • The 23-year-old, who first adopted the alias ‘Rhed’ to avoid associations with his parents, showed his art in his two day pop-up exhibition ‘Pack a Punch’ in Miami Design District earlier in April
  • He attended Royal Drawing School in London, and his works are in Stella McCartney and Donatella Versace’s collections; he was also once good friends with Brooklyn Beckham, Victoria and David Beckham’s son