The NY Post has a new cover story on Lady Gaga today, with actual unbelievable quotes from Lady Gaga, taken during a sworn deposition in a lawsuit filed against her by a former personal assistant. The assistant, Jennifer O’Neill, is suing Gaga for $393,000, plus damages, for what she claims is 7,168 hours unpaid overtime. O’Niell made a salary of $75,000 a year. This story reminds me of the recent NY Times expose on Lindsay Lohan in that it’s impossible to do it justice in some excerpts, you really have to read it in its entirety because it’s epic. The amount of self aggrandizement from Gaga is astonishing, she’s so ridiculous it sounds like a parody. This is a window onto a level of narcissism and entitlement that I wouldn’t believe was possible if it didn’t come from a reliable source. I mean you could tell me Gaga was a diva and I’d believe you, but I honestly wouldn’t imagine she was such an awful one. Here are some excerpts, and again I can’t begin to do it justice, even though a big chunk of the story is below. All of these quotes are directly from Lady Gaga, given in a sworn deposition:
She’s not the queen of the universe, I am
Lady Gaga unloaded on a former personal assistant who’s suing her for overtime pay — blasting the woman in a sworn deposition as a “f–king hood rat who is suing me for money that she didn’t earn.”“She’s just — she thinks she’s just like the queen of the universe.”
“And, you know what, she didn’t want to be a slave to one, because in my work and what I do, I’m the queen of the universe every day..
“This whole case is bulls–t, and you know it,” she added.
But under questioning, she conceded her decision not to pay overtime wasn’t based on labor laws, but is “actually based on a bubbly, good heart.”
Why Gaga doesn’t pay overtime
“I’m quite wonderful to everybody that works for me, and I am completely aghast to what a disgusting human being that you have become to sue me like this,” she said.“Because she slept in Egyptian cotton sheets every night, in five-star hotels, on private planes, eating caviar, partying with [photographer] Terry Richardson all night, wearing my clothes, asking YSL [Yves Saint Laurent] to send her free shoes without my permission, using my YSL discount without my permission…”
“I expect there to be a certain level of, like, you know, knowledge and academia about, like, your job,” she said.
Gaga — who now has two personal assistants — said a good assistant “is somebody that can anticipate what you need before you need it, so they buy it for you, or they — they set it up for you.”
But Gaga said O’Neill failed at even the most basic of tasks, noting that “one of the biggest problems I had with Jen is that I felt like she didn’t enough lay out all my stuff for me” while traveling, because “there is 20 bags and there is only one me, and I can’t sift through everything.
It was stressful to Gaga to have to unpack luggage
“She would only open a couple of bags, and it was very stressful for me because then again on my off days I couldn’t really have a day off because, you know, I weigh 115 pounds, and I was trying to move these huge, big luggages all by myself in the room, and I did it all the time — by the way, she was asleep until 12:00 most of the time, so I was very often waking up and moving my own luggage and doing s–t by myself, and it was — it was a problem that I had,” she said.And while previous assistants “would like set up my room, and I would know where my clothes were, I would know where my toothbrush was, I would know where my soap and everything was,” Gaga said that when O’Neill “got lazy she didn’t always do those things for me.
“I can’t walk down the street and go buy myself toiletries, I have to call security, I’ve got to call Jen or now I got to call Wendi, I’ve got to get a whole bunch of people together to help me fix the problem, which wouldn’t happen if she was doing her job properly on regular days,” Gaga said.
Gaga also portrayed O’Neill as an ingrate who took for granted the parties, “five-star hotels” and other luxuries — including “caviar, champagne and yachts” — that she got to enjoy as part of Gaga’ s entourage.
“It is, like, such an amazing luxury that I get to travel the world and have planes, she doesn’t even see what a luxury it is, but she thinks it’s owed to her for no reason,” the singer said.
Gaga is so wonderful to her employees
At one point, Gaga bragged about how the night before, her employees enjoyed a “beautiful $3,000 meal that I paid for” at Spiaggia in Chicago, billed as the only four-star Italian eatery in the Windy City.Gaga said she picked up the tab “just because,” noting, “They were on their day off, and they all just wanted to be with me.”
Again why she doesn’t have to pay overtime
She also insisted that all her employees work only an eight-hour day — while also noting, “This job is a 9-to-5 job that is spaced out throughout the day…”Rather than paying off O’Neill, Gaga said, “I’m going to give all the money that she wants to my employees that work hard for me now that deserve it.
“I’m not going to give it to her so she can go to Intermix and buy herself a new tube top,” the snippy superstar groused.
While the court papers don’t detail the start of their relationship, Gaga said it ended when, during a flight to Paris, O’Neill slept in one of two beds on Gaga’s jet.
This assistant was greedy for wanting to sleep in a bed
“Most of my assistants in the past always offered it to my mother or my family,” the singer said. “Jennifer was the first person that never offered it to anybody and always took it for herself.”Afterward, “we partied until 5 in the morning, we got s–t hammered, I was crawling on the streets in Paris, I was screaming.
“Jennifer was there. She hung out all night with me and Terry Richardson, and tons of socialites from Paris, and she had the time of her life,” Gaga said.
The next morning, Gaga said, she “barely could talk” but had to fly back to America that night — “I mean, what a rock-star moment, right?”
But on the flight back, Gaga said, O’Neill insisted on sleeping in the second bed and “completely, like, flipped out at me, beyond belief” when “I told her no.”
“This is really inappropriate in front of Terry Richardson”
“I said, ‘Jennifer, this is really inappropriate in front of Terry Richardson,’ and she was like, ‘Don’t I get some sort of seniority because I’ve been here longer and I’m your friend?’ ” Gaga said.“And I remember those words as clear as day, because when your best friend looks you in the eye and says ‘Why can’t I have that seat on your private plane, I’m your friend,’ the first thing I thought was ‘You’re not my f–king friend.’ ”
“You are not my f–king friend.”
“This is really inappropriate in front of Terry Richardson.” As if that guy is known for even a modicum of decorum.
The first couple of lines kind of sum the whole story up. Gaga is pissed because her assistant overstepped her bounds, because an employee thought she was Gaga’s equal and wanted to be treated the same and paid overtime. No one is Gaga’s equal, she’s “The Queen of The Universe,” which is exactly how she phrased it. Only Gaga’s fame is waning in comparison to how popular she once was. That’s got to make her even more angry, entitled and bitchy. I’m amazed. What’s that saying – you meet the same people on the way up as you do on the way down? I’m sure this isn’t the only person that Gaga has alienated. Don’t question the benevolent dictator or she’ll get very, very mad. How dare you want to sleep in a bed? Aren’t you grateful for the scraps she throws you from her banquets? This woman is from another planet entirely.
Update: A lot of you are noting that the assistant may be just as out of line for asking for overtime and expecting perks as part of her very well paid job. I don’t disagree, I just got so sidetracked by how ludicrous Gaga was.
Thanks to A for the tip!
Lady Gaga is shown out shopping on 1-21-13 (floral dress) and out in London on 10-8-12 (witchy). Credit: Fame Flynet
Not everyone is entitled to overtime. Many times assistants are exempt employees, meaning they are exempt from labor laws. If they were drawing a salary, and not paid hourly, it is possible they aren’t due overtime. Traveling isn’t usually considered “working” and assistants to not get paid for that time.
I find it odd that Gaga is testifying about this, and not the person/company that runs her payroll. It isn’t as if Gaga would be collecting the timesheets and administering payroll.
I have read so many stories about the horror of working for the rich and famous and the sh*t you have to go through to even get to lick their boots. Money, or not, why would you want to put up with that? Maybe to sell your story to the tabloids after you get fired? That’s an idea.
I read an anauthorized Madonna’s biography and the author mentions some horrible little stories about Madonna treating her secretary like a piece of crap. So I totally buy this story about Gaga.
Can you give me some websites where i can read those stories? I’m very interested!
Ah true! I worked for a French celebrity for a while, taking care of her children. They don’t expect to pay for anything. They thought because they flew me places, they didn’t have to pay. But the thing is, if I’m in charge of her kids at any time, it costs them. If I’m in charge of them at night, it costs them. If I’m in charge of them on the airplane, it costs them. They aren’t my kids. That’s what so many people don’t get about a nanny:
It’s not actually my kid. I have zero responsibility for that child unless I was being paid.
And flying somewhere is part of the job and something the employee needs to expect as a cost. I didn’t ask to be flown around, so it wasn’t ‘payment’. If I asked for the ticket, then I could understand it.
These types are all the same. I ended up quitting because nothing was worth the price of that nonsense.
Lady Gaga’s attitude and behaviour is the norm for rich and famous folks.
It’s not right, but something happens to them when they get a taste of fame. Even Z-listers are that awful and entitled.
She’s lucky she received such a high salary thrown into the crap she had to endure.
Oprah has said before that when someone gets super famous/wealthy, they have the same personality as they did prior to fame and fortune, just magnified. If someone was a self entitled douche before fame, they are even more so after fame. If someone is a genuinely nice and gracious person before fame, this is also magnified. Look at Tom Hanks. I guarantee you you’ll never read anything like this about him.
“Move those bags, I’m Lady Gaga”. As Lainey said, this explains why she and Blohan are friends. What an @sshole.
I literally do not know anyone who doesn’t like Tom Hanks!
That girl – i can believe that. I also think that whilst we all have a certain level of narcissism, the kinds of people who have the drive to be famous are MORE narcissistic than regular people and so when the fame/wealth happens, and people start kissing up to them, it validates their self-opinion. And like you say, magnifies it.
Child stars are a little different because the problem seems to be that they never learn to temper their inbuilt narcissism. Couple that with being told they are special every day that they are producing results, and you have the recipe for disaster.
As someone who has worked in the entertainment industry around people who are rich and famous – both before and during – I can say for certain that all the money and ass-kissing goes to people’s heads and changes them. Even the most humble and well-intentioned can get caught up in believing their own hype and treating “the help” like dirt. But in this hyper-speed life & times we’re in, we can only hope that one day karma comes around and those people end up broke and/or friendless with half-cocked mugshots plastered all over the internet. I mean, look around. Chances are pretty good, right?
I must disagree with the OP. Overtime is dictated on whether the employee is management or not generally. You can’t just choose to pay someone a flat salary and say that be because it’s salaried no overtime is paid. Could the assistant make any decisions on her own? Did she have complete control over her job? Did she supervise others? Those are things that determine someone is management or simply an employee. I would argue that the assistant was an employee and therefore entitled to OT.
Oh, and $75,000 to put up with Lady Gaga and her mess? Not a good salary at all in my opinion. Tack an extra zero onto that salary and then we can talk.
Actually, that is not true. Jennifer was an employee and most likely exempt. My position is exempt, meaning, if I work 75 hours a week, I get no OT.
If she were non-exempt, she would be entitled to OT. It would be insane to pay someone who flies the world round with you and is your personal assistant hourly. 75K IMO is kind of low for what that chick had to do, but she accepted the offer.
I don’t know where you are getting this from, but your information is not correct. There are a number of positions or professions where the employee is exempt from overtime laws.
Well, I’m a labor lawyer and the comments on this cite are mostly wrong. She would clearly be entitled to overtime for hours actually worked because the applicable exemptions don’t come close to fitting (executive, professional, and managerial- you have to be supervising other people). There are clear rules about pay during travel too, you don’t have to pay overtime if someone is off-regular schedule and a passanger rather than the driver. So a night time plane ride is not paid unless she was required to work. Little miss gaga is going to be paying through her nose.
@Typical is right. The 3 general exemptions are “administrative,”
“executive” and “professional.” The administrative category requires non manual work and general discretion/authority to bind the company. This is the category the assistant could, possibly, fall into so as to not be entitled to overtime. Gaga’s testimony on what the assistant does is actually important (the perks are totally irrelevant).
$75,000 is definitely not worth what the assistant was probably really put through. Opening bags? Please.
And no obviously – “they were not f-king friends”.
Sounds like Gaga has an entitlement disorder.
And a love for Terry Richardson.
Also “perks” are not “wages.” If you are working hard (assuming she was), under stress, etc. you can have all the luxuries in the world but they are part of your work – doesn’t mean you don’t still get paid. However, I don’t know if she is entitled to overtime or not – just that Lady Gaga saying basically she was so lucky to get to do these things is bizarre. I worked in entertainment, I can’t even imagine that. Yes, they come with the territory and you can have fun, sure.
p.s. yes, most assistants are very clear about what they need to do and go the extra mile to do so in those positions. Just doesn’t seem like a good scenario all the way around.
Agree. What I don’t understand is why Gaga’s publicist would think this deposition is a good idea. Even if Gaga wins, she loses. This makes her look terrible. She comes across as a monster. Wait…
Bobbie’s right. Just because you are on salary and not hourly does not mean you can’t get overtime. Especially when someone’s working as many hours as this woman apparently did.
As a former payroll and benefits manager, I am also boggled that Gaga was allowed, or advised, to take the stand. This should be a cut and dry case. You are either exempt or non exempt, and Federal Labor Laws determine your status. I just reread the law, and it seems that the $75,000 salary would preclude O’Neill being a non exempt employee who is entitled to overtime. I will be watching with great interest, having been audited by the Feds at one point. I learned the law thoroughly after that.
Not sure that’s correct, sassy. In some instances you can get overtime if it’s constant and required.
But you sure as heck are correct about Lady Gaga. She needs to fire her lawyers if that’s how thy coached her to respond in the deposition.
If she was subpoena’d, she had to testify. Civil actions and admin proceedings are mandatory.
Apparently, Lady Gaga and the personal assistant agreed that she will not be paid overtime prior to her working for Lady Gaga. If that is the case, then well….
I mean if it;s in the contract, then the personal assistant knew what she getting into.
I hope someone with more expertise corrects me if i am on the wrong track here, but even if no overtime pay is agreed upon in a contract, if it goes against labor laws, then the employee is still entitled to overtime.
Yes, labor laws trump employee/employer “agreements” regarding overtime pay.
Add me to the crowd. Just because they agreed no overtime, doesn’t mean she isn’t owed it. After all, they may have made the agreement before this woman knew what she was really getting into.
After having worked as a Nanny for the rich and shameless, I would say that there is no one less grateful than a rich person using “the help” to get the shit they hate doing, done.
Its a fukkin thankless job, and there is no one more tightfisted than a rich person. They give you shit you didn’t necessarily want and then they expect you to be grateful! *SMH*
Gaga is rubbish anyway. Who cares. She is full of herself and the PA must have just gotten fed up and started behaving like her boss because of how thankless she was.
“I took them for a 3000 dollar meal” er, more like Gaga was the one who didn’t want to be alone on their day off and so dragged them out with this reason!
Bollocks.
WOW! Just Wow.
Yup. Wow is all I can say.
Exactly! This bitch is thinking that she owns this girl and her life because she pays her 75,000$ and gives her to taste lifestyle of rich and the famous. This girl should get 100 times more. Do you really want to deal with someone like lady gag 24/7 365 days/year? I don’t.
….and people think THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA is a fable.
She sounds horrible, damn.
Like the assistants shouldn’t get overtime cause they’re so blessed just to be around her.
Ugh, that’s not what the law says.
I think someone is gonna be paying up
Gaga maybe be the queen of her own planet, but the assistant is 100% to blame.
She WANTED to work for her. She took liberties other employees would have been fired on the spot for.
Gaga treated her well and she got comfortable. Started slacking off. I don’t like gaga, but i can’t find her in the wrong here. Maybe just for not firing her sooner. That’s it.
She did pay for a lot too. She didn’t have to. Didn’t Beyonce make her assistants and back up dancers pay for their own rooms and travel expenses?
Wow…you must be Lady Gaga!
i agree. I can’t stand the Gaga, but clearly this girl enjoyed the perks of the job but didn’t like to pay her dues.Contacting a designer for a discount? And if her job is to lay out all of her stuff, sounds reasonable to me. I would totally expect that from an assistant that is the JOB!
Sounds like this girl is not professional.
Don’t agree on this one Alexandra. Just because you’re famous and the PA gets perks doesn’t excempt Gaga from legal requirements.
The person’s job performance is another issue entirely.
The issue is not this girls work performance, it is whether she is exempt from overtime- which sounds like she deserves to be paid overtime according to the law.
I dont care if you fly me on a private jet, pay me my money that i lawfully deserve! A ride on a private jet doesnt pay my rent.
Love the bed jet story. The assistant sounded hung over
TEAM GAGA! Sounds like someone forgot their role as an ASSISTANT.
An assistant in my opinion has the right to sleep in a bed.
Private jets have really luxurious seats and couches that recline. It’s not like she was forced to sleep on the floor.
As much as I don’t like Terry Richardson, if an employer is on a private jet then the guest should really have the bed. Like her or not, Gaga is the person who earned the money to charter the jet so it is up to her. As Alexandra said, any seat on a private jet would be super comfy.
But yeah, Gaga sounds like a narcissistic freak.
I’m inclined to agree. While I’m sure Gaga is pretty hard to manage, it sounds like the assistant was taking quite a few liberties with her position. It’s really unprofessional to demand things for yourself from a star’s friends and use a star’s discounts without their permission.
It sounds like she was able to go and do a lot of things with Gaga which “regular” people aren’t allowed to do simply by virtue of being her assistant. I’m sure she had a blast while she was doing it, she’s just pissed off because she got fired and the gravy train ended.
And oh no, you had to sleep in a luxury seat on a private jet instead of one of the fancy beds, I feel horrible for you. Try sleeping in the sardine can that’s coach.
Nope. Gaga forgot her role as a responsible employer.
All I can hear is the “thats rally inappropriate in front of terry richardson” uhm google I miss the old terry on tumblr. Theres snot much terry richardson can deem inappropriate
She sounds delightful!
Just. Wow.
On the other hand, if you are beneficiary to that kind of perkage, StFu about “overtime”. I don’t get paid overtime on my job and the only perks I get are flex time and insurance rates that don’t quite ruin me.
I agree. I mean Gaga is horrible and thinks WAY too much of herself, but at the same time she’s… (girding my loins here) not wrong. The girl was an assistant, and was treated to all these finer things. It’s not like she was told to wait on the dock until Gaga got back from the yacht party – she was there too. I think this whole “unpaid overtime” thing is just because she’s angry at having been fired and removed from that luxe situation.
This is Gaga’s deposition. Wonder if we’ll get exerpts of the former assistant’s deposition? That might be even more entertaining.
I agree. Many people take and are extremely grateful and proud of crappy paying jobs that offer lots of perks. And $75,000 a year is not bad pay. I am by no means a Lady Gaga fan, I personally think she tries way to hard to be “hip” and “unique”, but I think everyone is misconstruing what she said. What I think she meant is, you are not the queen, you work for me and therefore I am to be treated as the queen. A lot of times when employers become too close of friends with their employees, the employees try to take advantage. They expect special treatment, are lazier about their work, and expect to be treated on the same level as the employer. But we all know, in a normal employer-employee relationship, that is not how it is. You do not treat your boss as your equal. Maybe sometimes, in some ways, but what they say goes. It seems to me like a friend/employee that was taking advantage and got spiteful when she was fired and decided to sue. Maybe because she was a friend, these things were annoying LG for awhile and finally came to a boiling point. My husband owns a company and he learned in the beginning that you can be friends with your employees, but not when it comes to the job.
Keep in mind that the assistant basically had no expenses – the tour picked-up the tab for travel, hotel and there’s always a catering table for the crew. Therefore, $75,000 would in fact be a substantial salary.
Yes, LG sounds a bit cray-cray with the “Queen of the Universe” thing. (BTW, that title has been bestowed upon my cat.) However, the assistant forgot she was there for a job. She was not a friend; she was an employee.
Team LG here.
First of all, I am not a Gaga fan AT ALL.
Second, I think she has to take partial responsibility for the situation because she did not set appropriate boundaries as an employer.
Third, the way she is speaking about the person and to the court is completely inappropriate . . .
But I did the math on the amount she is asking for for the number of hours worked and it is $54 an hour!
Are you kidding me? $54 an hour to put away clothes and buy toothpaste.
I have a hard time having sympathy for someone who thinks they deserve overtime pay for going out and getting trashed with the boss.
I’m not even thinking about the money and what this lawsuit is even about. After reading this I’m just shocked at what an egomaniac and brat Lady Gaga is. Did you read how she was talking in court and her actual quotes?! I guess you guys must have already known how she is bc that’s all I can think about. I’m not doing math and calculating numbers and $@*t.
If an employer requires an employee to travel for business, the employer pays. Period.
I honestly don’t get the laws in this country.
In my country, overtime MUST be paid. And I agree with that.
U.S. labor laws are pretty crappy compared to some labor laws in European countries.
And plenty of politicians in the U.S. are doing their damnedest to make those labor laws worse, i.e. Newt Gingrich and his “kids can be janitors” thing.
On the other hand John Edwards and his wife didn’t really pay their assistant a lot (he was the one who claimed paternity on Rielle Hunter’s daughter) either. He was their glorified gofer and he did everything for them. Johnny just promised him a big job when he becomes POTUS. We know how that ended up.
Sorry but if people are at your beck and call, you better pay them what’s prescribed under the labor laws. If not, you can go live in a third world country and hire people for 10 cents an hour.
I do not agree. She was employed by Gaga and is therefore owed what she earned. If Gaga had said upfront that there is no overtime and that was in her contract, that makes perfect sense, but it sounds like that’s not the case. If Gaga wants to give her perks and pamper her employees, that’s her business, but she still has to pay them for the hours they worked! It sounds to me like she’s deluded about how many hours she requires them to work, and maybe not entirely upfront about what she expects (ie. unloading her suitcases), and in the end she thinks that being in her presence is enough pay (barf!).
Miss Thang,
Apparently,
‘During her videotaped Aug. 6 deposition, Gaga said none of her employees get paid overtime, adding that O’Neill “knew exactly what she was getting into, and she knew there was no overtime, and I never paid her overtime the first time I hired her, so why would she be paid overtime the second time?”’
Of that is the case, then I have no sympathy for the PA. If it is written in the contract that she does not get paid overtime.. then I’m with Gaga on this, and I hate Gaga.
Leen: Gaga’s contract doesn’t mean squaT IF it violates US labor laws.
bluhare, I don’t know how it works in the US but where I am from if you are on a salaried pay and it is in the contract that you are not entitled to overtime, then, you won’t be.
Leen, I’m not an expert but I think in the US, labor law would supersede a personal contract.
what an entitled biatch.
Just about all these people with fame and majority of the ones with riches are overly-entitled. Sad
Ehh, sadly all sorts of people in this society are/feel entitled. I’ve known way too many people living off the government that feel just as entitled.
Rich,Poor, Young, Old, entitlement is everywhere.
She certainly deserves every cent that is legally owed her but after that my heart isn’t bleeding for the assistant. Being outraged for her because LadyGaga is an inconsiderate diva is like being outraged for a life guard who has to get her hair wet. Any reasonable person would expect either one to be part of the job.
Gaga’s version isn’t so far from what most assistants to celebrities have to deal with if you ask them.
Always anticipate their crap, carry all their bags, be available 24/7, get the most AWESOME experiences and encounters but also deal with the most annoying selfish childish stupid crap.
It’s a job I’d never in a million years take, and a part of me sadly believes you get what you ask for when you become Gaga’s (Lindsey’s, Kim’s etc.) assistant. Hell on freaking earth.
I’m kinda on this side.
while I think gaga sounds just silly in some parts, the fact is this is her train.
if she is not able to do her job, no one gets paid. all the things gaga described as a PA’s job (working for gaga) well, yeah.
being her personal assistant is not going to be easy- she’s a superstar. and there are perks to it.
gaga has to balance things for her career that none of us can even begin to relate to- she’s a superstar. it’s not like being an assistant to even bill gates- this woman (gaga) is larger than life. If Jen expected anything less, then she’s a fool. she’s not a friend, you don’t pay your friends. she was an employee and it sounds to me like she thought she was more than she was, and didn’t like being put in her place.
weird, I don’t much even like her anymore, but team Gaga on this one.
WOW. WOW. WOW. WOW.
OH MY GOD. WOW. HOLY SHIT.
GAGA, EVEN IF YOU THINK THIS, DON’T SAY IT IN PUBLIC. THAT YOU THINK THAT THAT IS OKAY JUST SHOWS HOW CRAZY YOU ARE.
I think they both likely used each other. Gaga expecting her “employees” to work 24/7 and O’Neill taking advantage of things like free designer clothes, expensive hotels, etc. I think one of the reasons why O’Neill is now suing Gaga is because she misses that lifestyle she had become accustomed to and then was swiftly kicked out of. However, that does not excuse Lady Gaga’s disgusting comments (seriously, they are RECORDING you lady) and the likelihood that she really did think it was okay to have someone be at her beck and call and not compensate them for it.
I used to be a fan of Lady Gaga, but now I’m just tired of her. I’m tired of her entitlement, I’m tired of her not saying anything to her fans who bully other stars like Adele, and I’m tired of her schtick – she needs a serious imagine overhaul. No more silly costumes, no more posing and partying with Terry Richardson, and time for some SELF AWARENESS classes.
I think Gaga is totally unprofessional in how she is acting here…
However, I have to point out that she did tell her fans to back off on the Adele thing. I think she also defended Adele pretty strongly and said that she was a big fan of hers. I think she did this on radio and in another interview as well.
Thanks for pointing that out, I wasn’t sure if Gaga had ever really said anything about the Adele situation. Do you remember a few weeks ago when Kelly Osbourne said that Gaga’s fans torment her about her weight on Twitter? I know it sounds terrible of me, but I kind of think Gaga might have only apologized to Adele because she was called out on it. Is that possible? Because Gaga only commented on the Kelly Osbourne incident AFTER Kelly called her out. I wouldn’t be surprised if Gaga enjoys her fans picking on others, especially after reading her deposition recordings.
yes, I think she reacted only AFTER she was called on it. And let’s not forget her comment on Adele when discussing her own weight, which, in light of her fans bullying Adele, sounds even more wrong.
She only told her fans to back off when it had been going on and Gaga said nothing. It was only after she was called out publically about it that she addressed it.
This BiTcH is crazzzzzy!
I’m not a fan and never will be, after reading your article, I hope she, the kartrashian and Beyonce can ride a train to the middle of nowhere. Point. Blank. Period.
You left out RiRi. Please make sure her ass is on board too.
Yeah, I sense a meltdown coming soon. On a side note, no wonder her and Lindsay Lohan are friends, they are both delusional. As they say, “birds of a feather, flock together.”
Well, no one looks good in this.
I know, right!? reminds me of the Brandi-Eddie-LeAnn situation.
She doesn’t look good in that dress, either!
I love Gaga but someone has let the fame game go to their head. Wow!
And here she was, putting on this air of “I am the people, I am you” when all the while behind the scenes she was chewing people up and spitting them out. I’m not surprised. The fact that she called her fans her “little monsters” should have been the first clue.
I’m nauseated that she purchased a chunk of Neverland, because she is very un-Michael like, where he shared out of love. She gives with her teeth clenched. Couldn’t stand her when she first came on the scene, and now my feelings are solidified that she is a low life. Perhaps the fact that she is slowly fading away is testament to the true meaning of karma.
Dude I’m about to quit my job over overtime and such. For a long time I didn’t get paid overtime rates, or mileage. We got taken over and now i’m supposed to get that.
Well the “powers that be” (my old bosses) who still work for the company and are still over me are fighting it tooth an nail and now don’t want o pay me for my time when i’m driving 2 hours to a location that they mandated i need to be at. because “we should be paying for you driving” not to mention they are all over me for 1 minute of over time, but i cant leave early or take a longer lunch to counterbalance it.
I’m with the assistant. STFU Gaga. go wine else where about how privileged and crap you are. nobody wants to hear it. I hope the assistant not only wins, but gets awarded more money just because.
I believe thats against the law? If they don’t want to pay you mileage than you should have a company car? I mean, my company hates paying for it, but refuse to give me a company credit card & car so, they’re s-o-l..
and about Lady Gaga, she absolutely disgusting-I’m just waiting for her career to fade..
Not defending Gaga, but I didn’t think salaried workers every got over time. I thought it was only given to those who worked for hourly pay…
Actually, you are correct (at least at the company I work for, this is the case). Part of my job is doing payroll, and the higher ups get salaries instead of hourly wages. Even if they work overtime, they are not paid more. However, they do get perks of controlling their own schedules and nice fat bonuses throughout the year (and I’m not complaining, these people do work hard and often work very long days).
I have to add though, these people aren’t at the beck and call of the company owners though. They aren’t expected to cater to the bosses 24/7, which is what Gaga seems to expect.
Just because someone is salaried, doesn’t mean they aren’t entitled to overtime (in certain circumstances). They have to qualify under certain exemptions, assuming the Fair Labor Standards Act applies to the employer (there is a minimum employee requirement to apply).
Gaga will have one or more companies that handles all the business associated with her tours, etc. (so she isn’t personally liable for anything). The assistant was probably an employee for one of those companies. Gaga was deposed because (a) she’ll have knowledge of the hours/tasks performed by the assistant, and (b) it is a pressure point, forcing her to be deposed, and in a best case scenario for the assistant, as here, Gaga will say stupid things.
This case will in all likelihood now settle in fairly short order, regardless of whether the assistant is legally entitled to anything, because Gaga has shown her ass and her people won’t risk Gaga having to testify in court.
It is time for Gaga to go away. Her act needs to end.
I don’t really know how the laws work, but I am a salaried worker who gets OT. It can happen.
That’s because your company offered you paid OT. Most salaried workers do not get OT.
I think it’s partially dependent on your line of work. Certain professions are exempt.
Just because you let her be in your company and let her sleep in expensive sheets doesn’t mean you are legally off the hook from not paying extra hours. Assistants are not personal maids and slaves and they should not live to cater to people for free just because you let her ride your private jet. I’m sure even then she’s still on duty for you.
““I heard it. I immediately was so sick by it and upset that I turned over and went back to sleep.”
LMAO!
I don’t care one way or another whether the lady gets her overtime, but that was priceless, LMAO.
ITA!! She was so sickened, she just rolled over and slept? Not buying it, but thanks for the laugh Gaga.
It was one of those statements that I read and then thought ‘what?? I must have read that wrong’. Absolutely hysterical!
I see Gaga’s point. She’s saying, “Why should I pay overtime when this person is staying in (free) 5 star hotels, eating (free) meals, taking (free) flights, and so on?” She’s (Gaga’s) also at fault, though, for not drawing a clear enough line between friend and employee. It’s almost as if the assistant felt like she was part of a posse, and stopped thinking of Gaga as her boss. Sorry, but I’m with Gaga on this one. A friend of a friend was a personal assistant to the singer of one of the biggest bands around, and while I don’t know if she was being paid overtime, her job was basically 24/7 and she was responsible for everything Gaga mentions here. She was the gopher/go-between/slave, BUT on the other hand, she got a lot of perks and got to travel the world on tour. It’s not a job anyone could do…but it worked for her.
It isn’t “free” if you are expected to work the whole time, it is a requirement of your job.
Did she have the option to go sleep in her room in that 5 star hotel at any time? No? In that case it is simply lodging which is part of required work travel.
I can’t speak to the legalities of this particular case, but that is a weak defense in general.
Also, plastic hair is plastic. She can’t afford human hair?!
The assistant was doing all that because she was traveling on business. Business travel is paid by the employer. For Gaga to say it’s a perk is bullshit.
gaga does sound extremely bitchy and entitled, but i do agree with her on some points. if this woman was hired to be her PA and unpack her bags or lay her clothes out or whatever and wasn’t doing it, gaga has every right to complain.
as for if this woman is owed overtime…no idea depends on how she is paid. i get a salary, so if i decide or have to work outside my 8-4 schedule i cannot compalin to my bosses to give me more $$.
i did like the comment about terry richardson though; especially since he is the epitome of appropriateness.
Wasn’t there a story a while ago about how gaga is insane and made her assistant sleep in her bed with her? I would never be anyone’s personal assistant. Ever. People are too demanding and crazy.
My favorite line was that her assistant worked 9 to 5 “spead out throughout the day” – ridiculous. Her assistants are not people to her, but things – little robots that she controls.
She is disgusting and I hope that assistant gets a lot more money that what she asked for.
This. Exactly. That is code for “the assistant doesn’t have a life at all, because Gaga makes all the employment rules up as she goes along”. I recognize this SO well, as I work for a narcisstic ahole who controls my every breath and pays as little as possible (i’m a contract worker who doesn’t control her hours or where she works, and if I point it out, i am immediately threatened to have no more contract, effective immediately – and i won’t even receive the pay I already worked for).
I want to hear Gaga’s assistant’s side of the story!
Gaga sounds like a total c*nt for sure- but I see her point and if I were judge I’d probably rule in her favour. I feel like the assistant knew what she was getting into- well, she certainly did when she went back to work for Gaga a SECOND time!
75K a year is not nearly enough to be Gaga’s beck-and-call girl 24/7.
I have a Masters degree and I don’t make that much so I guess it is all relative.
I’m sure you have your own life outside of work though, no?
Of course. It’s tough to compare. I guess I’m just saying, considering she is an assistant, the big paycheck comes along with being some one’s personal gopher/on call all the time. It seems like she is being well compensated and should have known what she was getting herself into.
Hey, in my neck of the woods some nannies to the super rich are paid 70k plus, but I would imagine that job comes with its own benefits and drawbacks as well.
I agree, $75K isn’t that much. I work at a university and I know someone who makes $80K in her position as executive assistant to the Dean of Science. Sure, this woman has been in her job for about 40 years, but still, making $50-75K isn’t even unusual amongst administrative people in my workplace. If you consider the fact that the demands aren’t nearly as obnoxious as what someone who works for Lady Gaga would put up with, it makes it seem like Gaga should pay her assistants a lot more. And also taking into account how much Gaga herself earns — $75K is very small potatoes. I think a good personal assistant to a major celebrity deserves to make at least $100K; however, sounds like the woman who’s suing her wasn’t all that great at her job anyway.
Maybe I’m giving the university too much credit but I’d really like to believe an executive assistant to a Dean of Science does far more mentally challenging work than carrying bags and laying out clothes.
Personal Assistant work ranges by field and the boss, in Gaga’s case this woman was a gopher whereas I’m sure the woman working for the Dean should at least be highly skilled and multi-functional.
I seriously just stopped reading after she talked about moving her own goddamn bags.
Talk about a celebrity who’s lost touch with reality.
She obviously travels with an enormous amount of luggage that is probably extremely heavy and hard to move, part of her schtick is all those extreme outfits after all. So I don’t find it out of line at all that she would have someone on her staff to deal with that side of things. I find your comment odd.
Lady Gaga is disgusting, I’ve said this from day one.
I used to work for someone who thought ‘we all just wanted to hang out with her’ when she invited us to dinner. By the end of my time working there people were trading excuses. If GAGA wants to act like her employees are her friends at dinner on their day off, then scream that they aren’t her f**king friend when they ask for something that she’s not in the mood to give, then she’s a shitty boss. Period. You can’t have it both ways–it’s either a job that is paid accordingly or a glorified ass-kissing internship were you hopefully get a nice pair of shoes to remember her by. 75K a year isn’t worth demeaning yourself for–especially when you know your ‘Boss/Friend’ is minting millions.
^^This. Which is it? Are you a generous friend to your employees, or are you their boss?
She not only tries to have it both ways, she seems to suggest her employees *MAKE* her be friendly with them because she’s just so magnificent and sparkly.
Team Assistant.
It’s nice to have all those perks, but you can’t eat designer clothes. Pay people what you owe them. It’s not as if she can’t afford it. I’m glad I never bought her music.
THIS!
I’m ashamed I even spent 99 cents on her last album.
“And, you know what, she didn’t want to be a slave to one, because in my work and what I do, I’m the queen of the universe every day..
Now she and Lohan make sense.What a sad human being.
Let’s forget the case for a second (because I do think the assistant is out of line and doesn’t deserve overtime)and focus on what Gaga said in this deposition. She sounds like a horrible, delusional b!tch! Did you notice her little dig about punching a time clock and playing tetris at your desk for four hours a day? She thinks she is the most important woman in the world and works harder than everyone else (you know, except for people that dig ditches). And I can understand being upset and angry about being sued, but the insults against the plaintiff were out of line. If someone accuses you of something, the BEST way to handle it is defend yourself calmly and with class. Name calling and cursing make her seen crass and a lot less sympathetic. Also, the name dropping of Terry Richardson was bizarre, like he is some sort of god and this assistant should have been thankful just to be in his presence. Hopefully the little monsters start seeing Ms. Born This Way for her true, horrible self. Like I said, I do think the assistant is out of line BUT let’s focus on the bizarre way she is handling it and the crazy things coming out of her mouth!
So true! I read on the dailymail that she was barking at her assistant “are you going to stare at me like a fucking witch?!” IN COURT! She is insufferable. I feel sorry for her young fans who thought she was truly a good hearted person. She just wanted to be rich and famous and judging by what she was saying that’s all that matters to her. Pathetic how she manipulates young kids.
yes, Bee, the Daily Mail is such a honest, reliable source for celebrity gossip. Do you believe everything the tabloids say? SMH.
The witch line was actually in the deposition, it was one of the lines I didn’t include from the original source. So Gaga did say that. It was hard to decide which gems to include.
Personally I thought the witch comment was the best one! As in the most ridiculous and bitchy.
Wouldnt a personal assistant that constantly travels with a celebrity be a salaried employee anyways? That makes absolutely no sense that she would be an hourly employee demanding overtime. Gaga sounds like a freakin lunatic but her star is already fading so she better watch how she treats people. I don’t know if she deserves overtime but Gaga acts like everyone else is below her and should be begging for basic human privileges.
Oh and 75,000 is way too low of a salary to deal with this twat’s b.s.
An employer can’t just decide to label someone exempt based on whether its useful to them. An employee has to qualify for one of only a handful of exemptions which are professional (high level degree), executive (run a company or department), computer (skilled), salesperson, or administrative (this is the only fuzzy one but it’s not that fuzzy and you have to be managing and exibiting independent judgment). A personal assistant is just not skilled enough to qualify for any exemption. It doesn’t matter if she got a hundred perks. If she was required to be at a party or an event as part of her job, she is entitled to be paid and if its over forty hours, she is entitled to overtime.
I’m sorry, I don’t see why Lady Gaga is the “bad person” here. She offered a lot of GREAT PERKS to her assistant, including 5 star hotels and partying with celebrities and flying on private jets.
It is the assistant’s job to pick up her bags, run errands for her, and pretty much stay out of her way.
And personal assistants are not there to be their “friends,” they are PAID PERSONAL ASSISTANTS.
Lady Gaga didn’t do anything wrong here, she’s justified in her anger toward the assistant for being inept at her job.
That’s not the point. The assistant is suing for time she worked that she wasn’t paid for. All the perks in the world don’t compensate you for your time. It’s called quantum merit in the US – basically, an employee has the right to be PAID for the value of their work. If she worked 13 hours in a particular day, she’s entitled to 13 hours pay. That simple. Unless she and Gaga had an agreement that she accepted the perks in leiu of pay, it doesn’t matter one bit. She’s gotta get paid for the time she actually worked.
She treats people like crap and thinks she’s above everyone in the world. She thinks that she works harder than regular people who “play Tetris for 4 hours a day”. She manipulates young impressionable children and acts more like a cult leader than a singer. She’s a hypocrite who acts like she cares about people when all she’s ever cared about was fame and fortune. Those are most of the reasons she’s a bad person.
“Like, you know, like I’m a queen and who wouldn’t want to be my slave? Who cares for health insurance or retirement plan, or paying rent, when they can party with Terry and bow at my feet whenever I snap my fingers??Labor law? Like, there’s nothing like that in my empire,you know.”
STFU, you sound like those sleazy mafioso types who overwork their employees while paying them every six months and driving a BMW, wondering why do they need a day off on Sunday. You exploit people. Shame on you.
^This. Karma is gonna be a bitch for Gaga.
Gaga also sounds drugged out, pseudo-intellectual and KUHlassy!
yes!
she talks like those jersey shore people. or those from jerseylicious.
Shouldn’t there have been some sort of employment contract, stipulating how she was to be paid? If hourly then yes she deserves the overtime, if salaried then probably not. This all seems like stuff that should’ve been hashed out when she was first hired.
Gaga sounds like hell to deal with. Inappropriate in front of Terry Richardson? Bwahaha!
And if she didn’t dress like a circus clown 24/7, she absolutely could run to the store herself if she needed to.
What Gaga claiming are perks to me is just being convenient. Gaga wanted her at her convenience so what was she suppose to do? Stay in motel 6 and wait till Gaga calls her? Was assistant suppose to wait eat her meals at separate restaurants and hurry back? Was assistant supposed to ride commercial while Gaga flew private and skips customs? Walk ten feet behind her when someone famous shows up? Seems to me it would have been inconvenient if assistant were not ready at hand.
What this arrogant woman is mentioning – fine hotels with luxury sheets, yada yada – were in every way tied to the JOB of being at her beck and call 24/7. They were in no way ‘perks’.
YES!!
Umm…..I actually AGREE with Gaga on this to an extent. That’s what she was paying the chick for! To wait on her hand and foot! And 75K a year is a LOT of money to make. Perhaps this woman should find out what’s it like in the real world making far less than that- and yes, getting paid overtime. Which by the way- is taxed up to 50% And she’s right – if someone is PAYING you to do a job- you aren’t their f-ing friend.
Judging by her attitude, I’d be surprised if Lady Gaga had any friends.
I don’t know about the u.s, but in Australia the average salary a year is about $65,000 a year, so this woman would be just over the average, which isn’t a lot at all if she’s being forced to stay up for 24 hours, follow gaga around all night and not be able to sleep, AND not being paid for it. She’s basically being gaga’s personal slave for free
US and Aussie average income is similar, but the US RANGE is much, much wider. A full-time supermarket worker in the US might be on only $20k/yr, where they’d be on $40k here in Oz. (The average works out similar because they also have a lot more people earning the big BIG bucks.)
So given that a PA is a minimal skill job, $75k (plus room and board) is probably pretty decent.
When you are an assistant to someone, even if you are in luxurious surroundings, you are still “working.” It’s not the same at all as just being invited to the party. You are always working and likely to be asked to do tasks at any given moment, which means you are never fully “off.” Lots of starts pay less than they should because they know that people who are infatuated with the stardom will accept the conditions. Sounds like the thrill wore off.
Also, Gaga is going to have a horrible reality check at some point. She’s become her own cult member.
Why do we act surprised to find out a sheltered, pampered superstar is demanding to her staff and has a massive ego? I would be more surprised to hear about one who wasn’t.
I have a hard time believing someone would sign for a job as an assistant to a megastar and then act surprised that’s she’s expected to be at her beck and call nonstop. Clearly, the only people that sign up for these jobs are those who want the exposure to the rock star lifestyle, but maybe don’t get that its a JOB. Gaga’s right – they’re not friends, even if she’s nice to her once in a while, She’s an employee. Doesn’t mean Gaga shouldn’t have to comply with labour laws, of course, but its a very specific type of person who signs up to be the PA of a superstar, especially one like Gaga – no way they’re naive about the job expectations. Its not like you see these jobs posted in the want ads.
The bit I found funny was Gaga’s claim that she couldn’t go out for toiletries. I don’t buy that – in her “Gaga” getup, sure, of course she can’t. That whole getup is solely for attention. But if she went out as her own self, in regular clothes, I doubt anyone would recognize her. After all, isn’t that the whole reason she adopted the “Lady Gaga” persona in the first place?
Totally agree. Anyone who knows anything about Gaga would have already known that she was demanding and extreme in her personality. Especially if one was considering working for her.
Agree with previous bloggers noting there would surely be an employment contract that would sort out this mess rather quickly.
This is such bad PR for Gaga. Aren’t we all a little bit tired of her dramatics by now?
I also don’t understand when she said…when your BEST FRIEND looks you in the eye and says ‘Why can’t I have that seat on your private plane, I’m your friend,’ the first thing I thought was ‘You’re not my f–king friend.So was she was your best friend or not?
She always contradicts herself.
She was her friend until she tried to assert herself.
She was hired to do a JOB! Yes, Gaga sounds like a real B and an a-hole, but if you were hired as an employee, that’s what you are, NOT her friend. And if the terms of the employment were explained to you and you took it anyway, you have to deal with the circumstances.
I agree. Was sitting here reading this, trying to be really honest with myself about myself and came to this conclusion–if my job consisted of me having to travel extensively with a lot of luggage and I paid someone to take care of luggage sorting for me and to then set it up for me once I was situated in a room/suite/lodgings of whatever kind, then hell yeah I don’t want to have to go through every piece of luggage looking for my shampoo. I pay someone who packed it, likely knows where it is without having to dig for it, and who should have already done this just after check-in.
It sounds like the assistant took the perks to mean that she was an inner part of the entourage and instead crossed a line by being presumptuous.
good point about the difference between assistance and inner circle 🙂
What confuses me is Gaga refers to the assistant once in the deposition as her “best friend, then when the assistant/best friend pulls the friend card, Gaga says “you’re not my friend”. She seems to pick and choose when things apply and when they don’t.
Assuming Gaga was speaking truthfully about her assistants actions (and not just in spite), then I agree that the need for the assistant to take care of the bags and setting up her room is perfectly reasonable for Gaga to expect. To me that sounds like the basis of the job, and the assistant wasn’t fulfilling that.
I do agree that the professional boundaries seemed to have been blurred, just because you have an (occasionally) generous boss, doesn’t make you friends and you need to know what is and isn’t acceptable – like with the beds in the plane. Perhaps there should have been a ‘priority list’ of who gets first dibs of the beds i.e. Gaga, family, guests, then if a bed is still available then it may be allowable for the staff.
As for the 5 star hotels and flights, I would only class those as ‘perks’ if they were available to the staff when they weren’t working. But the travel and necessity to be close to Gaga in order to do their jobs then Gaga can’t say that they make up for not being paid.
I can’t comment on the overtime, I’m not from the US, and don’t know what the legal situation is, but all in all, it sounds like both Gaga and the assistant were in the wrong on some things and in the right for others.
I think it’s probably a little difficult to do your job when your employer is dragging you all over kingdom come clubbing and whatever so she can have you at her beck and call and then expects you to give up your bed and sleep on the floor of her hotel room. I get the impression the assistant did not have much time for sleep or for doing the more mundane tasks because she was always at this spoiled woman’s side.
And to describe the flights and hotels and whatever as “perks” is ridiculous. If she had to be there because it was her job, it’s not a “perk”, it’s you paying for the convenience or necessity of having her there to do her job. If you are buying her flights and paying for 5-star hotel rooms for her to use in her free time, THAT would be a “perk”. Doing it so she can be at your beck and call is a business expense, not a f*cking favor.
Ruh-oh! Lady CaCa inner Little Monster is showing its real Born This Way face!
Gaga is absolutely disgusting with a horrible view on her employees.
Ugh. Filth.
Is she f*cking serious with this sh*t? I have always thought that both she and her music were awful and overrated and this solidifies it. Can’t wait for her 15 minutes to be up. Madonna she is not despite what she tells herself.
“I expect there to be a certain level of, like, you know, knowledge and academia about, like, your job,” she said.
*snickers*
Like, smarts and stuff is really important, or whatever. Y’know?
I’m working on my Master of toothbrush laying and coffee pickups right now.
I’ll admit that my Analytical Suitcase Unpacking course was a bitch.
Holy smokes. THIS entitled, delusional bitch. The way she spoke to lawyers during her deposition speaks volumes about her true character. Hopefully this deposition is one of the final nails in her coffin and her dwindling fame runs dry.
What’s so disappointing is that she very refreshing and fun when she first came on the scene before her ego took over. The Fame/Fame Monster were great albums but I was sick of her by 2010.
Team assistant all the way. I hope she gets every penny and then some.
I, for one, was never into Gaga. She seemed too fabricated and phony from day 1. Like Nikki Minaj now.
or what Lana del Rey is trying to be. 100% manufactured.
This story sounds almost word-for-word like that god-awful movie that Anne Hatheway twit was in..I think it was a devil in a blue dress or something,.,
“This is really inappropriate in front of Terry Richardson”
WTF would be “inappropriate” to do in front of Terry Richardson?
She had the nerve to try to sleep in a bed with pjs on instead of naked and tied up on the floor.
@Josie…hysterical!!! Thanks for the laugh.
Love how she says their 9-5 is spaced out throughout the day. As a home assistant of sorts, can’t tell you how much I loathe clients who think you should live to visit them
(cont) off schedule. Like the help has no life at home to tend to. I came and worked on schedule, anything else is overtime, duh.
The assistant seems like she may not have a case to be honest-welcome to the world of personal assistants to celebrities, kiddo!
BUT….BUT….
Gaga is so out of touch with reality, she doesn’t even realize what a huge cow she sounds like. Who behaves like that, talks about themselves like that, at a deposition? What an idiot on top of being out of control with her ego.
Many years ago I was an assistant, working for an Oscar-nominated actress and her husband. I had some very good experiences with her, and the husband was a doll. But their expectation that when I traveled with them that I be at their beck and call was far more distressing and humiliating than anyone who was not been in that position can imagine. No perks, famous people, gifts, could make up for the fact that they expected (expected being the operative word) me to basically give up any semblance of my own life in order to be there for them constantly. I could tell lots of interesting stories! I eventually quit when I realized they were making travel plans for me one week out–not even telling me ahead of time so I could plan for how to manage my own life when I was away. This was after being told that my “day off” would consist of 6PM Sat night to 6PM the next day. I came away from the experience a much stronger person, realizing no job with a famous person is worth being treated as if you do not matter as a person. It’s hard to explain unless you have been there. It is not like a regular job. I work now often 10-15 hours– no overtime–a day in crunch time–but it is not demanded of me, it is my own free will wanting to do the best in my job that I can. I hear in Gaga’s response the incredulity I heard from my own boss when I gave 2 weeks notice. The venom that was suddenly directed at me was fierce, and the aftermath ugly from her end. I was totally unprepared for the backlash, and believe me it was ugly. Rich people (never mind famous) simply will not be denied. They think being with them and high thread sheets is worth being treated as if you are a non-person. And when they are denied–watch out.
That sounds awful! I wish you could tell us the interesting stories though!
I’m actually really surprised by the number of people who are Team Gaga here. 7,000+ hours of OVERTIME is far from insubstantial given that we are talking about a roughly two year employment period.
According to Gaga, no one is allowed to work more than 8 hours a day (spread out over a 24 hours period) or a 40 hours work week. What garbage. For this woman to rack up the kind of time we are talking about with her overtime claim, she would have been working MORE than 100 hours a week every single week of the year – like it sounds like you did.
Add into that Gaga’s clearly stated claim that she is the Queen and the employee is the ‘slave’ and I hope this employee gets every penny. I can’t imagine what her therapy bills must look like.
I work as an admin assistant now. I won’t do the personal assistant thing. It’s slave labour and not suited to my temperament. People get power mad.
O-M-G LOL. The size of CaCa’s ego and sense of entitlement are epic on so many levels. She truly HAS bought in to her own shtick.
Heaven forbid she loses her fame and fortune 1 day. We would witness an epic meltdown on a scale far beyond ANYTHING we’ve ever seen before.
Oh please, let the meltdown happen and let there be a camera there to record it!!!
75K is slummin’ to an PA I know in the financial biz getting 100K and cray cray perks!!
Jennifer Lopez advertised for a PA not too long ago paying $60K.
J-Lo is notoriously cheap, except when it comes to her.
You left out the best part! I cracked up when gaga said that she was so upset by what she heard about the pillows that she rolled back over and went to sleep. The horror!
I agree with the majority, the assistant knew what she was signing up for. I just cannot imagine treating another person as my beck and call person. I am uncomfortable when I have to give orders to my co workers under me.
A 9 to 5 job “spaced throughout the day”??
Seriously? Good grief she is quite the harpy! If you’re demanding that I be at your service for 20 hours, but I only do actual work for 10 of those hours, you bet your sweet ass you better pay me for all 20.
Waaaait a second. It’s just like being a dr on call. You aren’t paid for the time you’re on call, you’re paid for the time you are *actually called to work.*
Yeah but do Drs have to hang around the hospitals when they’re not on call?
When you’re a doctor and on call you’re not allowed to be further than you can reach the hospital as soon as possible.
Furthermore no matter what you’re doing at the time (anniversary dinner with wife, kid’s play, Mom’s funeral) you’re expected to leave and immediately head to the hospital unless it’s an absolute emergency.
I think the reality is when you’re following someone to Madrid to be their personal assistant you’re not going to have normal work experience.
Correct me if I’m wrong but don’t doctors generally rotate who is on call? I don’t remember ever meeting one who was on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. And even though they need to be close when they are on call, they are still allowed to have a life and go about their personal business, play golf, have dinner with friends and family, etc.
This woman was chained to being within shouting distance of Gaga at any time of the day or night. The scenarios are not comparable.
I agree, it is not comparable, it is in a class of it’s own like most jobs.
Frankly speaking if the person who employs you doesn’t work a normal schedule then you should have little expectation to work one either. Especially if you are constantly following her (you’ve already made the decision to put work before spending time with your family) and have a job as an assistant.
You’ll have at the very most as much free time as your boss and even when free you’ll need to be available. The reality is that was the nature of the job she chose, it doesn’t come with weekends and nights off.
I worked for a 24 hour service shop & the guys that were “on call” were paid 2 hrs OT for just being “on call”. I guess it may vary between professions/states.
My husband is on call evenings and weekends. He is rarely called for anything, but he is paid on call pay, which is much lower than his hourly rate, and when he does go in at odd hours above his regular hours, or on holidays or whatever, he is paid overtime and holiday pay rates (time and half and double time and a half, respectively). To expect someone to not be compensated for time spent on call seems ridiculous to me. Their time is not entirely their own if they can’t go too far away and have to be available, therefore they should be compensated for it. An employee is not just selling their skills and labor, they are selling their time as well, and it is worth something.
I would understand Gaga’s point better if she wasn’t so obnoxious about it. She seems to really want to put people in their place and that’s very unappealing to see in black and white like this…even though many stars are the same.
Anyway, I do agree that being an assistant sucks and that’s just life. Although, unlike a corporate environment, assisting to a star comes without the safety net of promotions or a Human Resources Dept.
“[Jennifer O’Neill is a] fucking hood rat who is suing me for money that she didn’t earn. She’s just — she thinks she’s just like the queen of the universe. And, you know what, she didn’t want to be a slave to one, because in my work and what I do, I’m the queen of the universe every day.”
CaCa is vile.
“I expect there to be a certain level of, like, you know, knowledge and academia about, like, your job.”
She sounds so pathetically ignorant, yet tries to sound intelligent, throwing around ‘academia’, etc.
There’s really nothing left to say. Gaga is crazy.
One night of partying with LL probably cost more than $75K. Pay up, Queen.
Maybe she should hire LL, wouldn’t that solve her money woes as well?
I see what everyone’s saying about the PA and Overtime pay. Salaried workers are generally not compensated for overtime work. HOWEVER, Gaga comes off as a diva with her head so far up her own ass she spits toe jam.
That is GOLD Lindsey!
If she is an exempt employee that is circumscribed by law. Wouldn’t the lawsuit have been dismissed before depositions if she had no claim? The only reason to be in depositions is that there is some issue as whether the woman deserved overtime. Gaga might have violated labor laws just because she thought working for her was payment enough.
I like how MichaelK over at DListed refers to her……he calls her CaCa.
115 POUNDS your ass Gaga!
I had to do the conversion (it’s 52 kg) and I was like, Honey, you do not weigh 52 kg.
Plus, is she for real? I am so embarrassed for her. She’s not all that.
She reminds me of that story ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’.
Yeah. I think everyone’s starting to realize she’s really naked. Lol.
She’s only 5’1″. 52kg sounds about right to me.
She does vary from skinny to overweight, but she looks normal at the moment and 155cm/52kg would put give her a BMI firmly in the normal range.
This is the typical job requirement for the personal assistant of a superstar. If you want fairness and equality, get a job with union backing. Be a school teacher. Being a pop singer is dirty business. It’s not all kindness, puppy dogs and sharing. It’s basically being a slave…or someone’s mom. You know that going in.
Lady Gaga comes off as rather ignorant, with poor grammar and using obscenities in a court document. I don’t think she owes the assistant overtime, however, because I’ve never known any salaried person to get overtime. That said, the pay isn’t that high for such a demanding job. Or at least it would be demanding if the assistant had been doing it in a professional manner. It’s obvious she blurred the lines between a professional relationship and what she thought was a friendship. You can’t be a paid assistant and also party all night with your boss without running into these kinds of conflicts. Gaga will keep having these problems because she is using her employees as friends and then turning on them when they start to believe they aren’t just employees, but her friends. I guess Gaga doesn’t have many real friends outside of her family. She may stay at the best places and eat the best food, but it’s all pretty sad, really.
You’ve just reminded me of an interview Brad Pitt gave many years ago. He told a story and it went something like this:
Celebrity is like a big beautiful house in the country somewhere. It’s got big glass windows and beautiful lighting and inside are the most beautiful people in the world, all standing around serenely, drink in hand, chatting with other beautiful people.
Everybody wants to get inside. There are people milling around outside. Occasionally, the door opens and ONE LUCKY PERSON is allowed in and the door closes again. Then suddenly you are chosen. You cannot believe it. The door opens and you are guided in. You can see the envy on the faces of the people milling around outside.
But here’s the catch. When you get in, you are brimming over with pride, excitement and euphoria. You’ve made it! But little by little you notice the little things. The people’s faces are plastered with a stuck on smile. The door is bolted shut. They are trapped in there. They give little glances of envy to the outside world which is no longer accessible, where they were anonymous and free.
And that, according to Pitt, is fame and celebrity. It is a poisoned chalice. All these people work so hard to get in, but once in, they want to get out. The people are trapped and all they can do is plaster on a smile and get on with it.
Rich and famous people are f*cking miserable c*nts. And this is why.
Give me my tiny little two bedroom flat on the beach any day. My life is my own.
Here here!! Great analogy.
“And that, according to Pitt, is fame and celebrity. It is a poisoned chalice. All these people work so hard to get in, but once in, they want to get out. The people are trapped and all they can do is plaster on a smile and get on with it.”
This is such a faulty logic or reasoning. Don’t take Brad Pitt’s words without questioning some/most part of it. Isn’t it very clear from his rationale that he is denying himself agency? Like all celebrities become celebrities by chance when the door opens and when “one lucky person” is “allowed in.” That’s horseshit. For every lucky person who gets in, there are several people who have very clear ideas/objectives that they want to pursue acting, they want to be famous and they achieve it. It’s a very nice way to blame the system and say the system traps these poor rich people and poor Brad has no choice. For every trapped-in-unwanted-fame-celebrity, there are several others who do all the things other celebrities do (partying, yachting, living the high life) without attracting attention, and there are several others who don’t these things and don’t get attention either. We hear only of those celebrities who want to be heard in a certain way, who want to mold and control their public image. Brad is one of them. Not that this is wrong, but it is absolutely wrong to absolve oneself of their contribution to it and act all holy by saying this is what celebrity is – it happens, we get unwanted attention, we cannot stop it so we live with, we are trapped and other crap. This is exactly the crap Brad is feeding while living and enjoying all the luxuries and attention that comes with fame.
He would do better to accept that he has a LOT of agency in where he is today and that includes the media interest in him. If he wanted he could have settled with his family with very very minimal media interest. He CHOOSES not to and then conveniently grants the entire agency to celebrity. Yes, he is a movie star and attracted attention before for his looks/acting and then for his personal life/work. He could have controlled AND stopped the media interest in his personal life after the initial obsession about his personal life with Jolie. They choose not to and I don’t find anything wrong in it. They know the game, they have certain objectives in how they want to be perceived etc. But give out crap philosophy like the one above is wrong. To deny oneself agency is wrong but people do it all the time. It just validates their self-opinion that they are not responsible for who they are and things happen.
Fame and celebrity is NOT poisoned chalice. It is what one chooses to do with it that turns out to be a poisoned chalice to them and to everybody else including the public who understand fame and celebrity in the exact same way as Brad described. We end up convincing ourselves that we, the public, normal people, are so much better off in our own tiny two bedroom flat because that somehow does not make us miserable and c*nts.
It was just a little analogy about the grass always being always greener. How perception and reality are often polar opposites.
Being very very famous obviously brings with it a lot of perks but I would bet my last dollar that most of them would swap it for anonymity again.
Sure, Snowpea. I agree that it was an analogy. My point was that the analogy reeks of double-standards coming from Brad, whether he is speaking for himself or for all celebrities. And no, I don’t agree that most of them would swap their celebrity with anonymity. Some may but not most. A lot of them just like to say that they became actors, famous celebrities by chance or the door opened. A lot of them wanted it and they worked for it. I don’t know why a lot of them say that they are destiny’s child entirely. I’ll accept that they are weirdly funny people because there’s nothing wrong in saying that they wanted to be famous.
Pitt’s story is all fine and nice and some type of attempt at philosophy, but I don’t see them all bitching about their lifestyles or envying the poorer folk outside. They just use their spare change to donate (to get tax breaks) and continue walking down red carpets and making pathetic adverts for millions of dollars.
So come on now…
Don’t use Brad Pitt and his inane analogy as some type of intellectual argument. These sorts of celebrities adore their luxurious lifestyles more than their mothers and would die before they’d allow anyone or anything to tear them away from it.
They’ve sold a whole heap of themselves to get where they are.
The last time I checked, Brad didn’t baulk about making a pathetic advert (Chanel) or consider his artistic integrity before collecting millions.
They aren’t ‘trapped’.
I have to say, I really, REALLY don’t understand why or how Taylor Kinney is romantically involved with this mess of a human being. I used to feel that way solely because of her looks but never vocalized my feelings because of that (we can’t help our genetics). I just do not find anything about Gaga to be remotely physically attractive-but now this?!? Taylor is absolutely gorgeous (I’m a huge Chicago Fire fan-girl 😀 ) and comes across as normal, funny and humble in his (rare) interviews…If I wondered how or why he wanted to put up with all of this chick’s insane over-the-topness before, now I’m really left scratching my head (could they be the new LeAnn & Eddie?!)
I’m not at all a sue happy person and usually find lawsuits brought against celebs by former employees to me MAJORLY eye roll inducing and frivolous, but in this case the girl is just asking for the exact dollar amount she’s owed for hours she worked(!) and nothing more. But, I guess Gaga believes she is owed free slave labor because, afterall, she is a f***ing “queen”. Ugh. Go Jen!!
Either because she’s popular or he likes women with TONS of personality. Things would never be boring or routine with Gaga.
Not everyone wants to settle down and have a nice family, an routine life; some people want thrill and excitement. I bet you get a lot of that with her.
But she comes across as vapid and boring in interviews. The only time she’s doing anything “exciting” it’s always negative. I’m with you Patrice, I don’t see what he sees in her.
Maybe he’s “vapid and boring” too. I think you guys are giving him too much credit because he is attractive.
I guess you’re right.
I’m kind of on the fence here as well. I’m in the music biz/touring industry. I’ve done personal asst work for musicians, but also have been/currently on a touring crew. When you’re touring you can’t really look at it as a 9-to-5 kind of job. You sort of *are* on call 24/7 just because of the nature of the business – show time, traveling, etc. I’ve never heard anyone in the touring industry look for “overtime” (unless of course it’s a venue with union workers – then THEY get overtime!) in their paychecks- it’s usually all taken into account.
Many people I know who worked as personal assts in the music biz never got any overtime pay. It was a straight salary with the understanding of the wacky hours. And of course, yes, there are perks. (flying private beats dealing with airport TSA lines any day! ha ha)
If you are a personal assistant, that’s what you’re expected to do – assist – even if it sounds like the lamest dumb-ass request – it’s still the job! Maybe in this case LG’s peeps didn’t lay it out clearly enough for this person to understand?
I know LG’s rants sound ridiculous, but I’ve heard a lot more crazier things from other musicians. Not totally siding either way here. There are some musicians that are great – respectful, “normal” (as normal as one can be in this biz), and totally get that the asst is there to “assist.” And there are others who rant and carry on and are just nasty.
But so nasty that they are ridiculous (I once heard a musician blast an asst for about 20 minutes because the bobby pins in the dressing room were the wrong color! Seriously, you have to look back on this and go “Really? That’s your big meltdown? The color of a bobby pin? When all this other stuff is going on in the world?”)
Hate to say it’s the nature of the beast, but in a way LG is right – the asst is not a “friend” but an “employee.” Sometimes it’s easy for people to blur the lines when you’re touring so extensively – the group does become like a family. Granted, a dysfunctional family, but a family nonetheless!
Haha, she is so gross. I liked a few of her songs early on, but the more I learned about her and the more cartoonish she became, I realized it’s not worth being even a casual fan.
I think the law should work this out, but beyond this point, TEAM ASSISTANT. Good grief, her attitude alone gives credence to the claims and you’d THINK her lawyers would advise her to knock it off. She is a complete narcissistic douchebag so it’s not a stretch to believe that she’d expect your entire day to be devoted to her.
If she’s saying that the “9-to-5” is dispersed throughout the day, then TO ME, she’s saying you’re working all day. I’m sure it’s not like the lady could have run her own errands in between.
Pay up, Gaga.
Oh hell. Like, no.
Are we really surprised? She has a bitch face. I always knew.
I thought it was well known that personal assistants can’t really have their own lives and are treated terribly. That’s why I was surprised when one of Britney’s, Ashlee Simpson’s, and someone else’s assistant got married. I was surprised they found the time and were allowed the time off. Heck I’m surprised the Simpson’s assistants remained friends with them and repeatedly work for them. Maybe they are nicer to them than the average employer.
It all depends on the laws that are in place and the type of agreement the assistant signed, which I’m sure she would have signed prior to working.
What I suspect occurred is that the assistant had enough of GaGa’s antics and decided to spill after she had had enough. Usually employees who do this experience the worst of the worst behaviour from their employees.
Either way the former assistant will never be able to gain employment in the same area again (because GaGa most likely previously made sure of this by slandering her in some way) , and she knows it, so she’s suing for as much as she can.
I’d like to say, one day GaGa will run out of money, but I doubt this will ever be the case. She’d deserve it after her colossal ego, but GaGa has always been a little rich kid before her fame (‘Born’ that way – lol couldn’t help myself) and has probably felt entitled all her life – even when she was a mousey brunette playing an electric keyboard with her small band.
Ultimately assistants know that they’re working for narcissists and they make that choice.
wow…Gaga? I used to adore her, but she’s swapping spit w// some disgusting people, Lohan and Richardson?
i’ve been a personal assistant before, and let me tell you it is ONE HELL of a job… people diss admin assistants but seriously, not everyone could do this job. it’s a lot of ‘let it roll of the shoulder’ and ‘don’t take everything so personally.’
I worked for some divas. In London I worked for a fashion/PR woman and my first day on the job i was introduced to her. she didn’t extend her hand to shake she said “Give me a grey w/ white.”
Grey w/ white? WTF? an employee whispered in my ear “that means she’d like a cup of Earl Grey tea, with milk.”
She never said ‘Nice to meet you.’ or ‘Hello’ ever BUT, she paid me well, respected my lunch hrs/overtime and at the end of the day she would thank me.
it’s so simple…Gaga. You treat your employees the way you’d like to be treated yourself.
You DON’T bite the hand that helps feed you, BITCH!
“You DON’T bite the hand that helps feed you, BITCH!”
I think for Gaga this is probably more true than not. I wouldn’t put it past her to make her assistants feed her. She’d probably think they wanted to do this for her since she is, after all, the queen.
My opinion is a bit on the fence. On the one hand, I think the former assistant probably knew relatively what she was getting into or at least had signed a contract regarding her work hours, overtime (if she was getting it), etc. But, based on Gaga’s responses, she probably didn’t follow the contract or felt that she could do whatever the hell she wanted since “the perks” were enough. She was doing them the favor, right? I wonder what the other side’ll say.
Everyone should get paid overtime if they earned it I don’t care what your job is or what ego maniac you are working for. After reading this I have lost all respect for Lady Gaga, she acted like an arrogant pig and owes her former assistant an apology.
That’s only is the job OFFERS overtime. Not all jobs do. I work in HR and if you are an exempt employee you don’t get paid overtime. Period. So it goes back to what was the original employment agreement. If overtime wasn’t offered to begin with and she signed an employment contract agreeing to such then she is not entitled to anything.
Maybe this is as minor point, but how tall is Gaga? I mean, she says she’s “115 pounds” like that some sign of frailty, but if she’s under 5’5″, and especially if she’s under 5’4″, that’s hardly an excuse not to carry your own freakin’ bags. (Okay, if she has a paid assistant whose job description clearly states carrying bags, her irritation is understandable, but her weight is not compelling evidence of inability to do so).
sure I’m 99 lb for 5’2 and I’m able to carry my own bags 🙂
Exactly. I’m 5’2 (same as Gaga apparently) and ranging anywhere between 99lbs to 110lbs depending on how much cake has been around. I haul my heavy bags around no problem. I get it, she’s got the money, she doesn’t have to lift her own shit if she doesn’t want to, but girl, do not embarrass yourself by bringing your height-weight into it when girls smaller and less fit that you can easily manage their heavy luggage.
It depends how heavy the bags are. Gaga is in full costume everywhere she goes. That stuff has got to be heavy. All those crazy shoes, wigs, hats, clothes. She changes her clothes probably three times a day or more. Touring every night and then moving that stuff around would be hard.
I had to move my “luggages” around once. I had to have a nap after.
Why are so many people taking Gaga’s statements about how the employee failed at her job or blurred the lines as fact? For all we know, the assistant had the audacity to ask to sleep in a bed because she hadn’t been allowed to sleep for days. What if the plane was her only chance until the whirlwind started again but there was a party going on in the main cabin?
According to the original article, this woman was with Gaga during her meteoric rise to fame. The demands must have been crushing and it is telling that two people now do the job she was expected to do on her own.
I was a PA to some fairly powerful people in DC in my early 20s and when my children were younger I had a fulltime assistant myself so that I could both parent and build my business. These jobs are about running someone’s life for them. The fact that all Gaga paid attention to was where her toothbrush was (and we don’t know how many times it was ‘missing’ – maybe only once) says more about her than the actual quality of the assistant’s work.
Bingo! And what sounds like a lot of money to some is like .75 cents in GaGa’s world. And no one should be expected to work 24 hours a day for that type of money. There is nothing good here and I hope GaGa who gags me pays through the nose.
Because I love Brian (Newman) so very very much and I KNOW how much he means to you as well Miss Gaga…. I will respectfully say, please come back down to earth with us. We are all human and very capable of taking care of ourselves. You are talented and beautiful. Don’t lower yourself to this. Get back to what is important. The art, the music. xoxo
The airplane bed story sounds as though the assistant was supposed to have the bed. GaGa seems to think her crime was not offering it to someone in GaGa’s family. So perhaps GaGa’s view of other things is equally odd.
I’ll let the experts argue the OT issue, although it seems it’ll come down to a definition of the assistant’s job and her contract (if she has one).
All I can say is that when you start calling yourself the Queen of the Universe (in a testimony, no less), then you have lost touch with reality and are a raging egomaniac. No one deserves to be this entitled, but in Lady Gaga’s case, it’s all the more ridiculous. She’s a wannabe artiste who dresses crazy and sings pop songs. STFU woman, you’re just another fad, you’ll be lucky to be a footnote in pop history.
Umm…most of these pop stars act like this. They are humble modest people. Did you forget Madonna exists? She must be 100 times worse.
What a POS. Nice that she got coked up for her deposition. Sometimes I’m glad I’m not über-wealthy for fear money might turn me into an asshole like this one.
I find it hard to believe that she couldn’t put on a wig and a hat and some regular clothes and leave without a zillion people following, find a drugstore and buy her own toothbrush and stuff without people recognizing her. Half the time they recognize someone famous is because of all the entourage and the way they act, plus they look like themselves and don’t try to hide it or tone it down.
I’m on the fence as well. My husband doesn’t get paid overtime and he travels a lot and works a lot of long hours sometimes but it comes with his higher level of position …he’s on salary and not paid hourly. But the way it’s described that this woman’s 8 hour day is stretched out during the day, it’s like she’s on call 24 hours a day without respite and I’ll bet that often turns into more than 8 hours. It does sound like she overstepped her bounds as an employee, but it also sounds like Gaga blurred the lines and encouraged it as well. It’s all fun until the moment it isn’t and Gaga decides the girl is getting TOO much …how dare she ask for a freebie or use Gaga’s discount!
Yes she got a lot of cool stuff and priveleges most don’t, but that gets old after a while too. I’ve dealt with narcisstic people like this and it’s draining.
Right, and what hotel have you ever stayed at that DIDN’T offer toiletries or a toothbrush at the front desk? I mean even Comfort Inn will give you a toothbrush, and she probably could’ve had them leave it on the floor in front of the door of the room, so Caca wouldn’t have to interact with the lowly hotel staff.
Any job I’ve ever had, I try to let my friends use my discount if possible. I did it at fast food places, and you’re damn skippy I’d do it for YSL. I hate people who forget where they came from.
So much for this person who preaches against bullying all the time. When you call somebody “fucking hood rat” it’s bullying! I don’t know why it was not mentioned how Gaga called her that .She wanted her assistant there for her needs 24/7 then where does she expect her to sleep..Motel 6?
Awkward Gagmeh wouldn’t allow people to treat her in that crude and belligerent manner, hold back pay and not allow free, private time… NOT your friend? Oh dearie me.. whom else would put with all the personal maid and slave foolery of the make believe famous and guard/sleep with her?
She can’t be really this f-ing stupid can she? It’s all just a part of her ‘performance act’ right? I just find it hard to believe that anyone would really think this way.
As someone who’s worked as a personal assistant for wealthy people I know all too well that the lines can get blurred real fast. It’s easy to feel entitled when you have the money and are paying someone to do all your mundane tasks just because you can. And believe me alot of wealthy people have no problem getting an excellent assistant and paying as litttle as possible. These kind of people are wealthy for a reason, taking advantage and even using people when they need to has helped them get where they are. Your hard work is not rewarded, it’s percieved as something they are entitled to. I’ve read comments on this thread about how employees abuse their employers, I tend to call bull shit on that. Most of be time the employee in these situations are getting taken advantage of. Especially when you are around constantly and sleep in the next room. Before you know it the original to do list has been added to 100 times over and having a personal relationship in anyway starts to become awkward and used againat you. It’s important to keep the relationship professional but that can be hard when you’re traveling with the person, seeing what’s actually happening and knowing who they really are. It might of been exciting at first but If I were the assistant I would of lost respect for gaga very quickly. The perks of traveling and staying in hotels and eating caviar would not be worth being on call 24/7 and basically being someone’s bitch. We also didn’t hear what the assistant had to say, Gaga’s rant could easily be exaggerated. I would like to hear the assistants reply to those accusations. I don’t know the laws on OT but regardless I feel Gaga’s moral character should be in question here. Both her and the assistant are human beings, being a narcissistic unoriginal performer does not make you better then anyone else, it just makes you wealthier! Good for the assistant for standing up for herself, I hope she wins!
She must have known what would happen but I agree it wouldn’t be my first choice to be someone’s bitch 24/7 and not be allowed to have any life of my own. Essentially she is working all the time because all the time she has to be doing things for Gaga “spaced out” aka be on call all the time.
I was going to say something similar. We’re only hearing Gaga’s version at this time. I think she has a flair for the dramatic and has been known to exaggerate the truth to suit her purposes.
And what’s really sad is that you KNOW she’s exaggerating, but this is still the best story she could come up with? Her suitcases are hard to move? Her assistant wanted a bed? Boo freaking hoo.
Also the going pay rate for a personal assistant is anywhere between $20-60 an hour depending on the task. Assuming she actually only did 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week (although it could easily be more if she worked weekends and was on call) means 75,000 a year breaks down to about $40 an hour which in my opinion is peanuts when you work for a multi millionaire celebrity!
Gaga is going to be one of those crazy old ladies mumbling to herself and believing she’s still a big star in the future.
She looks like that already.
$75,000 a year to be at the beck and call of a celeb who boohoos if you dare to take a perk? Not have a life because you are all over the globe following the whims of a snot nosed brat like Gaga? Seriously? I’m sorry but that isn’t enough money for that kind of cr@p. I don’t get paid enough for my job, it’s not a great job, and I wouldn’t take the job of an assistant.
Gaga is a tyrant that doesn’t think people deserve anything resembling personal respect and that table scraps are a meal.
All the people defending her really need to think about what they are defending. Just because she is a celeb doesn’t mean she isn’t beholding to the same standards of decency as the rest of us low crawling hard working people. Money and celeb doesn’t give you cart blanche to acting an @$$ to your fellow human being. Jeez, mean girl on steroids.
you just know that the irs is going to go after the assistant. i do hope she accounted for all those ‘gifts’…
Is this for real? I don’t want to live on this planet anymore…
I question whether you can say what Gaga said, that the 9am-5pm hours were to be spaced out during the day….then the employee would have to keep a time card or accurate in and out records of when she worked and/or was off the clock. With Gaga’s tons of money, she should just pay the woman her overtime and be done with her since they no longer are compatible. She complains that her employee got to travel on jets, go to parties and live the high life, but wasn’t that required just because she was the Assistant? She had to be a part of everything, although she might have overdone it and taken advantage. I always thought Gaga was very immature from the start, so it’s just a matter of time before her true colors start to show.
I don’t give a hot damn about this bitch anymore – she’s 2009’s news.
GaGa is a pantload who’s almost out of ideas. Listen to her fawning over Terry Richardson as if we’re all supposed to be impressed LOL! In a few years she’ll be as washed-up as Britney, X-Tina and J-Lo.
Geez, when Gaga first came out she really was the coolest. Now “Mother Monster” is just a monster…
I’ve only just twigged why she chose the name ‘Gaga’. Her command of English is shocking for a native speaker, especially one who rates herself intellectually. Just awful.
You know what, I think being a PA for any celebrity would be awful and no salary would be worth it. But I tend to think that doing this for Gaga would be especially bad. She was planning to do another tour to my country a few years ago but was having logistical problems because all of the companies that handle personal security here refused to work with her. They’d done so before and she was an absolute NIGHTMARE so they all refused to again. I know guys quite senior in the industry and they said she was in their top two worst celebrities ever to work with, and they have looked after EVERYONE. The other one in the top 2 worst was Robbie Williams back in his crazy days, although they say he’s much better now. She just seems like a hideous human being.
I travel for work and it’s standard operating procedure to have all travel expenses paid – considering hotel rooms, meals and flights “perks” is silly – like considering your daily commute on the Tube a perk.
PA positions are generally understood to be 24/7 positions – overtime is a pipe dream. However, good employers do tend to provide perks such as nice meals, freebies, etc.
Gaga comes off sounding like a jerk. Not that surprising, as she’s always seemed like a self-obsessed idiot to me…
Didn’t she say before that Gaga can’t sleep alone in hotel rooms and she was required to sleep (not sex) with Gaga on tour, so no privacy for her own life. I read that somewhere before in an article on her claims.
I’m not a gaga fan by any means but I see her point on a few things. She made it clear that she DOES NOT pay overtime as well as other details of the job. For Jen to say that she demands to be paid for it is stupid.
I also sense a streak of entitlement from Jen. You are NOT entitled to any perks, if you get them, that’s great, think of it as a bonus. If not, well…you knew what you were going to get coming in.
Gaga IS crazy but Jen isn’t innocent in any of this either.
I have always and will always hate and not support anything LADY GAGA related! She just sucks overall as a person and her songs! She’s anti Christ and she thinks she owns the world.. have a little modesty woman! you didn’t get to where u r purely on ur own! sorry for the fans but i’m just being honest.. this is my opinion ! take it or leave it !!!!
What’s new? Another narcissist behaving badly. Gaga is such a hypocrite. She preaches anti-bullying to the serfs, but she has no problem bullying and abusing her staff. $70,000 is not that much money for a job that requires you to be available 24 by 7. The assistant should be making at least 6 figures plus perks. Gaga after all is probably worth over a hundred million and earns tens of millions per year. Talk about greed!
I think she is so delusional, she truly doesn’t see how many of her statements contradict each other.
I don’t know about the US, but in Canada getting paid a SALARY, means that you don’t get overtime, that’s why you are on salary.
eye-yi-yi!
i just pray for the love of Elton that the PA isn’t of a certain skin tone cause ‘hoodrat’ & ‘slave’ would sound even more wrong in that case. lol 😆