Piers Morgan has challenged claims that Lady Gaga suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The pop singer, who spoke last week about her condition which was triggered by sexual assault and past traumas, faced criticism from the TV presenter, who said her admission was “vainglorious nonsense”.
In an interview with Gaga in New York which aired on NBC on 6 December, the musician explained how she had been raped at the age of 19 by a man who was 20 years older. “I told the kids today that I suffer from a mental illness,” she said in a Today show interview. “I suffer from PTSD. I’ve never told anyone that before, so here we are. But the kindness that’s shown to me by doctors as well as my family, and my friends, it’s really saved my life.”
Lady Gaga’s latest album, Joanne, released last autumn, was notable for its inward-looking tone, reflecting on her life’s experiences.
Morgan, however, has claimed that the singer used her latest revelation to “promote” her career. “I come from a big military family,” he wrote on Twitter. “It angers me when celebrities start claiming ‘PTSD’ about everything to promote themselves.”
Morgan went on to suggest that he did not believe either Gaga nor Madonna – who gave a speech for her Billboard women in music award that focused on misogyny and feminism – regarding their previous reports of sexual assault.
“Lady Gaga & Madonna have both made ALLEGATIONS of rape many years after the event. No police complaint, no charges, no court case,” said Morgan.
“I wouldn’t automatically believe anything either Madonna or Lady Gaga claimed about their lives.”
In response, Gaga suggested she would like to educate Morgan – who co-presents TV breakfast show Good Morning Britain – about why many people do not report rape and abuse, and said she would do an interview with the presenter. But Morgan, who continued to berate the singer in a further tweet, may not have entirely secured the interview…
@piersmorgan if you continue to shame me in the process of kindly agreeing to interview w/ u I'll happily do the interview with someone else
— xoxo, Joanne (@ladygaga) December 13, 2016
