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

Author : Ryan Feb 20,2025

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

Pop icon and actress Lady Gaga has finally addressed the mixed reception to her latest film, Joker: Folie à Deux. Following its release, Gaga, who portrayed Harley Quinn, remained largely silent on the film's performance, despite releasing a companion album, Harlequin. In a recent interview with Elle, she shared her perspective on the negative criticism.

Gaga explained that she approaches the potential for negative feedback as part of the creative process, managing expectations beforehand. "People just sometimes don’t like some things," she stated. "It’s that simple. 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 even described the film's performance as "disappointing."

Gaga acknowledged the challenges of dealing with such criticism, 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 looking ahead. Her new studio album, Mayhem, is set for release this March, concluding a five-year gap since her last album, Chromatica. For further perspectives on the film, explore opinions from Quentin Tarantino and Hideo Kojima, who offered contrasting viewpoints on the sequel's merits and long-term impact. You can also find a list of 2024's biggest cinematic disappointments [here](placeholder for link).