Madonna's ex Jenny Shimizu says she felt like a 'high-class prostitute' while dating the singer


Your support helps us tell the story.

My recent work focusing on Latino voters in Arizona has shown me how crucial independent journalism is to giving voice to underrepresented communities.

Your support is what allows us to tell these stories and draw attention to issues that are often overlooked. Without your contribution, these voices may not be heard.

Every dollar you donate helps us continue to shed light on these critical issues in the run-up to the election and beyond.

Eric Garcia

Washington Office Chief

Madonna's ex-partner Jenny Shimizu has admitted to feeling like a “high-class prostitute” during her relationship with the singer in the 1990s.

The 57-year-old model, now married to prominent brand consultant Michelle Harper, recalled her time with the “Material Girl” singer in Hulu's new docuseries, In Fashion:The 90sShimizu said she could never say “no” to Madonna, especially when the “Queen of Pop” was in her reigning era.

“I mean, you wouldn't say no to Madonna in the '90s,” the Calvin Klein model confessed. “Not only was it cool to feel like a high-class prostitute, because I really was.

“I would get a phone call saying, ‘Hey, can you meet me at my show in Paris? You’re in Europe, right? ’ And I would say, ‘Yeah, I’m just finishing up Prada. Right after Prada I’m getting on a plane to go there,’” Shimizu recalls. “And so I would. I would go to his hotel, the Ritz, at about four in the morning, we would have sex, and then he would fly back to Milan.”

Jenny Shimizu and Madonna dated during the 1990s

Jenny Shimizu and Madonna dated during the 1990s (Getty)

At that time, the Fox fire The actress had already come out as gay. Since then, Shimizu has worked to defend LGBT+ rights and has participated in several demonstrations to promote marriage equality.

The catwalk star was discovered as a car mechanic in Los Angeles. Calvin Klein chose the talented youngster to front his CK1 campaign before she became the first Asian model to walk and open Prada's Fashion Week show in 1993.

In the new documentary, Shimizu expressed gratitude for her “first steps” in the 1990s, appearing on billboards in Times Square as she made her way in the fashion world.

“Being Japanese, having my parents in internment camps, being gay, walking down the street and being harassed in some way, for a second, seeing that campaign… it was a huge statement,” she explained. “And I’m really grateful to Calvin because he did something that was very positive on a global level.”

She added: “I remember my friends taking me to Times Square and saying, ‘Look! ’ And I had just done a Banana Republic campaign. And underneath it said ‘American Beauty,’ and I had never been described as American or as a beauty in my life.”

Shimizu famously dated Angelina Jolie while she was reportedly exploring a relationship with Madonna. The 49-year-old actor Pernicious The protagonist met Shimizu on the set of Fox fire.

According to a 1997 interview with Brides For Jolie, she told the magazine, it was love at first sight. “I fell in love with her the first second I saw her,” she told the publication.

However, Jolie was previously linked to Johnny Lee Miller, her husband of four years. The couple ended their marriage in 2000.

“He was around when I was discovering things about myself, when I was realizing that I was attracted to women, too,” Jolie said of Miller in a conversation with Brides“When I realized that someone like Jenny could be a deep love for me, he realized it and took it very seriously.”

scroll to top