Lady Gaga Revealing to Oprah She Was 'Raped Repeatedly' Has Her Fans Speaking out on Twitter

Lady Gaga fans are applauding the pop music superstar after she opened up to Oprah Winfrey about [...]

By Libby Birk

Lady Gaga fans are applauding the pop music superstar after she opened up to Oprah Winfrey about the trauma she's been living through ever since she suffered several instances of sexual assault. Gaga, 33, told Winfrey, 65, in front of a live crowd of about 15,000 people in Florida that she suffers post traumatic stress disorder as a result of the assaults. As the first guest of Winfrey's 2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus Tour, Gaga grew teary-eyed as she told her heartbreaking story.

"I was raped repeatedly when I was 19 years old, and I also developed PTSD as a result of being raped and also not processing that trauma," she said.

The "Born This Way" singer also suffers from fibromyalgia, leaving her in excruciating pain at times, saying that it may be related to her PTSD. "I all of a sudden became a star and was traveling the world going from hotel room to garage to limo to stage, and I never dealt with it [the trauma from her sexual assault], and then all of a sudden I started to experience this incredible intense pain throughout my entire body that mimicked the illness I felt after I was raped," she said.

"What's interesting about it is that I've found through neuropsych research and my relationship with my doctors that fibromyalgia can be treated through mental health therapy," Gaga continued. "And mental health is a medical condition, it should be treated as a medical condition. It should not be ignored."

Fans took to social media to praise Gaga for being so open about her trauma.

"This is so raw and real...wow goosebumps," one Twitter user wrote.

"Geez I really felt this, so emotional," another said.

"Thank you for sharing! Powerful message. I wish you all the best Gaga!" someone else wrote.

"Lady Gaga is really the bravest and the most inspirational woman in the whole f—ing world," someone else said. "I love her and the way she always fights for the right of everyone."

After the tearful onstage encounter, Winfrey found Gaga backstage, where she praised her honesty. "You were so amazing. You were so good. You were so vulnerable, you were so real, I couldn't even believe you were doing that," Winfrey said emotionally. "I was like, 'Am I hearing correctly?' Oh my, you were so real."

She continued gushing: "You were so good, so strong, so you, it was so good. Thank you for doing that for me."

"Of course, that's what happens when you're in the presence of an angel," Gaga responded.

"To be the truth that way, nobody does that, and you know that, nobody does that. Nobody does that," Winfrey said. "And you just did it in front of all those people."

Some Gaga and Winfrey fans praised the two women for the encounter.

"This is what the world needs. It's why I admire you both and why you both are slowly changing the world," one fan wrote to both Gaga and Winfrey. "Being real people shows everyone else it's ok to be real! Being you is the best and the only way you will ever be happy is to accept you. Be Kind!"

Winfrey partnered with WW (Weight Watchers Reimagined) for the national, nine-city talk show tour. Oprah's 2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus continues with longform interviews around the country, with the next stop coming up on Saturday in Saint Paul, Minnesota with special guest Tina Fey.

Here's the lineup of tour dates and guests:

  • Jan. 4: Lady Gaga in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
  • Jan. 11: Tina Fey in St. Paul, Minnesota
  • Jan. 18: Amy Schumer in Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Jan. 25: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in Atlanta, Georgia
  • Feb. 8: Michelle Obama in Brooklyn, New York
  • Feb. 15: Tracee Ellis Ross in Dallas, Texas
  • Feb. 22: Kate Hudson in San Francisco, California
  • Feb. 29: Jennifer Lopez in Los Angeles, California
  • March 7: Gayle King in Denver, Colorado

Photo credit: Jason Koerner / Stringer / Getty

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