Lady Gaga poses during a photocall for the movie “Joker: Folie a Deux” on September 4. Yara
Lady Gaga was not born the way some speculated years ago, and now she’s reflecting on her careful response to those dated rumors.
In an appearance on Netflix’s “What’s Next? The Future with Bill Gates,” Gaga addressed suggestions while she was rising to stardom that she was either a man or intersex.
“I went all over the world,” Gaga told Gates. “I traveled for tours and for promoting my records and almost every interview I sat in – there was this imagery on the internet that had been doctored – they were like, ‘There’s rumours that you’re a man. What do you have to say about that?’”
Gaga typically had a nonchalant response to those questions, as demonstrated in a 2011 interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper for “60 Minutes.”
“There was that rumor that you had a male appendage,” Cooper said at the time.
“Maybe I do,” Gaga responded. “Would it be so terrible?”
“But it’s interesting,” Cooper continued. “A lot of artists would have put out some sort of statement saying ‘This is absolutely not true’, but you have fun with it.”
“Why the hell am I going to waste my time and give a press release about whether or not I have a penis?” Gaga quipped. “My fans don’t care and neither do I.”
In her conversation with Gates, Gaga further explained why she didn’t deny the speculation about her sex.
“The reason why I didn’t answer the question is because I didn’t feel like a victim with that lie and I thought: What about a kid who is being accused of that who would think that a public figure like me would feel shame?” she added. “I’ve been in situations where fixing a rumor was not in the best interest of the well-being of other people.”
The superstar said she’s grown accustomed to the frequent “misinformation” about her.
“I’ve been used to lies being printed about me,” Gaga said. “I’m a performer. I think it’s kind of funny.”