Lady Gaga's Relationship History Is A Total Trip Down Memory Lane

Back when Lady Gaga was still Stefani Germanotta in 2005, she started dating night club manager, musician, and DJ Lüc Carl. The two dated and broke up before she rose to fame, though they were rumored to have gotten back together in 2010. In a July 2010 interview with Rolling Stone, before she and Carl rekindled their relationship, Gaga was asked about "that guy you were dating in the East Village five years ago," and she asserted that she "wouldn't have been as successful without him." Later, she added, "I've really never loved anyone like I loved him. Or like I love him. That relationship really shaped me. It made me into a fighter."

She even wrote the 2010 song "Yoü and I" about her and Carl. "The person who I wrote this song about has been my buddy and my best friend since I was 19 years old," she told MTV News, adding that the man in question was from Nebraska, where the video was shot (and where Carl is from). "...the premise of the video is that I've walked all the way from New York City to Nebraska to get him back," she explained.

In May 2011, Gaga announced during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show that she and Carl were officially done. "I don't have a boyfriend and haven't been on any dates recently," she claimed. She also mentioned in her 2017 documentary, Gaga: Five Foot Two, that her rise to fame ultimately drove them apart. "I sold 30 million [albums] and lost Lüc," she said.

After splitting with Lüc Carl for the first time, Gaga reportedly romanced music producer Rob Fusari, who is credited for kick-starting her career. Gaga was introduced to Fusari at a New Writers' Showcase by talent scout Wendy Starland in 2006, and Gaga soon became Fusari's protégé. Eventually, their relationship turned romantic. They even formed a business partnership, creating a joint venture called Team Love Child, LLC, but by Jan. 2007, the two called it quits, both professionally and romantically.

To say the relationship didn't end well would be an understatement. In March 2010, Fusari sued Gaga for $30.5 million, claiming that he was due 20% of her earnings. According to the lawsuit, Fusari had introduced Gaga to a number of record executives, who eventually helped her release her debut album, The Fame, but she never gave him his agreed-upon cut. The lawsuit was later dropped, as there was no substantial evidence to back his claim.

Gaga first met DJ and designer Matthew "Dada" Williams at a sushi restaurant in Los Angeles, though they didn't begin dating until a year after their initial meeting. According to the 2013 biography, Lady Gaga: Looking For Fame: The Life Of The Pop Princess by Paul Lester, she and Williams later decided they would be better collaborators than romantic partners. "Dada is quite brilliant and we were crazy lovers, but I stopped it when we discovered what a strong creative connection we had," she said. "I didn't want it just to be about careless love."

Williams instead became one of the chief architects of her fashion team, Haus of Gaga, as well as her principle creative director. "He's the inspiration of the beginning of my fashion," Gaga said of Williams. However, Williams later decided to step down from his position at House of Gaga, and as Gaga noted in her Gaga: Five Foot Two that she "sold 10 million [records] and lost Matt."

Following Gaga and Lüc Carl's final split, the pop star met actor and model Taylor Kinney on the set of the music video for "Yoü and I" in July 2011. Kinney played Gaga's love interest in the video, and as Kinney later explained during a 2015 appearance on Watch What Happens Live, the two had instant chemistry. "We exchanged information. A few weeks went by and we kept in touch, and then that's that," he said.

By Dec. 2011, the couple was official, and Kinney eventually proposed to the singer on Valentine's Day in 2014. Gaga shared a picture of her new heart-shaped diamond ring on Instagram, writing, "He gave me his heart on Valentine's Day and I said YES!" Unfortunately, in July 2016, five years after the couple first met, Gaga was spotted without her ring, and it was reported that the two had called off the engagement. Gaga announced the breakup in an Instagram post, citing distance and hectic work schedules as the reason for the split.

Later, in Gaga: Five Foot Two, the singer opened up about her relationship with Kinney. "Me and Taylor are fighting, so that sucks," she said early on in the documentary, before she and Kinney split. Later on, after their breakup, Gaga claimed that "she did a movie and [lost] Taylor," adding, "It's like a turnover. This is the third time I’ve had my heart broken like this."

Less than a year after calling off her engagement with Taylor Kinney, Gaga began a relationship with her agent, Christian Carino. The two were first spotted looking couple-y at the 2017 Super Bowl, where Gaga performed during the halftime show, and by that summer, the two were reportedly engaged (though Gaga didn't announce this for several months).

In Nov. 2017, Gaga started wearing a massive pink rock on her left ring finger, which is when engagement rumors hit a fever pitch. However, it wasn't until Oct. 2018 that Gaga confirmed that Carino had popped the question. During her speech at Elle's 25th Annual Women in Hollywood Celebration, Gaga thanked her "fiancé Christian," making it clear for the first time that the rumors were true.

Four months later, People reported that Carino and Gaga had split. According to Us Weekly, Carino's invasive behavior eventually compelled Gaga to end things. "He was jealous," an insider told the magazine. “He was trying to find her all the time and texted her a lot. Her friends didn't like him either."

Gaga and audio engineer Dan Horton sparked dating rumors in July 2019 after they were photographed kissing during a brunch date in Los Angeles. A little over a month later, the two seemingly became Insta-official when Gaga posted an Instagram Story of an intimate dinner for two, which she captioned "The @dhortonaudio special" with several heart emojis.

The relationship was short-lived, and according to a source for Us Weekly, the couple split in October because Horton was "not mature enough for her." Gaga confirmed the split herself in an Instagram Story from a friend's bachelorette party, which she captioned, "An about to be married woman and me, a single lady."

Gaga was first spotted making out with tech CEO Michael Polansky at a New Year's Eve party in Las Vegas, and a month later, the Daily Mail shared photos of the two kissing on a hotel balcony in Miami ahead of the Super Bowl. According to sources for Page Six, Gaga and Polansky "likely have known each other for a while through events Parker has hosted at his LA mansion, including for his foundation, and connected again at the social network founder's birthday party last December."

On Feb. 3, Gaga posted a cozy photo of her and her maybe-boo on a boat, which she captioned, "We had so much fun in Miami. Love to all my little monsters and fans, you're the best!" While neither Polansky nor Gaga has yet to comment on the maybe-relationship, things sure are looking promising.

Gaga has experienced plenty of heartache over the years, but no matter her relationship status, she continues to grow and create. Though Polanksy may be "the one," I have a feeling Gaga is going to be A-OK even if he's not.