2 days ago
Fact Check: Video of Lady Gaga kissing female heckler is a scene for the Joker sequel
A video of Lady Gaga kissing a heckler who told the American singer she was going to hell has been shared online without the context that it shows a movie scene being filmed.
The video shows Gaga walking up a flight of stairs and stopping sharply when a woman yells: 'You are going to hell'. The Poker Face star walks back to confront the woman, grabbing her cheeks and kissing her on the mouth.
The video was shared in mid-May with the caption, opens new tab: 'I love this!,' adding, 'You know… seriously… before you throw stones, maybe you should look at your own judgmental heart.'
In June, the video continued to be shared without context, and some Facebook posts suggested it was evidence of an assault.
But the video shows Gaga filming a scene for Joker: Folie a Deux,, opens new tab a movie musical and sequel starring Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker, the infamous DC Comics villain. Gaga played the Joker's love interest, Harleen Quinzel, aka Harley Quinn.
The woman kissed by Gaga is Jennifer Lamb-Hewitt, opens new tab, a professional actress, stunt performer and stunt coordinator, who told Reuters the video shows a fictional scene.
'In the spring of 2023 I was cast in an acting role that required me to receive a kiss from the amazing Lady Gaga,' Lamb-Hewitt said in an email. 'The scene was great fun to film, and a wonderful experience. As a proud parent of pansexual young adults, this opportunity was an honor.'
Other videos of the same scene show cameras and crew, opens new tab members around. The film's director, Todd Phillips, also appears alongside, opens new tab Gaga after the shot ends.
Phillips told Entertainment Weekly, opens new tab in 2024 that the scene did not make it to the final cut of the movie. He said he realised he wanted the moment to be a musical one, not one with dialogue.
Representatives for Gaga, Phillips and Warner Bros Discovery, the parent company of Warner Bros Pictures, which produced the film, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Missing context. The video shows Lady Gaga shooting a movie scene.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work.
