Usanetseke, hatisati tatombomuka muna 1989 uye tiri kusvetuka seanopenga kuenda kune rhythm yeiyo single 'Like A Prayer', kunyangwe Madonna naSean Penn havana kumbobatikana pane mumwe mutsara sevaya vekare. . Izvo zvese zvinotanga munaGunyana apfuura Lee Daniels, mugadziri weakatevedzana 'Empire', akabuda achidzivirira Terrence Howard maererano nenyaya yemutambi wekushungurudza mukadzi wake. Mubvunzurudzo yemagazini yeHollywood Reporter: "Terrence haana kuita chero chinhu chakasiyana nezvakaitwa naMarlon Brando kana Sean Penn, uye kamwe kamwe idhimoni rinopenga".
Sean Penn, uyo mushure mekunzwa mazwi aLee Daniels haana kuzeza kubatanidzwa zvizere muhondo yepamutemo kurwisa musiki we "Empire", akawana rubatsiro ruchangoburwa rwaMadonna, waakaroora naye kubva 1985 kusvika 1989 uye ne uyo akaita nyeredzi mumusoro wenhau unopfuura mumwe pamusoro pekurwa kwakanyanya. Madonna akabuda achidzivirira Sean Penn mugwaro rakanyorwa nezuro mudare reNew York: "Zvechokwadi takava nekukakavadzana kukuru mukati mewanano yedu, asi Sean haana kumbondirova, akandisunga kana kundirwisa mupfungwa, uye chero ruzivo runopesana rwakanyanya, ruvengo, rusina hanya uye nhema.".
Mambokadzi wePop akataurawo nezvenyaya dzekusabatwa zvakanaka kwaakaitwa nemutambi uyu muna 1987 na1989.: “Ndinoziva nezvekupomerwa kwakaitika muna 1987, umo, maererano nemapepanhau, Penn akandirova nebheti yebaseball. Mashoko akabudiswa manyepo zvachose.. Muna Zvita 1989, Madonna akaenda kuhofisi yeMalibu sheriff kunomhan'ara Penn nezvekukuvadzwa kwemuviri, kunyangwe ari iye pachake akazobvisa chichemo svondo raitevera. Sean Penn akataura kuti chichemo ichi chaive chigadzirwa che "kurwiswa kwegodo".
Mhosva yakamhan'arwa naLee Daniels inoti maererano neizvi "Chinonyanya kunetsa ndechekuti vanofananidza Penn naHoward, nekuti kunyangwe anga aine matambudziko nemutemo, Penn haasati ambosungwa, ndoda kubatwa nemhosva yemhirizhonga yemumba., sezvo vaimbova madzimai ake, kusanganisira Madonna, vanogona kusimbisa.".