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. Gaga, who portrayed Harley Quinn in a more grounded portrayal than previous iterations, remained relatively silent following the film's release, despite releasing 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 stated simply, “People just sometimes don’t like some things. 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.”

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Released last October, Joker: Folie à Deux, the sequel to Todd Phillips' highly successful 2019 film, received underwhelming reviews from critics and audiences alike. Currently holding a 31% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the film's theatrical run was short-lived, leading to a swift digital release. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav even described 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 less-than-stellar reception of 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, you can read why Quentin Tarantino praised the sequel and Hideo Kojima's belief that its reception will improve over time. You can also find our list of 2024's biggest cinematic disappointments [here](placeholder for link).