Fans Slam Lady Gaga For Promoting Big Pharma Drug In ‘Cringey’ Commercial

Lady Gaga just came out in support of a migraine drug…but it seems her real headache may end up being the criticism from fans, who are calling the endorsement “cringey”.

The music superstar shared a post to Instagram on June 13th promoting migraine medication Nurtec ODT, along with debuting a commercial for the med, but the endorsement wasn’t well-received by fans, who observed that she shouldn’t “need money this badly” and that promoting “Big Pharma” was not a good look.

Lady Gaga Debuts Partnership With Migraine Drug Nurtec

In her Instagram post, Gaga wrote, “Ever since childhood, I’ve dealt with migraine pain. When I tried Nurtec® ODT (rimegepant) 75 mg for the first time, I’ll never forget wishing I had found it sooner. That’s why I’m proud to partner with Nurtec ODT. We’re in this together. If you’re ready to speak to a doctor, ask about Nurtec ODT today.” The post itself was tagged as #pfizersponsored and #nurtecodtpartner.

The brand’s website touts its partnership with Gaga, sharing further information about her journey with migraines and how the medication has improved her life: “I was diagnosed with migraine when I was 14,” the singer shared. “My experience with migraine was debilitating. I would miss school, and be in bed for days with tremendous pain in my head, behind my eyes, and all throughout my face. I couldn’t read or have any lights on, and I needed to be alone in a quiet room for hours that could lead to days until the pain subsided. I was always frustrated getting them because I didn’t want to get behind in school or miss rehearsals for after school musicals.”

She continued, "The truth is I was grateful that they happened maybe once a month and not all the time, however by the time I was 25, I was dealing with other medical conditions along with my migraine. The combination of pain from migraines and managing these other conditions had become so difficult that I was barely functional. And the migraines were now much more present. The hardest part about dealing with this change in my life is that it was now not once a month that I was getting migraines, but much more frequently."

Gaga confessed that, though other health concerns did improve over time, one thing that never had gotten better before going on medication was her ongoing issue with migraines. "I woke up several days a week with a headache that would not go away. It was a never-ending cycle. I can’t tell you how many primary care doctors visits I’ve cried through when they ask me how I’ve been feeling...When I tried Nurtec for the first time I’ll never forget wishing I had found it sooner. My migraine was gone quickly, and I was so glad I found relief. I wondered if other people could have the same experience I have."

It seems that Nurtec ODT was indeed a life-changing addition to Gaga's routine...but fans were not thrilled with the Big Pharma endorsement.

Fans Comment: 'What The Hell Is This??'

Followers of Lady Gaga's Instagram account were quick to respond to the star's Nurtec post in droves, and much of the feedback was critical. "Baby you don’t need money this badly…" wrote one commenter. "Girl delete your socials. You promoting big pharma," added another, with the addition of a nauseated emoji. "No. Just no. What the hell is this?? The nonstop makeup posts are bad enough," bemoaned another social media fan.

That wasn't the only criticism: "Y'all who approved this - this is very cringey," remarked a follower, to the tune of nearly 1,400 comment likes. "Weren’t you the one who said you hated being used to sell things?..." mused an Instagram user. Gaga was even accused of being a "sell out"—"This is complete sell out behaviour. peddling a drug for a big pharma company. How much are they paying you?"—and criticized for sharing only ad posts on social media without any reference to it being Pride Month: "Two weeks into pride and you’ve shared nothing but ads. so incredibly disappointing and hurtful. trans people are being legislated out of existence across the country and you’re busy shilling for big pharma. we live in hell," wrote one disappointed commenter.

The Oscar-nominated actress did have some defenders, though, with one sharing their own experience with the drug: "Hmmm all these hateful comments are just mean and judgmental. Obviously they are missing the point. I suffer from chronic migraines. When my doctor suggested I try this over a year ago I was AMAZED how well it works and without making me sleepy like my prior meds. This is truly a 'rescue med'. I’m so grateful that my insurance covers 100%. When I saw this post I sent it to my husband saying 'yasss queen! Lady Gaga repping my migraine meds'. It was only positive to me. Then I click on comments and see a bunch of trolls out on the loose. Y’all chill!"

Lady Gaga has not yet directly addressed the controversy over the paid partnership.