5 Red Flags In Lady Gaga's Relationships Before She Found Her Happy Ending

While Lady Gaga has been successful at what seems like everything, she hasn't always had the easiest time when it comes to love. The singer went through many tumultuous relationships over the years, before finding her happily-ever-after in 2024 with businessman Michael Polansky, who she met in December 2019. The two navigated the relentless public attention that's placed on any of Gaga's relationships, but managed it successfully. Following their engagement, the "Poker Face" singer spoke candidly about why their relationship is so special. "He just loves the whole me," she said on Good Morning America. "I learn a lot from him. He's so supportive. He's got an incredibly kind heart." Later, she added, "Being in a partnership with your best friend, I feel like, is a huge blessing. And I couldn't imagine, like, going through life with anyone but him, honestly."

Gaga might seem bullet-proof. She certainly has a fearlessness to her. Lady Gaga is famous for her over-the-top outfits. However, she has a soft side that might be initially hard to detect under her incredible stage persona. Public criticism can be a merciless thing — in fact, Taylor Swift once stepped in to defend Gaga in this context — while relationship upheavals have been really hard on her. Thankfully, due to her happy relationship with Polanky, Gaga's beyond that now, but it doesn't mean bad romance isn't a part of her history. 

While some age gap relationships can defy the odds, the dynamic between Lady Gaga and music producer Rob Fusari was evident of the standard. Fusari, who was 18 years Gaga's senior, offered to help launch her career. He soon became an influential figure in the singer's first record deal and co-wrote some of her early songs, including "Paparazzi." While it can be beneficial for partners to support each other's career, sometimes, it can create an unequal power dynamic, especially if they also have an existing professional relationship. When the pair broke up, things turned sour, resulting in a series of lawsuits. Fusari sued Gaga for $30.5 million dollars, claiming that he didn't receive his fair share of royalties and merchandise profits. He even went as far as to take credit for coming up with her stage name. Gaga countersued him, claiming that the contract they signed in 2006, early on in her career, was illegal. The New York Supreme Court ended up dismissing the case.

Obviously, the hostile ending of their relationship was harrowing for Gaga. Not only that, but Fusari's attitude that he was responsible for her success was disheartening and demeaning for the artist. Gaga touched on this concept broadly while speaking on Good Morning America. "As a woman in music, there was a lot of people that were like, 'Oh, this is who made her' or 'This is what made her,'" Gaga said, articulating the dehumanizing experience of others taking credit for her efforts. Speaking of her 2025 album MAYHEM, Gaga said: "So I went into the studio and I went in with confidence. And I was like, 'No, no. I made me, me." That sense of ownership from that relationship must have been a challenging thing to shake. 

Lady Gaga began dating drummer and bartender Luc Carl 2005 after meeting at the New York City bar St. Jerome's. At the time, the singer's career was just starting to take off, and the two had an on-again, off-again relationship that lasted for six years. Years later, in 2012, Carl published a memoir called "The Drunk Diet: How I Lost 40 Pounds... Wasted" where he spoke about his relationship with Gaga. He claimed that Gaga shoved her fame in his face and that her fame made her difficult to shake when they had broken up.

Allegedly, in one of their efforts at getting back together, Carl broke up with girlfriend Alex Stebbins to reunite with Gaga. However, it appeared as though Carl hadn't sufficiently cut ties, because Gaga later found out that he was still connected to Stebbins. One of the biggest red flags in a relationship is someone who can't let go from their ex, as it signals a lack of commitment and respect. This could also lead to further dishonesty down the line. Clearly, Carl wasn't what Gaga was looking for, and the two parted ways for good.

In 2008, Lady Gaga dated Matthew "Dada" Williams, an American designer and creative force. In fact, he was influential in shaping Gaga's disco-princess era, and became the creative director of Haus of Gaga. "He's the inspiration of the beginning of my fashion," Gaga once said, per Rolling Stone. Dada's creative force was so powerful, in fact, that this was the reason that they had to split up.

"Dada is quite brilliant and we were crazy lovers, but I stopped it when we discovered what a strong creative connection we had. I didn't want it just to be about careless love," Gaga said of their connection in Paul Lester's book "Lady Gaga: Looking For Fame: The Life Of The Pop Princess." Gaga didn't want to tarnish their creative collaborative power by relationship drama, and decided to part ways. It certainly is a good lesson that opposites attract; Dada and Gaga had too much in common for their relationship to flourish. But it's also a good reminder of how a relationship that is hot and heavy with passion can easily mask other incompatibility issues. Additionally, starting a romance with someone who you know in a professional capacity opens up the floodgates for potential power struggles down the line. Dada ended up moving on from Haus of Gaga, and in 2020, he was acquired by Givenchy as Creative Director. 

Lady Gaga and Taylor Kinney, actor and model, started dating in 2011 after meeting on the set of her "Yoü and I" music video. They got engaged on Valentine's Day in 2015 with a heart-shaped engagement ring. However, in July 2016, the two called off their engagement and parted ways. Gaga had begun work on her film "A Star is Born" and the new project seemed to throw them off as a couple. In her Netflix documentary, "Gaga: Five Foot Two," she spoke about how they began fighting more, as soon as she started acting. Later, she noticed how spikes in her fame broke down her relationships. "I sold 10 million [records] and lost Matt. I sold 30 million and lost Luke," Gaga began. "I did a movie and lose Taylor. It's like a turnover. This is the third time I've had my heart broken like this." So it seemed as though the more successful Gaga became, the more her relationships suffered.

Gaga wouldn't be alone in this experience. Some research suggests that men resent when their partner becomes more successful than them. As relationship therapist Rhian Kivitz told Glamour, "Problems can arise when the woman's success surpasses the man's, and he feels like his own deficits are being exposed." But make no mistake, this kind of jealousy can point to an insecure, fragile ego, which can lead them to not treat you the way you deserve.

Gage touched on this element of mutual ambition in an Instagram post that she shared in July 2016 about her and Kinney's breakup. "We are both ambitious artists, hoping to work through long-distance and complicated schedules to continue the simple love we have always shared," she wrote. While her Instagram post still sounded hopeful, Gaga and Kinney split for good. Career pressures and long distance work became too much for the couple.

Lady Gaga began dating talent agent Christian Carino in February 2017 and the two became secretly engaged along the way, officially confirming the big step in October 2018. There was talk of their wedding plans, but Gaga was busy with all of the hype around her film "A Star Is Born" and so they put a hold on preparing for the big day. Then in early 2019, fans began speculating that Gaga and Carino had split. In February 2019, her rep confirmed to ET that they had indeed broken up. 

Initially, Gaga remained low-key about the split, and claimed nothing bad happened but things just didn't work out. Later, however, more was revealed. A source told Us Weekly in March 2019 that things were a little more serious behind closed doors. "Chris didn't treat Gaga very well toward the end of their [two-year] relationship," the insider said. "Gaga was the one who broke things off" the source went on. "He was jealous. He was trying to find her all the time and texted her a lot. Her friends didn't like him either." So the combination of not treating Gaga well and his ongoing feelings of jealousy, plus the lack of support from friends all speak to serious red flags in this relationship. Thankfully, Gaga would go on to meet Michael Polansky in December 2019, and go on to find the supportive, loving relationship that she deserves.