Continuing our series on fame, persona, and surreality that artists cultivate in the culture they inhabit, we discuss Lady Gaga's ascent into political influencing, activism, and sponsorship with global pharmaceutical brands. We look into her involvement with the Obama and Biden administration, partnership deals with Pfizer, and her incorporation of biotech startups and expiremental chemist within her Haus Labs empire. 

About:

Hosted by journalists Joan Summers and Matthew Lawson, Eating For Free is a weekly podcast that explores gossip and power in the pop culture landscape: Where it comes from, who wields it, and who suffers at the hands of it. Find out the stories behind the stories, as together they look beyond the headlines of troublesome YouTubers or scandal-ridden A-Listers, and delve deep into the inner workings of Hollywood's favorite pastime. The truth, they've found, is definitely stranger than any gossip.

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• Joan Summers’ Twitter: @laracroftbarbie
• Matthew Lawson’s Twitter: @_matthewlawson

Sources [may cutoff in certain apps]:

• April 11, 2023: Re-‘Born’: Lady Gaga’s ‘Bloody Mary’ Hits Top 10 on Pop Airplay Chart, [Billboard]
• May 10, 2023: Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation and TimelyCare Partner to Support College Students' Mental Health, [PR]
• May 24, 2023: Lady Gaga: “There's a strong mental-health component to beauty”, [HP]
• June 13, 2023: Lady Gaga, Nurtec have a ‘Million Reasons’ to say goodbye to migraines, [MMM]
• Lady Gaga Partners with Pfizer to Raise Migraine Awareness, [Pfizer]
• Lady Gaga gives EU a migraine (medication), [Politico]
• August 08, 2023: Shop for a Good Cause: Lady Gaga Teams with Cotton On to Raise Mental Health Awareness, [Billboard]
• Lady Gaga Goes Political in Maine, [NYT]
• Lady Gaga Vows to Meet With Obama Over Teen’s Suicide, 09/23/2011 [Billboard]
• Lady Gaga shows at Obama fundraiser, [Today]
• Meeting with Lady Gaga on Inclusion and Equality for Our Young People, [WH]
• The Clinton Emails: [LINK]
• Lady Gaga set to headline inaugural ball for Obama staff, 01/21/13 [Guardian]
• Exclusive: Hillary Clinton Pens Billboard Essay for Women in Music Issue, Pays Tribute to Lady Gaga and Honorees, [Billboard]
• Lady Gaga: ‘Hillary Clinton Is Made of Steel, Is Unstoppable’, [RS]
• Lady Gaga Protests in Front of Trump Tower, [ABC News]
• Lady Gaga Joins Former Presidents at One America Appeal Benefit Concert in Texas, Donates $1 Million -- Watch, [ET]
• Lady Gaga on Pop, Politics, and the Power of Women, [Glamour]
• What Were Lady Gaga and Barack Obama Talking About for So Long at the Inauguration?, [Glamour]
• Lady Gaga, who performed the National Anthem, has longstanding ties to Biden, 01/2021 [NYT]
• Lady Gaga Tried to Investigate Jan. 6 Herself—'I Looked For Evidence', Jan 07, 2022 [Newsweek]
• Biden taps Lady Gaga to co-chair an arts advisory committee that dissolved under Trump, [NPR]
• July 31, 2023: Lady Gaga dined at a classic Minneapolis restaurant — and no one knows why, [Star Tribune]
• Hawktail, Founder and Managing Partner: January 2021 to present [LINK]
• Napster co-founder Sean Parker once vowed to shake up Washington; so how’s that working out?, [LA TIMES]
• My Ex-Boyfriend’s New Girlfriend Is Lady Gaga, [NYT]