Lady Gaga on the Negativity Surrounding Joker 2: 'People Just Sometimes Don't Like Some Things'

Lady Gaga Addresses the Backlash Against 'Joker: Folie à Deux'

Pop icon and actress Lady Gaga has finally addressed the mixed reception to her recent film, Joker: Folie à Deux. Following the film's release, Gaga, who portrayed Harley Quinn, remained largely silent. Her involvement extended to a companion album, Harlequin, further solidifying her commitment to the project. In a recent interview with Elle, she shared her perspective on the negative feedback.

Gaga explained that she navigated the criticism, as she does with any challenging release, by managing her expectations beforehand. She stated simply, "People just sometimes don’t like some things. And I think to be an artist, you have to be willing for people to sometimes not like it. And you keep going even if something didn’t connect in the way that you intended.”

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Released last October, Joker: Folie à Deux, the sequel to Todd Phillips' 2019 hit, received underwhelming reviews from critics and audiences alike. Currently holding a 31% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the film's theatrical run was short-lived, leading to a swift digital release. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav described the film's performance as "disappointing."

Gaga acknowledged the challenges of dealing with such feedback, stating, “When that makes its way into your life, that can be hard to get control of. It’s part of the mayhem.”

Despite the less-than-stellar reception of Joker: Folie à Deux, Gaga is forging ahead with other projects. Her new studio album, Mayhem, is slated for release this March, marking the culmination of a five-year wait since her last album, Chromatica. For further perspectives on the film, explore differing opinions from Quentin Tarantino and Hideo Kojima, and see our list of 2024's biggest cinematic disappointments.