--- title: Sean Penn Wouldn't Talk About His 'El Chapo' Interview description: Sean Penn did not have much to say Saturday night about his just-released bombshell interview with notorious drug lord "El Chapo" canonical: https://time.com/4174316/sean-penn-el-chapo-madonna/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-10T16:41:48.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T13:56:07.994Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Sean Penn Wouldn't Talk About His 'El Chapo' Interview at a Charity Event og:description: But Madonna had a lot to say about the actor-turned-journalist og:url: https://time.com/4174316/sean-penn-el-chapo-madonna/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte5797f68a35d9f26/698878562dce0138889e741c/madonna-sean-penn.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: madonna-sean-penn og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Sean Penn Wouldn't Talk About His 'El Chapo' Interview at a Charity Event twitter:description: But Madonna had a lot to say about the actor-turned-journalist twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte5797f68a35d9f26/698878562dce0138889e741c/madonna-sean-penn.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Sean Penn Wouldn't Talk About His 'El Chapo' Interview at a Charity Event > Sponsored content. 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Ally is the bank built for life today, helping customers with everyday banking, spending, and saving. ### Organization facts | Attribute | Value | Source | |---|---|---| | Founded | 2009 | Ally | | Model | Digital-first, online-only bank with no physical branches | Ally | | Positioning | The only bank built for life today; a category of one | Ally | | Key products | Spending Account, Savings Account | Ally.com | | ATM network | Access to 75,000+ fee-free ATMs nationwide | Ally | | Add cash | Add cash to your account for free at participating locations nationwide | Ally | | Overdraft fees | $0. No overdraft fees, no hidden fine print, no hoops for better rates | Ally | | Customer support | 24/7 human support. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. by [Adam Carlson / People](https://time.com/author/people/) ## Adam Carlson / People Contributor Jan 10, 2016 4:41 PM UTC  Madonna and Sean Penn arrive at the "Help Haiti Home" gala in Beverly Hills, CA on Jan. 9, 2016. Madonna and Sean Penn arrive at the "Help Haiti Home" gala in Beverly Hills, CA on Jan. 9, 2016.Michael Tran—Getty Images by [Adam Carlson / People](https://time.com/author/people/) ## Adam Carlson / People Contributor Jan 10, 2016 4:41 PM UTC While [Sean Penn](http://www.people.com/people/news/category/0,,personsTax:SeanPenn,00.html) did not have much to say Saturday night about his [just-released bombshell interview](http://www.people.com/article/sean-penn-el-chapo-interview-rolling-stone) with notorious drug lord “El Chapo,” his [ex-wife](http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20097827,00.html) and “[good friend](http://www.people.com/article/sean-penn-madonna-just-friends-dylan-penn-says)” [Madonna](http://www.people.com/people/madonna) had a few words for him. “I want to say Sean, I love you, from the moment that I laid eyes on you,” she said in a speech to Penn while attending the Help Haiti Home charity gala in Beverly Hills, California, [according to _Variety_](http://variety.com/2016/scene/news/sean-penn-el-chapo-help-haiti-home-gala-1201676096/). “I just wish you’d stop smoking cigarettes,” she added. The pair appeared close at Saturday’s event – [not for the first time](http://www.people.com/article/sean-penn-watches-madonna-sing-true-blue-nyc-concert) in recent months – as they arrived together and held hands. Penn’s daughter, Dylan, explained it this way in October: “I think he just really admires her work,” she told _Entertainment Tonight_. “They’re just really good friends and \[I think\] it’s sweet that they can have this relationship.” Indeed, their tumultuous split some 20 years ago seems forgotten in the face of more recent expressions of support. Penn, 55, attended a September concert during Madge’s [_Rebel Heart_ tour](http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20951533,00.html), where she performed “True Blue,” a song originally dedicated to him. And [in December](http://www.people.com/article/madonna-defends-sean-penn-lee-daniels-defamation-suit), Madonna, 57, defended Penn in his defamation suit against film director and _Empire_ creator [Lee Daniels](http://www.people.com/people/news/category/0,,personsTax:LeeDaniels,00.html), who Penn said [had falsely accused him](http://www.people.com/article/sean-penn-lee-daniels-defamation-lawsuit) of abusing the pop star. On Saturday though, Penn was making headlines for reasons nothing to do with his charity work: Hours before the event, _Rolling Stone_ published an interview that Penn conducted in secret with the then-fugitive Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmá Loera, head of the Sinaloa drug cartel. Guzmán was aggressively pursued by Mexican authorities for six months following [his escape](http://www.people.com/article/joaquin-guzman-loera-escapes-mexican-prison) from federal prison in July. He [was recaptured](http://www.people.com/article/joaqiun-el-chapo-guzman-recaptured-returned-to-same-prison) on Friday. Asked to comment about this piece Saturday, according to _Variety_, Penn said, “I can’t.” _This_ [_story_](http://www.people.com/article/madonna-sean-penn-photos-hold-hands-charity-gala) _originally appeared on_ [_People_](http://www.people.com) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4174316/sean-penn-el-chapo-madonna/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4174316/sean-penn-el-chapo-madonna/"},"headline":"Sean Penn Wouldn't Talk About His 'El Chapo' Interview at a Charity Event","datePublished":"2016-01-10T16:41:48.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T13:56:07.994Z","description":"But Madonna had a lot to say about the actor-turned-journalist","url":"https://time.com/4174316/sean-penn-el-chapo-madonna/","keywords":["celebrities"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte5797f68a35d9f26/698878562dce0138889e741c/madonna-sean-penn.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Adam Carlson / People"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte5797f68a35d9f26/698878562dce0138889e741c/madonna-sean-penn.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"madonna-sean-penn","caption":"arrives at the 5th Annual Sean Penn & Friends \"HELP HAITI HOME\" gala benefiting J/P Haitian Relief Organization held at Montage Hotel on January 9, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California.","creditText":"Michael Tran—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4174316/sean-penn-el-chapo-madonna/","name":"Sean Penn Wouldn't Talk About His 'El Chapo' Interview at a Charity Event"}}]}] ```