“I’m like, ‘Damn, shorty, if you’re not enjoying it that much, you know the door’s right there,’” the actor said, recalling the pop star’s visit to see his hit musical.

Anthony Ramos on stage during ‘Hamilton’ Grammys performance in 2016; Madonna at the VMAs in 2021. Credit:Theo Wargo/WireImage; Jeff Kravitz/MTV VMAs 2021/Getty

Anthony Ramos did not throw away his shot.

The 33-year-old former Hamilton star recently recalled Madonna giving him quite the fright when he spotted her in the audience during one of his performances of the acclaimed show.

“The most terrifying was Madonna with her iPad in her face,” Ramos said during his Thursday appearance on Watch What Happens Live while host Andy Cohen peppered him with a string of “scary questions,” including one about “the most terrifying celebrity” he ever saw in the crowd while he was on stage for Hamilton.

“She was like this the whole time,” Ramos continued, mimicking someone staring down at an iPad. “I’m like, ‘Damn, shorty, if you’re not enjoying it that much, the door’s right there. You ain’t gotta stay here.’”

Anthony Ramos, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Okieriete Onaodowan in ‘Hamilton’.Dinsey Plus

Ramos was part of the original cast of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony-winning Broadway musical, playing the dual roles of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton from July 2015 until November 2016.

After leaving Hamilton, Ramos took on the lead role in the film adaptation of In the Heights, Miranda’s breakout 2008 Broadway hit, which also earned widespread critical praise. Ramos continued building his career, nabbing a starring turn in 2023’s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, 2024’s Twisters, and several other TV and movie projects.

The original Broadway cast of Hamilton reunited on June 8 during the 78th Annual Tony Awards to celebrate the musical’s 10th anniversary. Since its Broadway debut in 2015, the show, inspired by the life of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, has become a cultural phenomenon, shattering box office records and earning a record-breaking 16 Tony nominations and winning 11 trophies, including Best Musical.

Ramos did not say when Madonna attended the Hamilton performance. However, in 2015, Playbill reported that creator and star Miranda banned Madonna from visiting the cast backstage after an April 18 performance of the show when it was still Off Broadway due to her poor theater etiquette.

Madonna at the Met Gala in May 2025.Kevin Mazur/MG25/Kevin Mazur/Getty

In a now-deleted tweet, the Pulitzer Prize–winning lyricist wrote, “Tonight was the first time I asked stage management NOT to allow a celebrity (who was texting all through Act 2) backstage. #noselfieforyou.”

The Playbill story also reported that Madonna had arrived late to that night’s performance and that she was seen using a phone throughout the show.