Lady Gaga Addresses Backlash to '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 the film's release, Gaga, who portrayed Harley Quinn, remained largely silent. Her involvement extended to a companion album, Harlequin. 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 acknowledged that not everyone will connect with a project, stating, “People just sometimes don’t like some things. 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.”
AnswerSee ResultsReleased last October, Joker: Folie à Deux, the sequel to Todd Phillips' 2019 hit, received underwhelming reviews from critics and audiences alike. Its 31% rating on Rotten Tomatoes reflects this less-than-stellar reception. The film's theatrical run was short-lived, leading to a swift digital release and comments from Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav describing 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 mixed response to Joker: Folie à Deux, Gaga is moving forward with the release of her new studio album, Mayhem, in March 2025, ending a five-year hiatus since 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.
