Despite being one of the most famous women in the world, not much is known about Lady Gaga's soon-to-be husband, Michael Polansky. The pair have been together since the end of 2019 and are reportedly due to get married next year.
While they have successfully managed to keep most details about their relationship private (bearing in mind they did spend the first few months of it in lockdown like the rest of us), their recent red carpet appearances, a secret visit to Polansky's hometown and a joint magazine interview have helped us to paint a picture of their relationship.
So who is Michael Polansky? How did they actually meet? And is the lead single on Gaga's Chromatica album, 'Stupid Love', really about her fiancé? These are the questions Gaga fans need answered. PS. You'll never guess who set them up.
Who is Michael Polansky?
Michael Polansky is the CEO and executive director of The Parker Group, which he co-founded with Sean Parker, the co-founder of Facebook and Napster.
The organisation – according to its website – supports philanthropic efforts in life sciences, global public health, civic engagements, and the arts.
Polansky is also the co-founder of the Economic Innovation Group, Outer Biosciences and Hawktail. On top of that, Polansky is a board member for the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy and Haus Labs By Lady Gaga, his fiancé's makeup company.
In other words, Polansky is an entrepreneur and philanthropist (and a very busy man). He's not stupid either, having graduated from Harvard with a degree in applied mathematics and computer science in 2006.
Of course, but Polansky is also the fiancé of the Grammy, Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA and Brit-award winning singer and actress, Lady Gaga. So yes, you could call them a power couple.
Where is Michael Polansky from?
The tech millionaire grew up in Minnesota. When Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, was spotted out for dinner in Minnesota in 2023, it was the talk of the town. Given that she did not have any tour dates in the area, locals were quick to wonder what her visit was for.
However, speaking on Jimmy Kimmel Live, she revealed her fiancé was giving her a tour. 'We rented a car and we took a road trip. We stopped at Culver’s,' she said. 'He took me to a house party. Everybody was hanging out and we ordered pizza. It was just really cool.'
She added that Polansky took the opportunity to introduce her to his friends from high school. 'They know me as Michael’s fiancée. It was just so nice, we were talking about real-life stuff and just hanging out on the porch,' the singer said. 'I love a porch.'
Is Michael Polansky related to Roman Polansky?
With a surname like Polansky, it's no wonder people might be wondering whether Michael is related to Roman Polanski, the convicted sex offender and French-Polish film director. Fortunately for Michael, the pair are not related. They also spell their surnames differently, with the director using an 'i' instead of a 'y'.
What is Michael Polansky's net worth?
After reading about Polansky's various high power jobs, it's only natural for fans to want to know what he's banking. It is estimated that he has a net worth of $600 million, as of 2024.
Meanwhile, Gaga has an estimated net worth of $150 million.
How did Lady Gaga and Michael Polansky meet?
Gaga and Polansky first met through Gaga's mother, Cynthia Germanotta, who runs the Born This Way Foundation, a nonprofit focused primarily on supporting young people's mental health that Gaga and her mother set up in 2012.
Germanotta met Polansky through his colleague, Sean Parker, and said to her daughter, 'I think I just met your husband.' Crediting her mother for playing Cupid, Gaga told Vogue, 'I could never have imagined that my mom... found the most perfect person for me?'
They met for the first time at Parker's 40th birthday party in LA in December 2019. Gaga said, 'I went to the party and I kept asking for him and he finally came over to me and we talked for three hours. We had the most amazing conversation.'
Gaga has long been on Parker's guest lists, first as a performer and later as a friend. Bradley Cooper says he met Gaga at the opening of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Parker's house in April 2016. She performed Edith Piaf's 'La Vie en Rose', which is what inspired Cooper to cast her in A Star Is Born.
Rumours that Gaga and Polansky were dating started shortly after they met, on New Years Eve, when Gaga was pictured in Vegas with a 'mystery man'. The following February, she confirmed their relationship on Instagram by sharing a picture of them hugging on a yacht.
How long have Lady Gaga and Michael Polansky been together?
The couple have been together for almost four years. Two weeks after Gaga and Polansky went Instagram official, she posted her new man on Valentine's Day and wrote, 'Happy Valentine's Day!! Babe, do I have lipstick all over me?'
Little did they know, a month later we'd all be locked inside facing the once in a lifetime Covid pandemic. The new couple spent lockdown together and it allowed them to 'focus on one another without work or any other distractions'.
She even shared a selfie with Polansky during that period with the caption, '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.'
Another significant milestone in the couple's relationship came on 20 January 2021 when they attended President Joe Biden's inauguration together, where Gaga performed the national anthem.
When did Lady Gaga and Michael Polansky get engaged?
In July 2024, Gaga performed at the Paris Olympics and, of course, Polansky was front row to support her. It was during the Olympics that Gaga (accidentally) confirmed that she and Polansky are engaged, after months of media speculation.
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal posted a TikTok of him and Gaga at a swimming event where she introduced Polansky as her fiancé.
The 'Bad Romance' singer later discussed her accidental engagement announcement on The Graham Norton Show. She said, 'The prime minister actually had his people filming us while they were saying hello and they caught me saying, "Oh, this is my fiancé." And I was trying to keep it hidden, but they announced it to everyone. But that was kind of fun.'
Gaga revealed that Polansky popped the question on April Fool's Day. 'Actually, I thought he was joking and he was not, but it was really nice.' Speaking about the proposal again on Jimmy Kimmel Live, she added that Polansky proposed after they had been rock climbing to celebrate her birthday and joked, 'I do [rock climb] now. I would do anything for love.'
'We were just walking back to the room and talking. He actually – it was very Michael – asked me if he could ask me. He wanted to know if it was okay to propose before he proposed. And I was like, "Yes, it's so okay!" He had the ring in his backpack, so it was so super cute.'
The April Fool's proposal makes sense given that engagement rumours started swirling around the couple that month. On 7 April, she was spotted walking around West Hollywood with a pretty sizeable ring on her left ring finger.
When are Lady Gaga and Michael Polansky getting married?
If the nature of their relationship so far is anything to go by, we can't imagine Gaga will be inviting any cameras to her wedding.
According to a 'source', the duo already celebrated their engagement with a party in California and are thinking about tying the knot in Europe. The Entertainment Tonight insider said, 'Gaga and Michael are the happiest they've ever been. Michael has always known Gaga was the one.
'They had an engagement party at her home in Malibu with their loved ones and everyone is thrilled for them. They are already thinking about wedding plans and talking about possibly having a destination wedding in Europe. They'd love to get married sooner than later and both want to start a family.'
Do Lady Gaga and Michael Polansky want to have kids?
Yes! Gaga has spoken openly about wanting children in the past and if sources are to be believed, kids could be on the cards for the couple very soon.
Back in 2013, Gaga told Sirius XM radio that she wants 'at least three' kids. She said, 'Having my own kids will be like having three little monsters with me all the time. They probably won't be fans, they will probably hate my music – who knows.'
In July 2019, Gaga told Allure that she hoped to connect with her children the way she did with her own mother. In December that same year, while promoting her makeup company Haus Laboratories on YouTube, Gaga admitted she wants to have kids one day.
In April 2020, a few months into her relationship with Polansky, Gaga said she was 'very excited to have kids' and 'looks forward to being a mom' in an interview with InStyle. She said, 'I will say I am very excited to have kids. I look forward to being a mom. Isn’t it incredible what we can do? We can hold a human inside and grow it. Then it comes out, and it’s our job to keep it alive. It’s so funny—everyone works out of my house every day. When they come in, I always say, "Welcome to the Womb!”'
The couple is off to a strong start already, having welcomed an addition to their family in August in the form of a brown French Bulldog. Gaga debuted her new puppy on TikTok while singing along to Bruno Mars's song 'Die With a Smile'.
Lady Gaga and Michael Polansky on the red carpet
The couple made their first major red carpet appearance together at the 2024 Venice Film Festival. Gaga was there to promote her latest project, Joker: Folie a Deux and wore a Christian Dior Haute Couture gown with Tiffany & Co jewellery.
They appeared on the red carpet again in London at the Joker premiere, both dressed in Celine.
What has Lady Gaga said about Michael Polansky?
Polansky might be a private person, but his fiancé certainly isn't. In September, the Joker star appeared on the cover of Vogue and gushed about her partner.
Speaking about the pandemic falling at the start of their relationship, Gaga said, 'I'd been so focused on my career since I was a teenager. And the gift of that time was that I got to completely focus on my relationship. I met this totally supportive, loving human being who wanted to get to know me – outside of Lady Gaga.'
She later added, 'I had never met anyone like Michael. He's so smart and so kind. And his life and my life are very different. He's a very private guy and he's not with me for any other reason than that we are right for each other. But what I want my fans to know is that I'm just, like, so happy.'
Luckily, the feeling is mutual. 'We had this amazing chapter of a weird kind of normalcy,' he told the magazine, 'that's essential for any relationship to develop in a real way.'
Polansky later said, 'She's someone who is happiest when she's creating. It's one of the qualities I love most about her. But I see her enjoying it so much more than she did when I met her back in 2019.'
Recalling his side of the night they met during the interview, the tech mogul said, 'I didn't know much about her and honestly wasn't sure what to expect. I was struck immediately by her warmth and openness – she was so genuinely curious about what my life was growing up in Minnesota.'
Is Stupid Love about Michael Polansky?
You know, it just might be. Gaga's 2020 single is about finding someone after heartbreak, and she did allude to the song being about him in a recent selfie… With lyrics ‘gotta quit this crying, nobody's gonna heal me if I don't open the door,' it sounds like he's definitely been there for her.
Wait, who is Michael Polansky’s ex?
An article written by Lindsay Crouse - an editor, writer and producer at The New York Times – went viral in February 2020, after she documented what it was like finding out that her ex-boyfriend was dating Gaga.
Exploring how social media combined with celebrity culture makes it impossible to avoid seeing an ex online, Crouse goes into detail about her feelings when she was made aware a man she dated for seven years was dating one of the most famous women in the world. She also admitted that comparing herself to Gaga is ‘incredibly motivational’. It's a great read.
Nikki Peach is a writer at Grazia UK, working across pop culture, TV and news. She has also written for the i, i-D and the New Statesman Media Group and covers all things TV for Grazia (treating high and lowbrow shows with equal respect).