Lady Gaga is finally sharing her honest reaction to the harsh criticism surrounding Joker: Folie à Deux — and it’s not what fans expected. More than a year after the movie hit theaters in October 2024, the pop icon says she couldn’t help but laugh at how extreme the backlash became.
In a new cover interview with Rolling Stone, published Nov. 13, Gaga revealed that she initially found the negative reviews “unhinged.”
“I’m almost nervous to share my reaction, but the truth is, when it first started happening, I started laughing,” Gaga, 39, said. “Because it was just getting so unhinged.”
The film — starring Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck and Gaga as Harley Quinn — had a drastically different outcome compared to the 2019 original. While Phoenix won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the first Joker, the sequel struggled at the box office and earned a rare D CinemaScore from audiences. The first movie scored a B+, making the drop especially significant.
Gaga says she wasn’t completely unaffected by the criticism, but she understood it as part of the artistic process.
“I wasn’t, like, unfazed… When it takes a while for something to dissipate, that can be a little bit more painful,” she shared. “Only because I put a lot of myself into it.”
A Risky Musical Sequel With a Bold Direction
Joker: Folie à Deux follows Arthur Fleck’s highly publicized murder trial and includes surreal musical sequences that unfold during his courtroom journey. The film ends with Arthur escaping briefly before being returned to Arkham State Hospital.
While the stylistic direction divided moviegoers, Gaga embraced the challenge and later expressed that artists must be prepared for polarizing reactions.
In an earlier interview with Elle in January, she said:
“People sometimes don’t like some things. It’s that simple. To be an artist, you have to be willing for people not to like it.”
Gaga Poured Her Feelings Into the “Disease” Music Video
Gaga also revealed that she used her music as an emotional outlet following the film’s release. Her music video for “Disease,” released weeks after the movie, was deeply tied to the mental aftermath.
The singer admitted she entered a “dark place mentally” after filming the video:
“Maybe I scared myself a little bit… For weeks I was really bothered. I was actually trying to figure out what I was trying to say.”
She said the process helped her uncover parts of herself that still needed healing.
Where to Watch Joker: Folie à Deux
The film is now streaming on HBO Max, giving audiences a fresh chance to reassess the bold and divisive sequel.
