Lady Gaga has shared details about the sexual assault — and subsequent pregnancy and ongoing PTSD — she suffered at the hands of a music producer when she was just 19. In an in-depth interview for Oprah and Prince Harry's new Apple TV+ show, The Me You Can't See, Gaga opened up about how the abuse has affected her life and career.
The following article contains potentially triggering material relating to sexual assault and violence. If you believe you have experienced or witnessed sexual misconduct and are looking for support, consult the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime to find resources in your area.
Gaga sat down for an interview with the show where she explained that she was raped by a music producer when she was first starting out in music.
"I was 19 years old, and I was working in the business, and a producer said to me, 'Take your clothes off,'" she recalled. "And I said, 'No.' And I left, and they told me they were going to burn all of my music. And they didn't stop. They didn't stop asking me, and I just froze and I — I don't even remember."
Gaga went on to explain that the assault — which resulted in a pregnancy — has had lasting effects on her mental health, as she suffers from PTSD. In fact, she recently had to cancel some concerts and spend time with a psychiatrist in a hospital.
"First I felt full-on pain, then I went numb," she said of the PTSD that recently resurfaced. "And then I was sick for weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks after, and I realized that it was the same pain that I felt when the person who raped me dropped me off pregnant on a corner. At my parents' house because I was vomiting and sick. Because I'd been being abused. I was locked away in a studio for months."
Lady Gaga added that she experienced a "total psychotic break" as the PTSD resurfaced around the time of 2019's A Star Is Born.
While others have come forward to name their abusers in the music industry, Gaga does not intend to name her rapist.
"I will not say his name," she said. "I understand this #MeToo movement; I understand that some people feel really comfortable with this, and I do not. I do not ever want to face that person again."
The Me You Can't See is available now on Apple TV+. A trailer for the series is available below.
The following article contains potentially triggering material relating to sexual assault and violence. If you believe you have experienced or witnessed sexual misconduct and are looking for support, consult the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime to find resources in your area.
Gaga sat down for an interview with the show where she explained that she was raped by a music producer when she was first starting out in music.
"I was 19 years old, and I was working in the business, and a producer said to me, 'Take your clothes off,'" she recalled. "And I said, 'No.' And I left, and they told me they were going to burn all of my music. And they didn't stop. They didn't stop asking me, and I just froze and I — I don't even remember."
Gaga went on to explain that the assault — which resulted in a pregnancy — has had lasting effects on her mental health, as she suffers from PTSD. In fact, she recently had to cancel some concerts and spend time with a psychiatrist in a hospital.
"First I felt full-on pain, then I went numb," she said of the PTSD that recently resurfaced. "And then I was sick for weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks after, and I realized that it was the same pain that I felt when the person who raped me dropped me off pregnant on a corner. At my parents' house because I was vomiting and sick. Because I'd been being abused. I was locked away in a studio for months."
Lady Gaga added that she experienced a "total psychotic break" as the PTSD resurfaced around the time of 2019's A Star Is Born.
While others have come forward to name their abusers in the music industry, Gaga does not intend to name her rapist.
"I will not say his name," she said. "I understand this #MeToo movement; I understand that some people feel really comfortable with this, and I do not. I do not ever want to face that person again."
The Me You Can't See is available now on Apple TV+. A trailer for the series is available below.
