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 revealed her perspective on the negative criticism.
Gaga explained that she navigated the negativity, as she does with any challenging project, by managing her 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."
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 a statement from Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav describing 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 mixed response to Joker: Folie à Deux, Gaga continues to focus on future projects. She recently announced the release of her new studio album, Mayhem, in March 2025, marking the culmination of a five-year wait since her previous album, Chromatica. For further perspectives on the film, you can explore opinions from Quentin Tarantino and Hideo Kojima, and see our list of 2024's biggest cinematic disappointments.
