celebrity

Lady Gaga and her fiancé's red carpet debut was the polar opposite of their engagement announcement.

There could be 100 people at the Venice Film Festival, but only one of them can say they're engaged to Lady Gaga.

Yep, Lady Gaga (AKA Stefani Germanotta) has made her red carpet debut with her fiancé Michael Polansky.

The actress and her partner attended the premiere of her new film, Joker: Folie à Deux, where Gaga stunned in a black Christian Dior Haute Couture ball gown and Tiffany & Co. diamonds.

Lady Gaga and her fiance Michael at the Venice Film Festival. Image: Getty.

Their show-stopping appearance stood in stark contrast to her understated engagement announcement. In fact, it seems she didn't even intend to share the news publicly.

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In a now-viral TikTok video, Gaga let the news slip while chatting to French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

"My fiancé, Michael," she can be heard saying in the video, as she introduces Polansky to Attal at a swimming event. The video, which was posted to Attal's TikTok account, has quickly racked up nearly 400k views.

@gabriel_attal

Thank you Lady Gaga for your stunning performance at the opening ceremony. It was breathtaking. 🤩🫶

♬ son original - Gabriel Attal

If you're unfamiliar with Polansky, you're not alone. Thankfully, that's what we're here for!

Who is Lady Gaga's fiancé, Michael Polansky?

Great question!

Michael Polansky is a 46-year-old Harvard graduate, who studied applied mathematics and computer science, according to Page Six. After graduating in 2006, he now works as a tech entrepreneur and philanthropist.

Currently, Polansky is the executive director of the Parker Foundation, which he co-created with Sean Parker in 2015. The Parker Foundation is focused on supporting life sciences, global public health, civic engagements, and the arts, per its website.

He also works with the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, which invests in cancer treatment research.

A brief timeline of Lady Gaga and Michael Polansky's relationship.

Lady Gaga and Michael Polansky were first spotted together when they were seen kissing at a New Year's Eve party in Las Vegas. They hard-launched their relationship a few weeks later while in Miami for the 2020 Super Bowl.

"We had so much fun in Miami," Gaga captioned a photo of the then-new couple on Instagram.

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According to People, the couple quarantined at Gaga's house together through the early months of COVID-19, which brought them closer together. 

The couple was still going strong in early 2021, and Polansky was by Gaga's side when she attended President Joe Biden's inauguration.

Lady Gaga and Michael Polansky in 2020. Image: Instagram/@ladygaga

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Later that year, Gaga told The Hollywood Reporter"My dogs and the man that I love are my whole life". For context, Gaga's dogs, Koji and Gustav, had just been returned to her after being stolen when her dog walker was attacked.

Polansky attended the 2022 BAFTAs with Gaga, prompting host Rebel Wilson to ask if he was "Lady Gaga's plus one".

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Meanwhile, a source told Entertainment Tonight that the couple were "serious and ... very much in love".

And from there, it seems to have been smooth sailing for the low-key couple. They've made a few public appearances together over the years, and are occasionally seen out and about, like when they were spotted celebrating Gaga's 38th birthday together in March.

One source told People that the couple looked "very happy together" and that "she was smiling and laughing all night".

This is Gaga's third engagement. In February 2015, she got engaged to her then-longtime boyfriend, Friday Night Lights actor Taylor Kinney. The couple got together in 2011, but ended things in 2016, a year after their engagement. 

She was later engaged to Christian Carino, but the couple called off their engagement in 2019 after two years together.

Feature Image: TikTok/gabriel_attal.

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