Lady Gaga recently shared her thoughts on why she hasn’t responded to the rumors regarding her gender.
In the second episode of the Netflix series What’s Next? The Future With Bill Gates, Gaga joined Bill Gates for a candid conversation about some of the unusual rumors that surrounded her early career.
One rumor, in particular, seemed to take over the headlines.
During that time, many people questioned whether Gaga was actually a man, with constant speculation about her gender in the media.
In 2011, she famously told CNN: “Why the hell am I going to waste my time and give a press release about whether or not I have a penis? My fans don’t care and neither do I.”
Looking back on that period, Gaga told Gates how often she was questioned about the rumor.
She explained, “When I was in my early 20s there was a rumour that I was a man. I went all over the world.”
“I traveled for tours and for promoting my records and almost every interview I sat in they said there was this imagery on the internet that had been doctored.”
“They’d say, ‘There’s rumours that you’re a man. What do you have to say about that?'”
Regarding why she never directly responded to the rumor, Gaga shared her perspective.
“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?”
Gaga mentioned that sometimes, it’s better to let rumors be rather than attempting to “fix” them.
“I’ve been in situations where fixing a rumour was not in the best interest of the well being of other people,” she said.
“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.”
Reflecting on how challenging it was to handle false claims early in her career, Gaga stated:
“I’ve been used to lies being printed about me since I was 20 years old. I’m a performer. I think it’s kind of funny.”
The tech expert’s latest five-part series delves into crucial global issues such as AI, climate change, and disease.
“What’s Next? The Future With Bill Gates” is now available for streaming on Netflix.
