These are photos of Lady Gaga leaving Japan on the 23rd (the ones where she’s wearing a dress), and in Paris on Boxing Day (the ones where she’s wearing a leather jacket and barely anything else). If those Paris photos are giving you déjà vu, congrats. It’s like Gaga’s annual Paris tradition – she goes out shopping in Paris without pants. I don’t think she’s even wearing anything under the jacket, either. Anyway, Gaga is being sued by her former personal assistant, Jennifer O’Neill. O’Neill filed suit several days ago, claiming that Gaga is basically a monster employer.
Jennifer O’Neill, Lady Gaga’s former personal assistant has filed suit against her former employer, alleging that she was overworked and underpaid.
The 41-year-old worked for Lady Gaga for 13 months, accompanying the 25-year-old singer on her 2010 Monster Ball world tour. O’Neill alleges that she put in 7,168 hours of unpaid overtime and is owed more than $380,000, according to New York Post.
O’Neill says she catered to the singer’s eccentric whims and demands around the clock. She insists she had to ensure ‘the promptness of a towel following a shower” and acted as a “personal alarm clock to keep [Gaga] on schedule.”
She earned decent money — $75,000 a year– but alleges that she got no breaks for meals or sleep and had to constantly make sure that Gaga had ‘the availability of chosen outfits’.
The lawsuit was filed in Manhattan federal court last week against the superstar’s Mermaid Touring company for unpaid overtime.This is not the first personal assistant to complain about working for Gaga. Former employee Angela Ciemny claimed she had to sleep with the singer most nights because she refused to be alone, according to Poker Face: The Rise and Rise of Lady Gaga.
A spokeswoman for Gaga has branded the lawsuit “completely without merit.”
[From The Hollywood Reporter]
On one side, I think $75,000 a year for a personal assistant gig is incredible. On the other side, it does sound like Gaga is a crazy (coked-up) employer and that $75,000 wouldn’t even begin to cover the pain and suffering of being Gaga’s on-call task-monkey 24-7.
Meanwhile, Gaga was just named #1 on Dosomething.com’s annual “Celebs Done Good” list. I looked at the list (here) and it doesn’t seem like the criteria is all that scientific. Like, they’re not going by who gave the most money or who spent the most time doing charitable work or anything. Anyway, Gaga was chosen as #1 for her work on the cause of “bullying” and for her charitable efforts to relieve the Japanese tsunami victims. You can read more here.
Photos courtesy of Fame & WENN.
Maybe lawsuit should cite worse examples than towel/alarm clock. Unpaid overtime sounds like the business manager is a tad shady, tho.
Yeah, these examples are a bit “who the hell cares” but that said I’m sure Gaga is a mad, crazy egomaniac who in general like to treat her “underlings” like shit so karma will bring more stuff like this her way even if this person is not legit.
Lainey from Lainey gossip says Gaga is very kind to her people, but I guess it depends on how much you trust Lainey.
This lawsuit sounds uncredible. First of all, she could be salaried and an exempt employee. If so, she wouldn’t get overtime. If she isn’t an exempt employee and available for overtime, then it is the business management/payroll companies that would have processed the payroll and given her the overtime. It isn’t like Gaga is the one entering her timesheet into the payroll system.
wow, she’s only 25 and looks 40-something. I can only imagine how awful she’ll look in her early 30th
and that shapeless boob, omg
Well not to defend gaga but the assistant was not chained to the job, she could have quit at any time.
This will probably just end in an out of court settlement for the assistant.
You couldn’t pay me enough to work for someone with an ego like GaGa. Her feet are going to be so messed up from wearing all these crazy shoes. For someone who goes on tour & dances, she is crazy to torture her feet like that but I guess if you do enough coke, you don’t really feel anything anyway.
She rally needs new pair of tits. These pancakes are passé. She should know that. She is so fashion forward.
Haha, you are so right. If you said this on a blog like skinnyvscurvy the “real women” would start saying that’s what normal breasts look like.
Well, saggy ones do.
You both must have disgusting bolt ons. I think it’s hilarious that society thinks it’s normal for women to have big round fake boobs and that’s being fashion forward? LMAO. Yeah like seeing ripples when you bend and scars in your pit or under your breast looks better than a real one saggy or not. GTFOOH.
Oh get over it. There nothing wrong with a little nip/tuck. Everything is for people and she really needs it in my opinion. Her pancakes with stretch marks are not cute. BTW I think I have right to say what I want becouse she loves to show her breast. She is almost naked all the time.
Oh please chika. Everyone knows she got a overhaul on her face early in her career for the sake of fame. If she was willing to take the chance of f–king up her face from bad PS at the age of 21 then she should have no problem fixing her sagging tits. Which we all know is from her drastic weight loss that might be associated with the hectic tour schedule, but most likely from the coke and drug binges. And this is coming from a fan, trust me.
Second! I think her boobies look nice here. Round. Tear-shaped. Natural.
I have big ladies myself, and I can tell you… that’s what gravity does on a natural breast. Now, you could get bolt-ons and fake it. But those look…fake.
Real boobies! I like ’em!
Hers are really saggy, yes it’s the look of natural tits but I have implants and they “hang” nicely, while being perky. I dislike bolt ons too..
I used to have tits like hers and mine are still squishy, jingle and move like my old boobs just more volume and lift.
And yes, I would do it again. Saggy boobs was not fun.
Would be rather hard to claim she was “born this way” after that.
If you think Gaga has “pancake” boobs there are very few naturally breasted women that will fit your bill.
About 5 % of the world population can afford boob jobs and to surround themselves with other women who meet their aesthetic approval. Enjoy and to each their own.
The other 95% will continue to enjoy womens’ breasts just as much or more though. Putting breasts under a microscope for sag tends to deaden appreciation for sex and beauty in general.
I like that Gaga doesn’t inflate her saggy boobs (or get a nose job). Self-acceptance!
As for the personal assistant stuff, the chick isn’t suing because she doesn’t feel the job duties were fair. She’s suing because she worked overtime that she wasn’t paid for. A friend of a friend was an assistant for a certain Irish singer superstar a few years back…and those jobs are insane. She always wore a headset and was constantly in communication with the singer and the rest of the band. She lost a bunch of weight and told us, “I don’t have time to eat!” She worked probably 20 hours a day. It was crazy. On the other hand, she got to be around creative people, make a ton of industry contacts for future jobs, she traveled the world, and the singer was a really nice guy.
Maybe it’s self-acceptance but don’t show THEM to public. gaga, cover up for a change
Self acceptance? Sorry, but look back through some earlier pictures. Ms. Germanotta had her nose and chin (implant) done a long time ago. Just ‘cuz the boobs haven’t been knifed yet…well, that’s still a long way from “self acceptance,” I think.
really? I don’t see it. She’s always had a pointy chin – look at her mom; she and her two daughters all have pointy chins and bunny teeth, and her nose is still large and bumpy. Where did you hear she had surgery?
ummm… This woman worked for GaGa for 13 months and “…put in 7,168 hours of unpaid overtime”? There are only about 8,760 hours in a year. What were the hours she was actually supposed to work – 1 hour a week?
Any judge that doesn’t throw this lawsuit out should be disbarred.
Yea i did the math right then and there and that doesnt even seem halfway logical, even if she worked round the clock for 13 months. maybe she miscounted and included her regular hours. sounds a bit shady
It’s probably a typo–the claim is probably that she worked 7,100 hrs total in the 13 month period. If she was only paid for a 40hr work week (about 2,200hrs), but really worked 18hr days/7 days a week (7,100) she feels she’s owed the 4,900 extra hrs.
Sorry, I mean that the judge should be removed from the bench not disbarred. I need coffee.
don’t feel bad, my mom was a paralegal and she and one of the lawyers at her firm were taling about a shady judge when my 14-year old self suggested that the judge need to be “disrobed” (meaning disbarred). So confusing disbarred for removed from the bench doesn’t sound too bad to me 🙂
Disbarred is not really off the mark. Judges are usually lawyers first.
Over 7000 hours overtime in 13 months?!?
Maybe on a slow rotating planet where a day has 48 hours…
It seems Gaga works crazy hard – not that surprising she would expect her employees to also.
I had the opposite reaction – 75K is not that much money in today’s world. I make that and I’m a librarian, for god’s sake.
wow.Great library job. Most librarians are making in the 30s and or are being laid off. How’d you swing that?
You are winning, bro. I’d love to be librarian. I’m still in school and trying to figure out how to make a living from writing (besides being a *shudder* lawyer). It seems journalism, bookselling, and librarianing are all on the outs…
I’m also a librarian, but don’t make that much. However, I live in the Midwest and our library system is unionized, so while my hourly wage is quite good the majority of us our only part-time (it’s a heck of alot cheaper to hire 2 20hr a week people than 1 40hr person). I have 2 young children so I like only working 24hrs a week. I love my job tho. Other than the constant stress of potential budget cuts and the occasional crazy patron it’s a great profession. 🙂
I have a second (or third? lol) cousin that has a PhD in library science. She works at one of the U of Cali campuses, makes 180k a year. No joke being in charge of a library that large.
No its not a lot but it’s more than a lot of people make nowadays.
Those of us with several degrees, and took a pay cut from 60 – 32. Or worse. Not fun. So count yourself lucky.
75K in todays world is good money and nothing to sneeze at. Median average is 50 I believe now.
In the new year can “cray cray” just go away? Please? I know its trendy but the word smart is in your tag line.
Anybody who goes out of his/her house without proper pants and shirt is labeled crazy by me. It’s not art, it’s lame.
at least the assistant doesn’t have to spend any time looking for any particular pair of pants
WAIT!! STOP THE PRESSES!!!
GaGa is ‘crazy’…now that’s just MADNESS! MADNESS I tell you…
LOL
I was a personal assistant for awhile; it was the most nightmarish job I ever had. Having to be a “yes” person 18 hours a day is exhausting. Calling me in the middle of the night for passwords for alarms so the police don’t arrive. My God … it was the same frickin password: “Pablo!” for cripe! Your beloved dead dog! It must be extensively exhausting to be an assistant for a crazy kook who is a figment of her imagination 24 hours a day. I don’t give a crap how much talent she has. Why the hell can’t she just put on a pair of jeans and All Stars? She’s heading down a very rough road.
That “Pablo” story threw me into a PTSD haze…such a great way to describe the constant crazy! Even “off the clock,” there’s no rest for a personal asst. See also: “Swimming with Sharks.”
75K is just not enough to be her FT 24/7 personal assistant.
I agree 75K isn’t enough for round the clock care. If you are on for 9-5 or something like that than fine but not having to babysit an egomaniac. And why can’t that creature just take a towel to the shower with her like the rest of us. It is simple. I can see in my life where an assistant could be handy in my life such as grocery shopping, cleaning the house, etc. But I can take my own towel with me to the shower. What an idiot. Glad I don’t listen to her music. I can’t even look at pics of her she is so gross.
1. i wonder when will people stop employing trashy long island women with magical math talent?
2. i assume there was a contract with duties and yearly salary-that is a pretty fair salary to an assistant, and yes they all work 24/7, you think this woman worked harder than Jennifer Anniston’s assistant?
I don’t care how much you pay someone , they should be treated with respect and get time for themselves.
I agree with you 100%. Especially being a celebrity who makes millions of dollars and has millions of adoring fans who look up to her (although why is beyond me), the very least she (or any other celebrity) can do is offer a shred or two of dignity to the person she’s employed to do the tasks she now feels are too beneath her to maintain, and pay them well. There’s absolutely no reason not to adequately compensate someone who’s willing to feed into your egotistical delusions.
In the second last picture I thought that was a man lmfao.
There must be a fine line between genius and cray-cray. Shame we celebrate the later and call it talent.
“Don’t mistake lack of talent for genius” – Peter Steele
I wish this lawsuit seemed more realistic, because that job is hellish, and most assistants are totally abused. I’d love to see an assistant win a meritorious case against a big star, to scare other performers into paying for an around-the-clock servant.
As @Fue McCormack, #16 commented, it’s 24 hours a day of crazypants(-less) foolishness. There just aren’t enough adjectives to describe how insane performers like Lady Gaga* are.
*I hate her stupid name. I hate typing it as much as the stupid Kardazzian names.
Lawsuit what? The assistant took the job, took the money. So what if it was suck-butt job? Most jobs are suck-butt jobs without enough pay and sh*t head bosses. Let’s sue the world!
And no surprises there that Gaga is cray cray. Surprise would be if she wasn’t.
Datz stupid the assitant could of quit anytime but she dint she stayed .. so she shouldnt complain!
Money corrupts.
She’s obviously begun to believe her own hype. Gaga, stop drinking the Koolaid.
If you’re hired at straight salary, you’re not entitled to overtime.
Actually, I think everyone is entitled to overtime as long as they are not in a “managerial” position which I don’t think a PA would be unless she was leading a team of PAs.
You don’t have to be in a managerial position to be a contract worker. Managerial people are usually considered “exempt” employees and thus are not entitled to overtime. A contract worker is different. You are considered self employed (an independent contractor) and are working for contract. If you sign a contract for a certain amount of salary, that’s what you get. Your contract can contain provisions for compensation, but if you are a contract worker, you are responsible for determining and contracting your own compensation. I don’t know if this is the case with this worker, though.
I think you’re right.
My husband is on a contracted salary, but there are provisions in the contract like holiday and hazard pay when there is an emergency and he is forced to work. He loathes call outs in the middle of the night. I get up gladly, make him a snack and coffee, and send him on his grumpy way, smiling as I go back to sleep, knowing that the next check might cover a vacation =)
I’m sure hubs really appreciates all you do for him, DesertRose.
Steffi needs to pay a fair wage. It’s the law to pay overtime, unless the assistant is a contracted salary worker. The PA should have renegotiated her contract or quit.
Suing an employer because you don’t like your compensation is asinine. Boss is a bitch; find another boss.
Excellent posts madpoe and fue mccormick; I’ve posted enough on all the reasons i detest lady xerox – mediocrity dressed up as narcissism is never appealing; when people as diverse as Tony bennett and bill clinton sing xerox’s praise you gotta believe too many are drinking the kool aid, and I have to believe big time payola is going on to keep this hack newsworthy because her music just isn’t that good at all.
Ugh, I don’t doubt Gaga is crazy. She seems like the type who would go Naomi Campbell on an underling if the cameras weren’t running.
Also, why is she rocking a Cruella de Vil look?
I loved her music up until Bad Romance, now her music sucks, and her persona sucks even harder. Bitch thinks she’s so original when she is BASIC.
No way would I want to be a PA to celebrity they don’t pay enough and expect you to be on call 24/7. It’s bad enough being a personal assistant and dealing with crazies in the real world and the money is pretty much the same, I imagine it would be much much worse working for someone like Gaga.
PA jobs can be great if the employer is a good realistic person. But often times it is a nightmare. 75,000 is dirt or he amount of work and energy it takes.
Gaga could not pay me enough to work for her. She basically paid her around 9 dollars an hour. Not nearly enough.
Agreed, I could NEVER work for that woman.
@paranormal girl, from our convo upthread.
Oh, I see. You’re right about that.
However – under the law I think the employer-employee relationship is defined by what the relationship really is, not what the employer labels it. Whatever her contract says, seems like this is functionally an employer-employee relationship. This is different, from say, insurance sales, where what you outlined functionally describes the relationship better.
IDK, depending on what her contracts say and the actual situation this lady could have a real case here.
Bottom line, according to my husband, it’s all in what the contract says and we don’t know that.
I can’t put my finger on why, but the woman always looks dirty and crusty to me and she also often looks like she just threw her clothes on haphazardly. It appears as no thought goes into her appearance, and she rarely looks well put together. I don’t care for her makeup, either.
Judging by how Gaga treats her fans, I can only say nice things about her character. I don’t know what kind of an employer she really is, but I doubt it’s the monster kind.
well i believe this story. i agree gaga is very nice to her fans, which is why i can’t hate her in spite of all the silly gimmicks, but nobody should overuse an assistant like that. they’re not your slaves, they’re just poor souls trying to make living. gaga seems totally dedicated to her work but still doesn’t justify being that high maintenance around another worker. unless you pay extra for that. people have lives, you see. not everybody can make their work the meaning of their lives, easier for a pop star whose job and life is a bit more entertaining than that of a poor overworked assistant. being a celeb’s personal assistant is one of the hardest jobs in the world imo
Why does she have so many needle marks on her left leg??