Who Is Lady Gaga's Boyfriend, Michael Polansky?
The pair have been Instagram official for over a year.
Anything concerning Ms. Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta's love life is indeed important to us, so when we first met her tech world boyfriend, Michael Polansky, early in 2020, we were curious about the mystery man. Well, many months later, the man isn't a mystery anymore, thanks to regular appearances on Gaga's social media feeds and paparazzi shots. Plus, since making it IG official back in February of last year, the pair have only gotten stronger. How can we tell, you ask? Mother monster nearly went pantsless on TWO separate occasions with the guy! That's love in the 2020s, baby!
Here's everything you need to know about the loved-up couple.
When did Gaga and Polansky start dating?
Lady Gaga made it Instagram official with Polansky in the early days of the new decade, posting a photo of the pair all cuddled up on a boat. Gaga, sporting pink hair, a blue bikini, and a black mesh cover-up in the snap, captioned the post, "We had so much fun in Miami. Love to all my little monsters and fans, you’re the best!" Cute!
Before that, Gaga spent New Year's Eve in Las Vegas, where she shared a midnight kiss with a "dark-haired, bearded dude named Michael," according to TMZ; seems safe to assume said dude was Polansky. Between then and the Instagram post seen 'round the world, during Super Bowl weekend in Miami (where Gaga performed at the AT&T TV Super Saturday Night show), the couple were photographed kissing on a balcony, as E! reports.
According to Elle, Polansky co-founded Sean Parker's Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, and is the executive director of The Parker Foundation. His LinkedIn reveals he studied applied mathematics and computer science at Harvard, which, sure, same.
Gaga and Polansky purposefully kept their relationship under wraps for at least a few months, E! reports. "He didn't want to be known yet and neither did Gaga but they decided at the Super Bowl to let it be public," an unnamed source said.
"She's really into him!" the source continued. "They are opposite of each other, which all-around is a good thing for her. He's very well-off, smart and an investor." (Quick note: We may not know about Gaga's investing habits, but she is definitely also wealthy and smart, so "opposites" might be a stretch.) "He definitely cares a lot about Gaga, but is very low-key and not typically one for the public eye."
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How did Gaga and Polansky meet?
We know Polansky is super tight with Facebook co-founder Sean Parker, and funnily enough, Gaga is familiar with him, too, possibly making Parker the missing link who brought the lovebirds together. A source close to the couple told Page Six that they had "likely known each other for a while through events Parker has hosted at his L.A. mansion," and that they really connected at Parker's December 2019 birthday party.
On a semi-related note that further proves how influential Parker has become in Gaga's life, she also met Bradley Cooper at one of Parker's events in April 2016, when she performed at the opening of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Parker's home. At the event, she sang Édith Piaf's "La Vie en Rose." "I was at a cancer benefit with my mother. I really did not know Lady Gaga's music," Cooper told W magazine. "They had a surprise musical guest, and Stefani came out with her hair slicked back."
And thus, a star was born (A Star Is Born was born?).
Do they work together?
Yes! Back in April 2020, the day before One World: Together at Home, Gaga posted a sweet Instagram shouting out all the people who helped make it possible.
"With some of my co-fundraisers @booconnor @michaelpolansky #oneworld #togetherathome Miss you @wanaynay our other co-fundraiser and producer and missing our other co-fundraisers @who & @glblctzn."
She also spoke about Polansky's work on the project in an interview with Morning Joe. "With Born This Way Foundation, my mother, Cynthia Germanotta, and our co-founder Maya [Enista Smith], who I love so very much—they are working with my, the love of my life on something for mental health," said Gaga.
Uh, did she just refer to him as the "love of my life"?! We are the literal heart-eyes emoji right now.
A source told Entertainment Tonight that Gaga didn't have plans to fall for him so fast. "She wasn't expecting to get so involved so quickly after her last relationship, but she started telling her friends she was completely in love with him," the source said last March. "Anyone that has spent any time with them can see the connection. They are completely smitten. Her friends haven't seen her this happy in years. It didn't take long for her friends to adore him, too."
What else do we know about the relationship?
Well, for one thing, they quarantined together. If this doesn't prove how strong this relationship is, we don't know what else will! A source told ET, "They both felt social distancing and quarantine was the right thing to do, and it's given them time to spend together and focus on one another without work or any other distractions."
Gaga offered up a glimpse into what their quarantine looked like in the early days of lockdown. In March, she shared a photo of them holding hands on Instagram, captioning the sweet image with, "Day 6 of self-quarantining! Going strong, playing video games and cards, and taking care of ourselves. Important reminder: keep your mind as stress free as possible and your body moving. #selflove #selfcare #bekind try not to pass it in case you have it #corona it's ok and so wonderful to stay home if you can! What a kind act for the world ❤️."
On January 19, the day before Joe Biden's presidential inauguration, at which Gaga literally invented the national anthem and after which she and Polansky shared an adorable masked kiss, the pop star popped over to the Capitol for a quick dress rehearsal with Polansky in tow. Aside from her absolutely stunning look for the day—don't you wear custom Givenchy cape dresses to all your informal practice runs?—perhaps the most eye-catching part of her rehearsal was the fact that she spent much of it hand-in-hand with Polansky (who, by the way, was considerably less decked-out in a baseball hat and fleece pullover).
If it wasn't obvious from that rare bout of PDA, the duo are in fact still "crazy about" each other after more than a year of dating, an insider told People shortly after their January outing. "She's very happy with Michael and feels grateful for his support," they said. "Michael has his own life and work, but they also have shared passions, so it's a nice balance. Things are going really well."
In March 2021, Gaga–who was in Rome filming House of Gucci and breaking the internet with a cableknit sweater-clad Adam Driver–was surprised by Polansky when he sent the singer a massive, rose-dotted flower arrangement to celebrate her 35th birthday. Gaga took to Instagram, posing next to the giant bouquet, and shared a sweet message to her BF, thanking him for the flowers.
“When your bf sends you all the flowers in Rome for your birthday. I love you honey 💕 I can’t wait to be home with you and our dogs, that’s all I need,” Gaga wrote.
It is serious?
It looks like Gaga and Polansky may take their relationship to the next step. While the two have been dating for over a year now, sources close to the couple are saying that Gaga may start thinking about settling down after she completes her upcoming slate of projects. According to ET, Gaga is “super in love” with the tech giant, although the duo haven’t begun talking about engagement or marriage just yet.
"She has been telling her friends that she wants to get through a few projects and then focus on settling down," the source told ET. "Gaga wants to have children one day and sees a future with Michael."
"He’s different than other guys she’s dated in the past because he’s very outwardly endearing and loving and has an old-school gentleman vibe about him," the source said. "She loves manly men who take the lead and Michael is definitely that. She feels like a princess in their relationship. She has been somewhat private about their relationship and wants to protect it.”
Unfortunately for us, we can’t expect nuptials in the near future. "Friends don’t think that will happen any time soon," the source said. "She’s very busy with her career and is not thinking about long term plans right now, but she loves having him by her side."
In the meantime, I’ll spend my time speculating about a possible Gaga wedding fashion statement, because we all know it will be a stunning, imaginative choice.
