Lady Gaga ‘crushed’ ‘Joker’ film bombed, feels ‘people are criticizing her’ about everything
Lady Gaga is feeling the burn after her highly anticipated film Joker: Folie à Deux received poor reviews and her engagement to Michael Polansky remains under the microscope.
The pop star, 38, is "crushed" that the new film, costarring Joaquin Phoenix, "didn't get better reviews," a source exclusively tells Life & Style. "That's been hard to take and has really taken the wind out of her sails."
On top of that, the singer - who got engaged to the 46-year-old businessman in April - has friends "giving her a hard time about not being fun anymore," the insider reveals.
"They're accusing her of turning into an old lady overnight and complaining that she doesn't know how to have a good time anymore," the source continues. "It's true she used to be a much bigger party animal, but these days all she wants to do is stay home and nest with Michael, and they aren't even married yet. The rare times she does go out she usually defers to him about how long they should stay out, which is pretty irritating for her friends."
All of the "Poker Face" singer's friends are "saying they feel like the Gaga that they knew and loved has been replaced by someone they hardly recognize," says the source. "Of course, Michael is getting the blame because he's known to be quite a controlling guy who would rather have her all to himself."
However, the insider shares that Gaga "insists that this is the way she wants to live ," adding, "She hates having to justify herself and defend her relationship, she feels like no matter what she does people are criticizing her."
Michael and Gaga took their relationship public in December 2019 when they celebrated New Year's Eve together in Las Vegas. Although they are relatively private when it comes to their romance, Michael has been at Gaga's biggest performances, including the inauguration of President Joe Biden in 2021 and her act at the Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In an interview with Vogue published last month, the singer opened up about her engagement .
"I kind of thought I was going to have to do this all by myself - forever," said Gaga. "[But] I don't have to ... anymore ."
When they started dating in 2019, it wasn't long before they had to spend the pandemic holed up together at her Malibu home. "It was really kind of special," she said. "I'd been so focused on my career since I was a teenager. And the gift of that time was that I got to completely focus on my relationship. I met this totally supportive, loving human being who wanted to get to know me - outside of Lady Gaga."
When her album Chromatica came out in 2020, it was about an "absolutely horrible time" for her. "I was in a really dark place. I struggled for, like, many years," she confessed. "But everything started to change [after I met Michael]. Because I had a real friend who saw the ways in which I was unhappy and why. And he wasn't afraid to truly hold my hand."
This story was originally published October 17, 2024, 2:26 PM.
