Lady Gaga reveals she played 5 shows with COVID during Chromatica Ball (original) (raw)

The singer shared the news at an event promoting her new concert film chronicling the tour.

Lady Gaga has revealed that she hit the stage for some of her 2022 Chromatica Ball tour dates after testing positive for COVID-19.

The "Poker Face" singer shared the news on Thursday at a premiere event for her new concert film, Gaga Chromatica Ball.

"I did five shows with COVID," she told moderator Scott Evans of Access Hollywood in fan videos posted to social media.

Lady Gaga.

David Jon/Getty

The confession garnered applause and cheers from the crowd. "I shared it with everyone on my team," Gaga said, referring to her decision to still perform. "And I said, 'I don't want anyone to feel uncomfortable at work, and you don't have to perform, and you don't have to work that day, but I'm gonna do the show' — 'cause I just didn't wanna let all the fans down… The way that I saw it also was that the fans were all putting themselves in harm's way every day coming to the shows. So, you know…

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She added, "During all my quick changes, I kept going, 'I'm sorry! I'm sorry!'"

Her remarks prompted Evans to respond, "I love that! I love that!"

The Grammy winner did not offer details on protection her team offered to staff or audiences. Representatives for Lady Gaga did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment.

Lady Gaga performing during her Chromatica Ball tour in 2022.

Samir Hussein/Getty

While the news excited many attendees at the premiere, reactions were divided on social media. Some fans defended the pop star's decision, while others were quick to question the power dynamics for the crew, who could refrain from working but still keep their jobs, as well as the dangers of possible exposure to COVID-19 for those around her, including her audiences.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that 244,000 deaths in the U.S. were linked to COVID-19 in 2022 alone.