Lady Gaga is everywhere. While undoubtedly a great singer-songwriter, she’s been a true crossover artist for quite a while now, and it could be argued that her most visible work in recent years has been in front of the camera. Sure, Gaga wasn’t supposed to star in the movie that launched her acting career, “A Star Is Born” — but she did land the role, and walked away with an Academy Award for best original song as a nice bonus. With roles like Harley Quinn in “Joker: Folie à Deux” lined up, the star’s cinematic future continues to shine bright. However, thanks to another acting endeavor, some detractors and even fans have started accusing her of selling out.
The reason behind the controversy surrounding Gaga is her ad for the migraine medication Nurtec ODT. In the commercial, she discusses her own experiences with the condition during a photo shoot with other migraine patients who use the drug. As ads go, it’s precisely as stylish as you’d expect from Lady Gaga — but the fact that she has aligned herself with a pharmaceutical company has some fans up in arms.
On the other hand, Gaga actually has a personal connection to migraine treatment, since she received her migraine diagnosis at age 14. “I would be in bed for days with tremendous pain in my head, behind my eyes, and all throughout my face,” she said in an interview with Nurtec ODT manufacturer Pfizer. “I couldn’t read or have any lights on, and I needed to be alone in a quiet room for hours that could lead to days until the pain subsided.”
Lady Gaga’s migraine commercial is so controversial to many fans that it’s easy to forget that she’s been a huge part of a great many ad campaigns over the years. Some of them have been directly connected to her work as an actor and a musician, but she also has a history of promoting specific products. In 2017, she advertised Tudor brand watches. In 2020, she appeared in a commercial for Valentino Voce Viva fragrance and announced a partnership with Intel. In 2023, it was “The Labor of Creation” ad with Dom Perignon. Even the new Nurtec ODT commercial is her second for the brand and continues her story from the first one.
Of course, Gaga isn’t the only famous person to promote so many products. Many big-name actors started their careers in commercials, and it’s not exactly uncommon to spot famous faces in all sorts of ads. Still, despite her history promoting products and her genuine experience with migraine, some fans aren’t happy about her alliance with big pharma.
“I feel like if you’ve been a Gaga fan from the start, was old enough to see her start in ’08 to be a critical fan & studied her evolution into who she is today (or what she portrays to be) it’s another level of strange. Having product placement to fund your music videos back in the day is alot different than the repeated clearly $$$ IG brand deals she’s been posting. It’s just not something I’d think she’d do,” u/piiiiiiiiiiink wrote on Reddit. “I think it’s highly unethical for celebrities to commercialize pharmaceuticals,” u/Deep_Language8429 concurred. It remains to be seen whether the backlash blows over or causes a permanent stain on the artist’s image, regardless of her actual intentions behind the commercial.
