Bradley Cooper Lady Gaga 2019 Oscars performance: The controversy behind the event

There was a grand piano and two superstars at the height of their career – and for a powerful three minute performance, it seemed like nothing else existed in the world.

Five years on, Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga’s 2019 Oscars performance of their song Shallow still gives goosebumps.

Not only because of the sheer talent of the two singer-slash-actors, but because of their insane chemistry. The performance prompted weeks of speculation, statements, jokes and certainly tears, cementing it as one for the history books.

Watch the video above.

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Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper re-make iconic film A Star Is Born

Originally made in 1937, the story of A Star Is Born follows an aspiring Hollywood actress being “discovered” by an older, more successful actress. The pair fall in love and as her star rises, his starts to dim, and the story follows the strain this places on their relationship.

A riff on the same story has been explored in subsequent 1954 and 1976 films. In 2018, Bradley Cooper directed a modern take, starring as famous singer Jackson Maine who discovers down-on-her-luck ingenue Ally, played by Lady Gaga.

The film was a commercial and critical success. It’s titular song Shallow was featured on the soundtrack and became a chart-topping hit in its own right.

Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper spark affair rumours

Due to their deep and intense chemistry throughout the film, speculation of an affair between Cooper and Lady Gaga sprouted as soon as it was released.

During the press tour, the two shared details on their “instant chemistry” with Vogue. “She had her hair slicked back and she sang La Vie en Rose, and I was just… levitating. It shot like a diamond through my brain. I loved the way she moved, the sound of her voice,” Cooper said.

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In turn, Gaga said, “The second that I saw him, I was like, ‘Have I known you my whole life?’ It was an instant connection, instant understanding of one another.”

The pair also bonded over their shared Italian heritage.

Lady Gaga famously (and somewhat hilariously) gushed about how Bradley Cooper was the “one person in the room” who believed in her at every appearance. Cooper gushed about how Gaga gave him the confidence to sing.

Then, at the 2019 Oscars, Cooper and Gaga performed their hit song Shallow which had been nominated (and won) at the awards for Best Original Song.

Evoking Jackson and Ally, the two stared at each other the entire time and the song crackled with emotion. Cooper even sat down next to Gaga on the piano bench and their cheeks touched as they belted out “in the sha-sha-sha-la-la-low”.

Many were touched but some also thought the performance was “uncomfortable”, considering Cooper’s partner Iryna Shayk was in the front row watching. It didn’t help that Gaga broke up with her Hollywood agent fiance that same month.

Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper: “We fooled you!”

With the rumours at fever pitch, Lady Gaga appeared on Jimmy Kimmel to discuss the Oscar win for Best Original Song.

Kimmel asked about the steamy performance. ”We were watching it at home going, ‘What is going on with these two?!’,” he said. “People were saying they must be in love.”

Gaga rolled her eyes and brushed it off as nothing more than great acting.

“People saw love and guess what? That’s what we wanted you to see,” she said, explaining that Bradley Cooper directed the entire performance – from lighting to set up to shooting to him sitting next to Gaga on the bench. 

“From a performance perspective, it was so important to both of us that we were connected the whole time,” she continued.

“I’m an artist and I guess we did a good job. Fooled ya!” 

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However, later that year, Cooper also broke up with long-term partner Shayk, leading many to think he would finally unite with Gaga. 

Unfortunately for everyone in the world, nothing seemed to happen. 

Cooper didn’t address the accusations himself until years later. In 2021, he opened up to the Hollywood Reporter about the intentional chemistry between him and his co-star, explaining that acting as Jackson Maine in such a high-pressure situation reduced his anxiety levels.

“They kind of fall in love in that scene in the film. It’s that explosive moment that happens to happen to them on a stage in front of thousands of people … It would have been so weird if we were both on stools facing the audience,” he said.

While this seemed to quash any potential of a relationship, in the same interview, Cooper called Gaga “terribly charismatic and beautiful”.

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