Bachelor Nation Alum Carly Waddell Recounts Her College Years Alongside Lady Gaga

Carly Waddell, a former contestant on season 19 of “The Bachelor” on ABC, recently spoke to Jason Tartick of the “Trading Secrets” podcast about her college years, and had an interesting story. Waddell recounts hearing Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, perform in the common areas of the New York University campus every time she went to grab lunch.

Waddell and Gaga were two of 60 classmates studying at NYU’s competitive Tisch School of the Arts that year. Both wound up eventually dropping out of the program for their individual reasons, and Germontta went on to become the Grammy winning Lady Gaga. Despite commending Gaga’s talent, Waddell joked that she often felt bothered by Germanotta’s constant singing, even outside of the classroom.

“I was not a fan. This is why, because she was so talented… Stefani used to, during lunch, she would play on the piano… and she would sit at the piano every single day and just play and sing ‘Wicked’ at the top of her lungs every single day,” Waddell said. “And we were all just trying to eat lunch. It was break time. And we were all forced to listen to her.”

Despite the harsh words, Waddell confirmed that Gaga has always been musically gifted. “And yes, was she good? Of course, she’s great, but I would just want to eat my sandwich. I used to just eat in the hallway because she was driving me crazy.” She went on to say that she is now a fan of the acclaimed singer’s music.

Waddell was also on multiple seasons of “Bachelor in Paradise”, and married the show’s Evan Bass in 2017, though the couple separated in 2020. They share daughter Bella and son Charlie.

Social Media Reactions

Gaga’s global fanbase, who affectionately refer to themselves as Little Monsters, were none too pleased with Waddell’s remarks. Many felt that she was too harsh on her former classmate, as the point of an education in performing arts is to experiment and form one’s artistic style. Some felt that Waddell harbored jealousy towards Gaga due to the tone of her remarks.

being a hater even two decades later is a different type of loser😭 you literally got a free lady gaga concert and witness history

— allure (@allurequinn) November 8, 2023