Lady Gaga Explains Why She Refused To Entertain Rumors She Was A Man

The pop star revealed how she “tried to use the misinformation” against her to “create another disruptive point.”

Lady Gaga opened up about facing rumors that she “was a man” in her early 20s.

The pop star, in an appearance on “What’s Next? The Future With Bill Gates,” told the billionaire host that the rumors “went all over the world” as she was on the road for touring or promoting her records.

She noted “imagery” on the internet “that had been doctored” of her at the time.

“They were like, ‘You know, there’s this rumor that you’re a man. Like, what do you have to say about that?’” Gaga said.

She continued, “The reason I didn’t answer the question was because I didn’t feel like a victim with that lie.”

Gaga added that she thought about kids who might be facing similar comments that would “think a public figure like me would feel shame.”

“It’s like sometimes, 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 said.

“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.”

The singer, in a 2011 interview with “60 Minutes,” responded to a question posed by Anderson Cooper where the journalist detailed allegations about her body.

“My fans don’t care, and neither do I,” said Gaga of the rumors.

The “A Star is Born” actor, in a 2009 ABC News interview, told Barbara Walters she does “not really” mind the rumor before addressing the talk around her.

“At first, it was very strange, and everyone sorta said, ‘That’s really quite a story.’ But in a sense, I portray myself in a very androgynous way, and I love androgyny,” Gaga said.

“So you like to blur that line?” Walters asked.

“I like pushing boundaries,” Gaga replied.

Gaga, in her recent interview with Gates, declared that people assume that her performances are “not real,” but she sees them as the “most real thing” you’ll see about her.

She added, “That is so much more real than all of the rumors that are designed to orbit me to gain more clicks,”

“People assume […] that my performance is what’s not real. But to me, that’s the most real thing that you’ll see about me.”

Lady Gaga talks about how she’s handled misinformation in her career in What’s Next? The Future with Bill Gates. Now playing. pic.twitter.com/legQm24FEA

— Netflix (@netflix) September 18, 2024