Lady Gaga has addressed a Facebook group created years ago by some of her former classmates, who ridiculed her aspirations of becoming a star. The pop icon, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, briefly attended NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts before dropping out in 2005 to pursue a music career. At the time, she was performing under her now-famous stage name Lady Gaga. As the word of her ambitions quickly spread among her peers, they created a Facebook group titled “Stefani Germanotta, you will never be famous,” where members mocked her performances and belittled her dreams of stardom.
Recently, a TikTok video showing screenshots of the now-deleted group went viral. The video also highlighted Lady Gaga’s incredible accomplishments over the years, including her 13 Grammy Awards, an Oscar and a host of other prestigious accolades.
In a rare comment on the viral video, Gaga addressed the hate she faced during her early years. “Some people I went to college [with] made this way back when. This is why you can’t give up when people doubt you or put you down—gotta keep going,” the “Die With a Smile” singer wrote, offering words of encouragement to those facing similar challenges.
Gaga’s journey to fame was far from instant. After leaving college, she started performing small gigs in New York City, determined to make a name for herself. Just a few years later, in 2008, she released her breakthrough album The Fame, which spawned chart-topping hits like “Just Dance” and “Poker Face.”
In 2016, one of Gaga’s former classmates, Lauren Bohn, reflected on the Facebook group and how its members went out of their way to mock the singer. Bohn recalled seeing a flyer for one of Gaga’s gigs that had been stomped on, with the muddy imprint of a shoe barely obscuring her name. Bohn praised Gaga for overcoming the negativity and staying true to her dreams.
Since those early days, Lady Gaga has become one of the most decorated artists in music. In addition to her 13 Grammy Awards, she won an Oscar for her co-writing and performance of “Shallow” from A Star Is Born. She has also landed five No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and six No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200, including Born This Way and Chromatica.
Her latest hit, “Die With a Smile,” a collaboration with Bruno Mars, soared to the No. 1 spot on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts. Gaga was also honored as Billboard’s Woman of the Year in 2015.
