Why Aren't Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga Sitting Next to Each Other at the Oscars?
Cooper's girlfriend, Irina Shayk, is sitting right in the middle of them...


In case you haven't heard, the 2019 Oscars (opens in new tab) are currently happening in Los Angeles, and your faves Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga are performing "Shallow" together later in the evening. Within minutes of the show, the camera panned on the A Star Is Born co-stars in their seats, but fans immediately wondered why the pair aren't sitting next to each other. Instead, Cooper's girlfriend and mother of his child, Irina Shayk (opens in new tab), is sitting right in the middle of them.
The internet is convinced Lady Gaga and Bradley have romantic feelings for each other (opens in new tab) after Gaga recently ended her engagement with fiancé Christian Carino, and fans are wondering if the seating arrangement is on purpose.
Um, why aren’t Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga sitting next to each other? Give the people what they want!!! #oscarsFebruary 25, 2019
Irina Shayk sitting between Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga: pic.twitter.com/pGTe5428UFFebruary 25, 2019
i am living for bradley cooper’s girlfriend/baby mama sitting between him and lady gaga. yes girl you keep your man secured #OscarsFebruary 25, 2019
irina shayk sitting between lady gaga and bradley cooper and girrrrrrrrl, i would be too. #OscarsFebruary 25, 2019
I like how Bradley Cooper’s girlfriend is sitting between him and Lady Gaga. pic.twitter.com/y6c9mJRoKoFebruary 25, 2019
Bradley Cooper, Irina Shayk & Lady Gaga all sitting together #Oscar2019 pic.twitter.com/pce7bFZG4qFebruary 25, 2019
Someone is sitting between Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. The sexual tension must have been too high to let them sit together.#OscarsFebruary 25, 2019
Spoiler: It has nothing to do with the rumors, and everything to do with the Oscars' notoriously strict seating chart (opens in new tab). A whole lot actually goes into the planning—the biggest stars go in the front rows and those expected to win are usually placed near the aisles. Politics and relationships are also taken into account—"ex-spouses, ex-lovers and ex-friends are never to be placed anywhere near each other," The New York Post explains. "You always find out ahead of time where your clients are sitting and who they’re sitting with or near," one Hollywood publicist told the Post. "If there’s a problem, the academy is very accommodating." But in this case, it seems like a simple case of The Very Normal Rules keeping the co-stars apart.
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So, no, there's no drama between Gaga and Shayk, and she isn't sending a message to Gaga/Cooper stans...so we think.
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Rachel Epstein is an editor at Marie Claire, where she writes and edits culture, politics, and lifestyle stories ranging from op-eds to profiles to ambitious packages. She also manages the site’s virtual book club, #ReadWithMC. Offline, she’s likely watching a Heat game, finding a new coffee shop, or analyzing your cousin's birth chart—in no particular order.
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