“People just sometimes don’t like some things,” Gaga said in her first public comments about reactions to the film, although she did not mention it by name. “It’s that simple. And I think to be an artist, you have to be willing for people to sometimes not like it. And you keep going, even if something didn’t connect in the way that you intended.”

Joker won two of the eleven Oscars it was nominated for in 2020, so when there were rumors of a sequel, it felt like Joker: Folie à Deux was a lock for some awards attention, particularly with Lady Gaga joining the cast.