Lady Gaga Filmed ‘A Star Is Born’ on Lithium and Went to the ‘Hospital for Psychiatric Care’ Afterward, Says ‘Joker 2’ Bad Press Got ‘So Unhinged’ and ‘I Started Laughing’

In a candid new Rolling Stone cover story, Lady Gaga detailed the profound mental health struggles she faced during the production of "A Star Is Born" and the subsequent "Joanne" World Tour. She revealed that her condition became so severe she was prescribed lithium, a powerful mood stabilizer often used for bipolar disorder. A pivotal moment occurred when her sister confessed, "I don’t see my sister anymore," a statement that prompted Gaga to check herself into a psychiatric facility and cancel the final ten dates of her tour. "I completely crashed. It was really scary," the artist remembered, adding, "I feel really lucky to be alive. I know that might sound dramatic, but we know how this can go."

The period from 2017 to 2019 was one of relentless professional pressure for the performer. Her career trajectory was exceptionally demanding: immediately after her iconic Super Bowl LI Halftime Show performance, she began filming "A Star Is Born" in April 2017. The "Joanne" World Tour launched that August and was cut short in February 2018, directly followed by an intense global press tour for the film. This promotional blitz started with its Venice Film Festival premiere and culminated at the 2019 Oscars, where Gaga was nominated for Best Actress and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Shallow," her duet with co-star Bradley Cooper. This non-stop cycle of a psychologically draining film role, a worldwide concert series, and a high-profile awards campaign created a perfect storm that ultimately proved unsustainable for her mental health.

Gaga attributes a significant part of her recovery to her fiancé, Michael Polansky, a technology entrepreneur and philanthropist she started dating in 2020. "Being in love with someone that cares about the real me made a very big difference," she stated. This personal foundation became crucial when she encountered professional setbacks with 2024's "Joker: Folie à Deux." The musical sequel, which paired Joaquin Phoenix's return as the Joker with Gaga's interpretation of Harley Quinn, was savaged by critics and underperformed commercially, earning a modest $200 million globally. This was a stark contrast to the original 2019 "Joker," a billion-dollar box office phenomenon that earned Phoenix the Oscar for Best Actor. As one industry analyst noted, "The sequel faced an uphill battle, trying to replicate the cultural impact of a film that was a genuine cinematic event." While Gaga's performance was frequently cited as a bright spot, the project was widely deemed a disappointment.

Reflecting on the film's negative reception, Gaga told the magazine her initial reaction was one of disbelief. "I wasn’t, like, unfazed... When it first started happening, I started laughing. Because it was just getting so unhinged." She conceded that the sustained criticism was harder to shake, explaining, "Only because I put a lot of myself into it." Rather than being defeated, she channeled the experience into her art. The lead single, "Disease," from her new album "Mayhem," was a direct creative response to the "Joker" fallout. "There was a ton of negativity around 'Joker.' And I think I was feeling artistically rebellious at the time," she explained. "I put so much of that energy into that video. I was in that place, you know, I was like, 'I'll show you who I am, and I'll show you what this fight is like.'" This defiant approach has clearly resonated; "Mayhem" has since earned a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year, signaling a triumphant and critically acclaimed comeback for the artist.

The full, in-depth feature is available to read on Rolling Stone's official website.