Lady Gaga speaks out on 'Secretly a Man' rumor in new interview

Lady Gaga has finally addressed one of the most persistent rumors that followed her early in her career — claims that she was secretly a man. 

The 38-year-old pop icon opened up about the falsehood during her recent appearance on Netflix's new series What's Next? The Future With Bill Gates.

In episode two, Gaga sat down with the 68-year-old billionaire and philanthropist to reflect on the bizarre rumor and her reaction to it.

The singer, who recently premiered her Joker sequel at the Venice Film Festival, revealed that she wasn’t fazed by the speculation about her gender.

"I was used to lies being printed about me," she said, brushing off the rumor as just another tabloid falsehood. 

She went on to emphasize that, in comparison to the kind of bullying and discrimination many people face for their gender and sexuality, the rumor felt like "small potatoes."

"Almost every interview I did, no matter where I was in the world, I’d be asked, There’s this doctored imagery online, rumors that you’re a man. 

What do you have to say about that?" she shared.

Despite the relentless speculation, Gaga revealed why she chose not to engage with the baseless questions. "I didn’t answer because I didn’t feel like a victim. 

I thought, What about a kid facing that kind of accusation, who might think I’d feel shame?" she explained.