Lady Gaga Responds to Joker 2 Backlash: 'Some Things Just Aren't Liked'

Pop music icon and actress Lady Gaga has recently shared her thoughts on the critical and fan backlash to her latest film, Joker: Folie à Deux. Since the movie's release, Gaga, who played a more grounded version of the DC comics villain Harley Quinn, had remained relatively silent about her role. Alongside her performance, she released a companion album titled Harlequin. In a candid interview with Elle, Gaga opened up about dealing with the film's negative reception, emphasizing the importance of managing expectations as an artist.

"People just sometimes don’t like some things," Gaga remarked. "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."

Joker: Folie à Deux, a sequel to director Todd Phillips' highly successful 2019 film, premiered in October to mixed reviews. The movie currently holds a 31% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from both critics and audiences. Our own review scored it a 5/10, describing it as a "mediocre" film that "wastes its potential as a movie musical, a courtroom drama, and a sequel that has anything meaningful to say about or add to the first Joker." The film's disappointing box office performance led to an early digital release, with Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav labeling its performance as "disappointing."

Gaga acknowledged the emotional toll of 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 setback with Joker: Folie à Deux, Lady Gaga is looking ahead. She announced that her new studio album, Mayhem, is set to release this March, ending a five-year hiatus since her last album, Chromatica. For further insights into Joker 2, you can explore why Quentin Tarantino says he loved the sequel and why Hideo Kojima believes the movie’s reception will change over time. Additionally, our list of the biggest disappointments of 2024 can be found here.