Lady Gaga & Michael Polansky’s Relationship Timeline Includes Mayhem

Lady Gaga has moved on from “Bad Romance” and found herself a true “Stupid Love” (in a good way). The singer announced her engagement to entrepreneur and philanthropist Michael Polansky in July 2024, after over four years of dating, and he’s earned himself the admiration of Gaga’s loyal fans, some of whom now lovingly call him “Father Monster.”

The two initially kept their relationship private, only sharing the occasional Instagram selfie when they started dating in early 2020. But after getting engaged, Gaga has opened up about about their relationship. In fact, she even credited him for encouraging her to make her seventh studio album, Mayhem, out March 7.

“I had never met anyone like Michael,” she said in her Vogue cover story in September. “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.”

Below, catch up on Gaga and Polansky’s relationship timeline, from their first meeting to Mayhem.

2019: Mama Gaga Sets Her Up

Gaga’s mother, Cynthia Germanotta, met Polansky before the singer did, and immediately knew that he’d be a match for her daughter. “She said to me, ‘I think I just met your husband,’ and I said, ‘I’m not ready to meet my husband!’” Gaga told Vogue in September 2024. “I could never have imagined that my mom…found the most perfect person for me?”

Late 2019: Gaga & Michael Finally Meet

Gaga eventually met Polansky at a birthday party, and immediately connected like her mother predicted, with the singer saying they talked for three hours that night. “I was struck immediately by her warmth and openness — she was so genuinely curious about what my life was like growing up in Minnesota,” Polansky told Vogue. The two went on their official first date a few weeks later.

February 2020: Michael’s First Public Sighting

Polansky had his first public sighting with Gaga in February 2020 when they were spotted leaving Super Bowl LIV together in Miami, accompanied by her bodyguard. But at the time, most fans weren’t totally sure who he was.

March 2020: Michael’s Instagram Debut

After a few weeks of rumblings, Gaga and Polansky made their relationship Instagram-official by sharing a selfie. “I’ve got a STUPID love,” Gaga captioned her post, nodding to her then-new single “Stupid Love.”

2020: The Couple Moves Quickly

A few days after their Instagram debut, Gaga shared another selfie with Polansky, revealing that they were shacking up together in self-quarantine. She recalled this time to Vogue in 2024, saying their relationship grew stronger after the events of 2020.

“It was really kind of special,” she 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.”

January 2021: Their Inauguration Date

Gaga performed the National Anthem for President Joe Biden’s and Vice President Kamala Harris’ inauguration at the U.S. Capitol Building. Polansky was by her side for the big moment. Afterwards, she took to Instagram to share a sweet photo of the two locking lips through their face masks.

2022: Michael Inspires Mayhem

Polansky got to see Gaga in her pop-star element for the first time in the summer of 2022, when she embarked on her Chromatica Ball Tour. “On the Chromatica tour, I saw a fire in her,” he told Vogue. “I wanted to help her keep that alive all the time and just start making music that made her happy.”

Eventually, this led Polansky to encourage Gaga to record a new pop album, as she returned to jazz following the release of Chromatica. “Michael is the person who told me to make a new pop record,” she recalled. “He was like, ‘Babe. I love you. You need to make pop music.’” She’d work on that album over the next two years, eventually resulting in Mayhem.

April 2024: Michael Pops The Question

As Gaga revealed in a September 2024 interview on The Graham Norton Show, Polansky popped the question earlier that spring — on April Fools’ Day, to be exact. “He proposed on April 1 and I thought he was joking,” she confessed.

July 2024: Gaga Announces Her Engagement

The couple kept their engagement quiet for months, until a viral TikTok from the 2024 Summer Olympics in July showed Gaga introducing Polansky as her “fiancé” to French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal. She commented on the slip-up on Graham Norton, admitting, “I had wanted to keep it a secret.”

September 2024: Their First Red Carpet

After confirming their engagement, Gaga and Polansky made their official red carpet debut at the 2024 Venice Film Festival, where her film Joker: Folie à Deux had its first premiere. The two didn’t shy away from PDA after arriving on Venice’s iconic boats, with the singer subtly showing off her jaw-dropping engagement ring.

Later that night, Gaga shared a photo of her and Michael on Instagram, holding hands and gazing into each other’s eyes as they leave for the premiere.

January 2025: Gaga Talks Children

In her January cover story with Elle, Gaga opened up about her family plans, said that she envisions a “not-too-distant future” with “[her] and Michael and [their] kids.” She even talked about their parenting style, and what’s important to them in raising their children.

“That’s something Michael and I have talked about a lot — allowing our kids to be their own people,” she said. “It’s such an intense thing for kids coming into the world. And they’re told how to think and what to believe in and how to eat… I just kind of want to let my kids find out who they are.’”

February 2025: Awards Season Date Nights

Polansky was at Gaga’s side as she traveled between events throughout February, leading up to the release of Mayhem. While he skipped the red carpet, he sat with her at the 2025 Grammys, where she won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Die With A Smile” with Bruno Mars and performed a meaningful tribute to Los Angeles with Mars.

Two weeks later, the couple walked the red carpet together at Saturday Night Live’s 50th Anniversary Special, after Gaga performed at the 50th Anniversary Concert just a couple nights prior.

With a stacked lineup for Gaga in the coming months, which includes a double-duty stint on SNL, headlining Coachella, and performing a historic show in Brazil, the couple is about to conquer the world together.