Lady Gaga Sparks Stir at ‘Joker’ UK Premiere with ‘Too Big’ Red Dress & Fiancé Who ‘Looks So Much Like’ Joaquin Phoenix

Embodying the essence of her character Harley Quinn through fashion, iconic entertainer Lady Gaga stole the show at the UK premiere of “Joker: Folie à Deux” in London on September 25. She was accompanied by her dashing fiancé, Michael Polansky, whom social media users believe resembles Gaga’s famous co-star, Joaquin Phoenix.

Exuding effortless glamor and edgy chicness, Gaga donned a dramatic red gown that touched the floor. Designed by fashion powerhouse Hedi Slimane, who is the creative director of Celine, the striking dress featured distinct structural elements such as towering shoulder pads and a plunging neckline.

The precise tailoring of the gown also included a sculptural and cinched waist and flowed into a mermaid-style skirt. Adding extra flair to the already showstopping ensemble, Gaga paired her dress with a matching cropped jacket, which showcased the voluminous shoulder pads and was reminiscent of “1980s power dressing.”

Completing her look, the “Poker Face” singer adorned herself with quintessentially Harley Quinn makeup, with her smoky blue eyes and a bejeweled tear coming down the right one. She wore bright red lipstick, and black nail polish, and rocked a sleek, dark red bob.

Allowing the main focus of her appearance to be her dress, Gaga accessorized with some light jewelry, which included earrings and a diamond bracelet. Meanwhile, her beau looked handsome in a classy black suit and tie.

Social media users who saw media of Gaga and Polansky were not too impressed by what the actress wore to the premiere. “So strange,” remarked an Instagrammer while another opined, “I feel like this is really safe for her and doesn’t fit her well (too large). She could have brought more drama. Makeup is interesting though.”

Seemingly undecided about how they feel about Gaga’s dress, a Reddit user expressed, “Sometimes the dress looks perfect on her, and then in other pics it looks too big.”

In response to this comment, someone else noted, “Yeah, I think the dress doesn’t move well. When she stands straight with her arms at an even length, she looks good. But when she moves around […], the dress looks big and bulky.”

Adding their opinion to the discussion, another user penned, “She’s too short for it.” “The fabric is too stiff,” observed an onlooker. On the other hand, one fan swooned, “That’s a spectacular dress.”

Gaga was not the only person netizens made comments about, as social media users also directed their attention to Polansky’s appearance. Many were taken aback by how similar the businessman looks to Joaquin Phoenix.

“Joaquin and her [fiancé look] like brothers,” remarked an Instagrammer. Echoing a similar sentiment, another marveled, “Wow Joaquin [and] Michael look SO similar.” “I thought it was [Joaquin]! 😆,” stated someone else.

More lookalike comments ensued, with a spectator pointing out, “I thought Michael was Joaquin 😵‍💫😂 They look the same and the same boring suit uniform🕴️😴🐑.”

“Michael Polansky looks so much like Joaquin that I had to do a double take on every slide,” asserted a Reddit user. Another user agreed, replying, “SAME I keep thinking that everytime I see [a] pic of them together.”

This is not the first instance that Michael Polansky and Lady Gaga have garnered public attention over their appearance.

Earlier this month, the couple received a flurry of comments concerning their Venice Film Festival attendance on September 2. The event was where Gaga reportedly debuted her fiancé, who some thought looked uncomfortable.

A publication shared a video on Facebook of the pair posing together before sharing a romantic kiss in Italy. The short clip led to varying comments from netizens, such as ones from spectators who noticed Gaga’s engagement ring.

One netizen questioned, “Is that rock on the ring big enough?” An Instagrammer simply expressed, “That ROCK 💍,” while another person, shocked by the singer’s engagement band, wrote, “That ring though 😮😮😮😮😮😮😮.” Someone else said, “Wow look at her beautiful huge engagement ring.”

Focusing on their romantic kiss, a Facebooker noted, “The kiss from HIM looked forced.” Another added, “She went to kiss him but he wasn’t kissing her back,” building on the comment.

Analyzing the couple further, a fifth netizen shared, “She looks really happy. He looks uncomfortable but I’m sure that’s because of the cameras.”

A netizen focusing on Polansky stated, “I get a really good feeling about him I am glad for them [sic].” However, an observer, who disapproved of the artist’s fiancé, criticized, “He’s pungy! I don’t like pungy!”

Also noticing the ring and the chemistry between the two, a fan shared, “Perfect pose to show the ring! Honestly, it looks like a match and it looks like he’s into her.” Referencing pictures and footage of the couple posing together after arriving at the festival, someone believed there was another reason for their engagement.

“I think she is pregnant. But it is not her obligation to share this with the world. It is just my opinion,” speculated the person. Someone with a similar outlook on the pair’s relationship as the aforementioned commenter wrote, “Glowing. Could be a Baby, could be Love. Who knows? Love is Beautiful 😍😍😍.”

In recent months, the artist has squashed rumors that she’s pregnant with Polansky’s child. Gaga seemingly addressed the pregnancy rumors in June (2024) by posting a TikTok clip of herself.

The post was captioned, “Not pregnant — just down bad cryin at the gym.” While she confirmed that she is not pregnant, Gaga has discussed motherhood before. She did so during an interview in May 2020.

At the time, Polansky’s fiancée confessed, “I will say I am very excited to have kids.” The star also spoke about how she finds it incredible that a human being can be held inside one’s body and grow there.

Additionally, Gaga noted that when the baby is born, it is the parents’ job to keep it alive. During the discussion, she added, “It’s so funny — everyone works out of my house every day. When they come in, I always say, ‘Welcome to the Womb!’”