In a documentary released online on Friday, American singer Lady Gaga revealed that she was raped and held captive for "months" by a music producer when she was 19 years old. The New York singer had previously disclosed the assault by the producer early in her career, an event that has left her with post-traumatic stress disorder, which she still experiences today, although she claims to have managed to overcome it.
In the documentary "The Me You Don’t See," which she co-produced for Apple TV with renowned host Oprah Winfrey and British Prince Harry, she shared her experience, saying, "I was 19 years old. I had just entered the music industry, and one of the producers told me, 'Take off your clothes.'"
She added, "I said no and left. They told me they would burn all my songs. They didn't stop asking me. So, I froze and just (...) I don’t even remember." The 35-year-old singer reiterated that she doesn't want to disclose the identity of her assailant because "I don’t want to see that person again."
Lady Gaga stated that this producer raped her and held her captive "for months" before leaving her near her parents' home while she was pregnant, but she did not specify what she did with the pregnancy.
Stephanie Germanotta, which is her real name, continued that she suffered a mental health crisis "years later" that landed her in the hospital, where she realized she was experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder from what had happened to her.
She explained that these struggles made her want to harm herself, estimating it took her two and a half years of therapy to manage these urges. She said, "I learned all the means to get out" of the crisis.
