After the oh-so-romantic A Star Is Born duet that had the DRAMATIC SEXY CHEMISTRY everyone didn't know they needed, Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga (and also, uh, Bradley's IRL girlfriend Irina Shayk) were literally the only thing people could talk about during the 2019 Oscars. Was there a love triangle? It doesn't look like it, but Twitter lost its collective mind anyways. After the ceremony, fans anxiously awaited the photos to come at the Vanity Fair Oscars after-party, assuming that the stars would roll right onto the red carpet to give us some more speculation-filled photos. But, lo and behold, there's no sign of Irina OR Bradley. **sips tea**
Often, the winners go to the after-party (this year Olivia Colman and Spike Lee were among the attendees) and Lady Gaga and songwriter Mark Ronson DID attend for their Best Original Song win. So, it's surprising not to see the actor and his wife joining the film's collaborators at what's usually considered the place to be to celebrate post-ceremony; There's also a chance they did attend but were somehow SO low-key that they skipped the red carpet and somehow escaped notice of everyone there, which seems unlikely.
Here are some possible reasons why, based entirely on my speculation:
- It might be easy to forget, but Bradley didn't actually win any awards directly—he was nominated for Best Actor, but the film actually won for Best Original Song. "Shallow" was written by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando, and Andrew Wyatt. Bradley and Lady Gaga performed it—there's the difference.
- Furthermore, Bradley told Oprah he was "embarrassed" not to get a Best Director nomination for Best Director, and he didn't win Best Actor (that went to Rami Malek), so the whole ceremony might have been disappointing for him?
- In addition to this, A Star Is Born "flamed out" this awards ceremony—meaning it got a lot of noms, but not a lot of wins.
- The Vanity Fair party isn't quite as well-attended or high-profile as it used to be, per the New York Times. Bradley Cooper has attended the party in the past, but it looks like he hasn't been there in the last couple of years.
- Both Bradley and Lady Gaga attended an Oscars pre-party, probably to give some last-minute visibility in support of their film. Bradley has done a lot of publicity for A Star Is Born, and he might have just felt burned out.
- He and Irina were tired from setting fans' hearts on fire with all the rumors, and went home to get some much-needed rest. They do have a baby together, after all!
Here's Lady Gaga and Mark Ronson picking up the slack (and cradling their golden statues) at the after-party:
And, in case you haven't seen it (how??), you MUST check out Bradley and Lady Gaga's performance:
Fire emoji.
For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter.
