Doing what’s best. Mickey Madden, the bassist for Maroon 5, announced his temporary departure from the popular band following his June arrest.
“I have some things that I need to deal with and address right now and so I have decided to leave Maroon 5,” the 41-year-old musician said in a statement to Rolling Stone. “During this time, I do not want to be a distraction to my bandmates. I wish them the absolute best.”
Madden was arrested for domestic violence on June 27 and posted a $50,000 bail hours after entering jail. On June 30, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to Us Weekly that Madden was charged under the California penal code 237.5 (a), meaning individuals in violation “willfully inflict corporal injury resulting in a traumatic condition” on a spouse or cohabitant.
Madden is not married at this time and details on the alleged assault are uncertain. He received a felony charge and is set to appear in court on Wednesday, September 29.
In the wake of the arrest scandal, a rep for Maroon 5 released a statement on behalf of the band. “We are deeply devastated by this disappointing news,” the statement to Page Six read on June 30. “As we learn more, we are looking at this very seriously. For now, we are allowing all of the individuals involved the space to work things through.”
Madden had served as the band’s bassist since the band’s inception in 1994. He played alongside Adam Levine and Jesse Carmichael when they were high school students at Los Angeles’ Brentwood School.
The trio took a hiatus and Madden chose to study at the University of California, Los Angeles during that time. When they reunited years later, guitarist James Valentine came on board and they changed their name from Kara’s Flowers to Maroon 5.
Along with his “Moves Like Jagger” bandmates, he earned three Grammy Awards including Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals in 2006 for “This Love.” They also performed during the Super Bowl Halftime Show in 2019 with Travis Scott.
Levine, 41, previously opened up about Maroon 5’s longevity in the music industry. “The coolest thing about our band is that we will never be associated with a time. Maybe an album will be. Loads of people will say Songs About Jane was amazing and the rest of our albums suck,” he explained to the Independent in July 2018. “But I don’t think people say we remind them of, like, 2003 or whatever. That doesn’t happen.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
