In a startling revelation that exposes the dark reality behind her Oscar-winning performance, Lady Gaga has confessed she was heavily medicated throughout the filming of A Star Is Born and subsequently experienced a severe psychotic break that threatened her life and career.
The Medication Behind the Movie Magic
While the 2018 blockbuster opposite Bradley Cooper catapulted Gaga to cinematic superstardom, earning eight Oscar nominations and securing a Best Original Song win for Shallow, the singer was privately battling immense psychological turmoil. In a candid interview with Rolling Stone for their December issue, the artist admitted her psyche was unravelling during production.
I did A Star Is Born on lithium, Gaga frankly disclosed. The drug, commonly prescribed to treat bipolar disorder, helps stabilise severe mood swings between manic and depressive states according to medical experts at the Mayo Clinic.
The Devastating Psychotic Break
The situation deteriorated dramatically after filming concluded. While on her Joanne tour, Gaga suffered what she described as a psychotic break that forced her to cancel performances and seek emergency psychiatric care.
There was one day that my sister said to me, I don't see my sister anymore, Gaga recalled emotionally. I canceled the tour. There was one day I went to the hospital for psychiatric care. I needed to take a break. I couldn't do anything … I completely crashed.
The singer described the experience as terrifying, admitting there was a period where she didn't believe recovery was possible. I feel really lucky to be alive, she confessed. I know that might sound dramatic, but we know how this can go.
Finding Stability and Love
Gaga credits much of her recovery to her fiancé, Harvard-educated entrepreneur Michael Polansky, who she began dating around New Year's Eve 2019. The couple became Instagram official in early 2020 and became engaged in April 2024.
Being in love with someone that cares about the real me made a very big difference, she told the publication. The singer reflected on the challenge of learning to be authentic in relationships after years of struggling with her identity.
After extensive personal work, Gaga now considers herself a healthy, whole person and has released her critically acclaimed album Mayhem, hailed as one of her career's greatest achievements. She explained the album's title reflects the months and months and months of rediscovering everything that I'd lost during her mental health crisis.
The couple are now focusing on building a family together, with Gaga expressing that being a mom is the thing I want most and praising Polansky as someone who will be a beautiful father. They're actively planning their wedding, with Polansky noting they want an intimate celebration despite already feeling married.
Gaga previously discussed her mental health struggles while promoting Mayhem in March, revealing to The New York Times podcast that five years ago she experienced psychosis and was not deeply in touch with reality for a while. She attributed part of her struggle to integrating her stage persona with her authentic self, explaining she's learned to not pour gasoline on her chaotic tendencies and now embraces being much more boring.
The singer, who revealed in 2021 that she suffers from PTSD after being sexually assaulted by a music producer at age 19, also spoke out about the lack of safety protections for young artists in the music industry. There are no laws around who can be a producer, and they're not vetted by anyone, she warned, highlighting the vulnerability of young women entering recording studios without proper safeguards.
