This pop princess is renowned for her shocking moments and has reigned in the spotlight for her unique dress sense and utter weirdness. She’s a celeb that’s been celebrated and slated, from raw meat dresses to egg incubators and even death threats. That hasn’t stopped people from loving Gaga, though. She truly is one-of-a-kind that keeps us on our toes – guessing what she will wear or say next to out-do her past antics.
To celebrate her complete madness, we uncover Lady Gaga’s craziest moments to date…
1. Her Perfume of Blood and Semen
Yeah, you read that right. An interesting fact about Gaga is her odd (and disgusting) taste in perfume. The popstar revealed that her bestselling perfume, ‘Fame’, has notes of blood and semen in it. That didn’t stop people from buying it though. ‘Fame’ sold more than both Beyonce and Madonna’s fragrances!
2. Glorifying Bulimia
Gaga is known to push the artistic boundaries with her outrageous performances – but she pushed it a little too far at the 2014 SXSW Festival in Texas, where she had a model swallow a green substance and force herself to vomit on the Mother Monster. It didn’t go down too well with critics or with singer Demi Lovato, who publicly slammed Gaga for glamorizing eating disorders. It’s safe to say this is marked as one of the biggest celebrity controversies!
3. Rocked a Raw Meat Dress
Gaga’s costume at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2010 still haunts me to date – I mean, who in their right mind would choose stinky, raw beef as an outfit to a red carpet? It’s one way to make an entrance and avoid pointless chit-chat for the night. With the smell, I can’t imagine anyone stuck around for too long.
4. Hatched from an Egg at The Grammys
Okay – this one cracked me up (pun intended). Back in 2011, at the height of her fame, Lady Gaga arrived on the red carpet, incubated in a clear plastic egg, until she hatched on stage during her performance for Born This Way. She claims to have been stuck in the egg for 72 hours telling Ryan Seacrest, “It was a very creative experience, and it was time for me to prepare and really think about the meaning [of the song].”
5. Her Fur Blockhead Outfit
Either Gaga couldn’t be bothered to do her make-up that day, or she hadn’t been spotted on the front page of a tabloid for a while when she decided to step out with a giant fur block on her head in October 2013. This crazy outfit included a beak (was she trying to mimic Big Bird?) and she wore fur sleeves to match which led to a public outcry. Animal rights organization PETA even called out the star for wearing fur products but she insisted that she “hated and didn’t wear fur”.
6. Mocking the Catholic Church in “Judas” and “Alejandro” Video
The Joanne singer stirred up controversy amongst religious groups with her shocking videos for Judas and Alejandro. Like the lyrics weren’t controversial enough (Judas is the demon I cling to), Gaga’s visuals for the clips showed her dressing up as a nun and priest and swallowing rosary beads. The president of The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights even went as far to say “She is trying to rip off Christian idolatry to shore up her talentless, mundane and boring performances.” Ouch.
7. Attending the Met in Underwear
Either this fashion fanatic was running super late or was trying to make a very big statement when she attended the Met baseball game in her undies and an open Yankees tee. If her appearance wasn’t enough to create a stir, she was also captured swerving fans and paps off with her middle finger – charming!
8. Covered Herself in Blood on Stage
This drama queen gave the performance of a lifetime during her medley of Poker Face and Paparazzi at the MTV VMAs in 2009. She staggered around the stage with fake blood dripping out of her rib cage, staining her white gear until she collapsed into a heap as her finale. Talk about shock-factor!
9. She Threw Shade at Madonna
Mother Monster threw shade at the original pop princess by confirming that she didn’t try to rip off one of her songs (Express Yourself) with Born This Way. She backed this up by saying, “I don’t mean to disrespect Madonna… she’s a nice lady. And she’s had a fantastic, huge career. She’s the biggest pop star of all time. But I play a lot of instruments. I write all my own music. I spend hours and hours a day in the studio. I’m a producer. I’m a writer. What I do is different.” Was she insinuating that Madonna doesn’t write her own music? Cat claws out!
10. She Pretty Much Set Her Boobs On Fire
This crazy performance at the Much Music Awards in Toronto really sparked a lot of interest. Let’s just say she truly gave an electrifying performance. Gaga sported a very S&M attire when she decided to set her bra loose and let her boobs explode with fire. Each to their own, right?
11. Cancelling her Indonesian Tour
It’s no surprise that Gaga caused a stir with religious extremists in Indonesia, too. In 2012, the Poker Face singer was forced to cancel a tour in the country’s capital, Jakarta after a string of serious religious protests by Islamic groups. There were rallies in the country (yes, wow!) and the Islamist FPI had even threatened violence if Gaga went ahead and performed. Dubbing her a “devil’s messenger” who wears only a “bra and panties”, Lady Gaga was soon forced to cancel her tour for security concerns. There went more than 50,000 tickets…
12. Getting Booed By Fans At Perfume Launch In London
After rocking up over an hour late with a bad attitude at the launch of her perfume ‘Fame’ in London, fans turned on Gaga after she refused to pose for photographs with them. Controversially, she said she felt “overwhelmed” by their support – but clearly not moved enough to show them some attention. That doesn’t sound like her, though. Gaga loves her fans!
13. Cited By Chicago Police Department For “Indecent Exposure”
Cops stopped the daring diva in Chicago to let her know that walking out in hot pants and a bra was “indecent exposure” to which she replied “It’s fashion! I’m an artist!” Following the awkward event, the singer said, “It’s not that I don’t like pants. I just choose not to wear them some days. I think no pants is sexy. I love the naked human body. I was working in strip clubs when I was 18.”
14. Dressing as a Man, Hitting on Britney Spears
Many artists have alter egos – take Beyoncé’s Sasha Fierce for example. In 2011 at the MTV Video Music Awards, Gaga decided to let her alter ego, Jo Calderone loose. Unlike Beyonce’s who is a strong fearless, independent woman, Gaga’s is a creepy dude who hits on Britney Spears. Thankfully, she politely declined the invitation.
15. Taught Her Pet to Paint
Call me crazy, but isn’t it cruel to force a dog to paint by attaching pens to his legs? This is what Gaga did to see if her dog Fozzi could create a masterpiece. “She’s training up her beloved Fozzi to be an artist,” a source told The Sun. “She’s been attaching pens to his legs and popping him on to paper. All of her crew have been treated to a portrait by him,” they added.
16. Arriving at the AMAs on a Human Horse
The Applause singer is known for her grand entrances, but even this one was a shocker. Gaga arrived at the 2013 AMAs on a human horse! Wondering how that worked? The singer had her team dress in white and carry her down the red carpet. I hope they got paid time and a half for that!
17. Shaving and Tattooing Her Head In Public
That’s one way to bereave someone close to you I guess? But Gaga didn’t stop at a shaved head, she then proceeded to getting it tattooed live on stage during her ‘Fame’ perfume launch in New York. The Million Reasons star was inked with a huge angel cherub at the back of her head. Now that’s dedication!
Gaga has made it onto our list of worst celebrity tattoos! Find out which artwork it is!
18. Wearing a Live Cockroach Hat
The site of those dreaded little buggers make most of us squeamish – but not Gaga! It was rumored that the pop idol asked her designers to create a hat filled with cockroaches. Why, you may ask? Apparently, a study by New York students revealed that the insects “responded to her music” more compared to any other artist. Crazy as Gaga is, she ended up naming them her “real life monsters”. Wild, Gaga, wild!
19. Wearing Huge Animated Eyes
Not the ideal role model – Gaga set a new bug-eye trend in the video for her hit single Bad Romance. Flaunting frighteningly large eyes which were enhanced by digital editing, the superstar freaked many out with her cartoonish look. Some however, were inspired by the star’s huge animated eyes, leading teenagers across the country to replicate the look by wearing special Circle Lenses.
20. Threatened With Arrest In Russia
The controversy continued in Russia when Mother Monster was accused of spreading “pro-homosexual propaganda” with her single Born This Way. As homosexuality is a criminal offence in St Petersburg, Gaga was exposed to threats and a fine. She confirmed that she wasn’t there to cause a stir but to unite people.
Despite these shocking moments, Gaga still remains one of the highest-selling female artists and is undeniably talented – take a look at her best live performances for instance! It’s safe to say that Lady Gaga hasn’t failed to entertain. Whether you love her or hate her, these priceless moments will go down in the history of celeb controversies.
Which crazy stunt is your favorite? Join in on the conversation below to let us know…
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