Lady Gaga has shared why she never directly refuted the rumors suggesting she was actually a man, which clung to her as persistently as the unforgettable VMAs meat dress. 

The pop icon addressed the pervasive rumors, which also led to speculation about her being intersex, during an episode of the new Netflix docuseries, What’s Next? The Future With Bill Gates.

When questioned by the Microsoft founder (and current TV host?) about whether misinformation had ever impacted her life, Lady Gaga brought up the enduring speculation regarding her gender, which intensified in the early 2010s. 

Gaga expressed that she “didn’t feel like a victim with that lie.” (Image: Stephane Cardinale/Getty Images)

Gaga spoke about the “doctored” images of herself circulating online at the time, explaining to Gates that in “almost every interview I sat in… they were like, ‘There are rumors that you’re a man. What do you have to say about that?’”. 

Although Gaga never outright debunked the claims — instead giving sarcastic (and hilarious) responses that have now become part of pop culture history — she has now explained that her choice to steer clear of the subject was to shield her young fans. 

“The reason I didn’t answer the question was because I didn’t feel like a victim with that lie”, Gaga stated.

“I thought, what about a kid who’s being accused of that, who might think a public figure like me would feel ashamed?”. 

Gaga, being the nurturing figure she is, further explained that “addressing a rumor” like the one about her gender “was not in the best interest of the well-being of other people”.

Instead, Gaga said she responded by being “thought-provoking and disruptive in another way”, and “used the misinformation to create another disruptive point”.  

This led to a memorable 2011 interview with CNN, in which Gaga stated “my fans don’t care [about my gender] and neither do I.”

Even for an artist behind an anthem like “Born This Way”, that response has aged remarkably well, much better than a meat dress likely crawling with salmonella by now. 

In any event, the Joker: Folie à Deux star also told Gates that she has become quite accustomed to “lies being printed about me”, which earlier this year included (false) fan speculation about her being pregnant.

Of course, since a mother’s work is never done, that prompted another predictably iconic response from Gaga, who swiftly denied the rumors and confirmed that, unfortunately, there are no little monsters on the way.

One rumor Gaga hasn’t yet confirmed or denied is a potential collaboration with Chappell Roan, but I doubt any of us are truly ready for that potential mother-off.

Images via Netflix and CNN.