Stephanie Mills calls Lady Gaga a ‘culture vulture,’ says star owes her apology

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R&B icon Stephanie Mills revealed she had an unresolved beef with “Mother Monster” Lady Gaga.

During Wednesday’s episode of “The Jason Lee Show,” the Grammy-winning “Wiz” star didn’t hold back when she explained what went down between her and Gaga and how the experience left a sour taste in her mouth.

“I feel like Lady Gaga is a culture vulture,” Mills said. “Can I tell you something. … I don’t even know if I should say it now.”

She said she was approached by her former manager a few years ago and asked to fly to New York, where Lady Gaga was doing a fashion shoot. Mills’ megahit “Home” was Gaga’s favorite song, according to the manager, who asked Mills, “Would you come and surprise her and sing?”

Lauryn Hill is off the hook as Essence takes blame for a set that wrapped after 3:30 a.m. Stephanie Mills, however, is still hot over how the festival was run.

“At first I said no,” Mills continued. “Why would I do that? And I was talked into it. Never let somebody talk you into something.

“I went,” Mills said. “She had a little black dog there, and all the other people, and so I sang for her. She didn’t smile. She didn’t do anything. She looked at me like I had two heads.”

Mills said she finished singing “Home,” and the stars took photos, but before she left, Gaga’s team stopped her at the elevator and insisted she delete the pictures. “And they did not let us leave until they saw every picture being deleted,” she said. “Very disrespectful.”

The Broadway star further explained that she thought Gaga was a culture vulture because she was managed by a Black man, Troy Carter, who also worked with John Legend, Eve, Nelly, Meghan Trainor and Charlie Puth. Carter is widely credited with ushering the “Born This Way” singer into superstardom in the aughts.

“I know who I am. I did it. I sang a song for her. I had admiration for her. I don’t any longer,” Mills said.

“I give everybody grace, and I’ve learned throughout the years to take my temperature down and not react but show them who I am later. … It’s like you don’t have to always react, but sooner or later you’ll get your chance to say, ‘Do you remember?’”

She followed the statement by looking straight into the camera and addressing Gaga, “I hope you watch, and I hope you remember what you did. And I feel like you owe me an apology.”

Reps for Gaga did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment, but the star — as well as many other musicians and actors — has a history of nixing photographs.

Lady Gaga said no press photos at #Coachella. Our staffer @vanessafranko does pen and ink drawings to compensate when artists don’t let us take their photo. Unfortunately, art is not her talent. So here’s her #TerribleStickFigures drawing of Lady Gaga from Weekend 1. pic.twitter.com/TiAHoXsv63

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Emily St. Martin is an entertainment reporter on the Fast Break Desk and writes for the Books desk as well. Before joining the Los Angeles Times, she contributed to the New York Times, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, BBC, Vice and Los Angeles Magazine. She also previously worked at the Hollywood Reporter, and served as the digital features editor at Southern California News Group. In 2025, she won first place for best editorial with the L.A. Press Club.

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