Since catapulting to fame in the late 2000s, Lady Gaga has battled attacks on her style, her music and even her gender identity.
She has always preached inclusivity and acceptance, and now, the powerhouse entertainer is finally discussing why she made a conscious decision to mostly disregard those rumors that she is actually a man.
“I’ve been used to lies being printed about me since I was twenty years old. I’m a performer, I think it’s kind of funny,” the now 38-year-old said on Netflix’s “What’s Next? The Future with Bill Gates,” where she spoke with the tech billionaire about disinformation.
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Lady Gaga says that since she was in her 20s, she has faced accusations that she is a man. (VINCENZO PINTO/AFP via Getty Images)
“So, when I was in my early 20s, there was a rumor that I was a man. And I went all over the world. I mean, I traveled for tours, for promoting my records, and almost every interview I sat in, they said,” she started, before the camera cut to a stupefied Gates.
“Well there was this imagery on the Internet that had been doctored,” the “Die with a Smile” singer said, clarifying what spurred those questions. “And they were like, ‘You know, like there’s this rumor that you’re a man. Like, what do you have to say about that?'”
A picture of Lady Gaga performing in Glastonbury back in 2009, just as her career was taking off. (Yui Mok – PA Images via Getty Images)
The episode then cut to interviews Gaga had done in the past – fielding questions about being a “well-endowed young man” or “hermaphrodite,” but he never directly addressing the allegations. Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, has always been known for her eccentric outfits and pronounced makeup.
In an interview for “60 Minutes” recorded in 2011, Anderson Cooper mentioned to Gaga that she never blatantly denied the rumors, but rather, “has fun with it.”
“Why the hell am I gonna waste my time and give a press release about whether or not I have a p—s. My fans don’t care and neither do I,” she stated.
Lady Gaga wore a unique jumpsuit and matching eye mask during a performance on New Year’s Eve in 2012. (Theo Wargo/WireImage/Getty Images)
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“The reason I didn’t answer the question,” Gaga said, back in her conversation with Gates, “was because I didn’t feel like a victim with that lie. But I thought about, like, what about a kid that’s being accused of that, that would think a public figure like me would feel shame.”
“The reason I didn’t answer the question was because I didn’t feel like a victim with that lie.”
Lady Gaga had elongated lashes for The 2019 Met Gala. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
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“I guess what I’m saying is I’ve been in situations where fixing a rumor was not in the best interest of, I thought of like, the well-being of other people,” she admitted. “So in that case, I tried to be thought-provoking and disruptive in another [way.] I tried to use the misinformation to create another disruptive point.”
Lady Gaga sang at the opening ceremony for the Summer Olympics in Paris this past July. (Sina Schuldt/picture alliance via Getty Images)
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“People, I think, assume that someone like me that performs, that my performance is what’s not real, but to me, that’s the most real thing that you’ll see about me. That is so much more real than all of the rumors that are designed to orbit me to gain more clicks.”