For all of her eclectic outfits and wild antics, Lady Gaga thinks of herself as a homebody at heart. But where does Lady Gaga live? These days, Mother Monster primarily calls Malibu home and affectionately refers to her property there as her “gypsy palace.” Lately, however, the musician and actor has been keeping herself rather busy away from home, with a lead role as Harley Quinn opposite Joaquin Phoenix in Joker: Folie à Deux and the surprise release of a companion album, Harlequin, just one week prior to the movie’s release. Both projects are taking her around the world on a whirlwind media tour; it’s no wonder that when she finds a rare pocket of downtime, she prefers the comforts of being at home. In fact, the House of Gucci star extolled the virtues of a quiet home life in a September 2018 Vogue cover story, calling her Malibu mansion her “sanctuary. [Her] oasis of peace.” Over the years, she’s owned or rented a handful of properties in both Southern California and her native New York City, though these days, she prefers the calm of the West Coast to the bustle of the East. “I just got rid of my place in New York—it was too hectic every day outside on the street,” she said in the same Vogue interview, adding that the slower pace of Los Angeles allows her to focus “on the things that I believe in…. I’m embarking on new territory—with some nerves and some overjoyment.” Here, we’ve rounded up some of the spots that Gaga has retreated to when she needs to take a break from it all.
Lower East Side apartment
Three years before she made it big with the release of The Fame in 2008, Gaga was just another musician trying to make a name for herself in New York City. The singer rented a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment in the Lower East Side and reportedly penned much of her debut album there. She brought Anderson Cooper to the prewar building during a 60 Minutes interview in 2011, though she wasn’t able to show off the exact unit that she used to live in because the current tenant didn’t feel comfortable letting cameras into her home. Thankfully for fans, however, another unit in the same building hit the rental market for $2,000 a month in March 2021, giving Little Monsters everywhere a glimpse into Gaga’s pre-Fame life. The charming pad had hardwood floors, 10-foot ceilings, two sizable windows in the bedroom, and a set of French doors separating the bedroom from the living room. The unit where Gaga lived previously hit the market in 2011 and 2015, according to People.
Bel Air rental
In 2009, following the success of The Fame, Gaga rented a six-bedroom, eight-bathroom residence in Bel Air for around $25,000 a month. Images of the property reveal a Mediterranean-style pad situated behind paparazzi-proof security gates, with a double-height foyer for that perfect grand entrance. Wrought-iron railings and crystal chandeliers added to the opulence of the space, while a large pool out back offered unobstructed views of the city below. It’s not known how long Gaga stayed at the Bel Air home, but no doubt it was a welcome oasis of relative calm considering all the pandemonium around her during this time period.
Central Park duplex
As Gaga continued her upward career trajectory, she began renting a $22,000-a-month penthouse just south of Central Park in 2013. The 2,000-square-foot duplex was located in a building that is a known favorite amongst celebrities—Lance Armstrong and Liza Minnelli were reportedly previous tenants—due in large part to the privacy it offers. (A listing for the impressive unit noted that there are “no neighbors on any side.”) Gaga’s pad included four terraces, two wood-burning fireplaces, a walk-in closet, and a grand Hollywood staircase. The fashionable singer left her creative mark on the unit during her stay there, reportedly decorating the place with Hinson Martinique wallpaper, the leafy print synonymous with the Beverly Hills Hotel, as well as rose-colored mirrors. Fans can catch a glimpse of Gaga’s former digs in the 2017 Netflix documentary, Gaga: Five Foot Two.
Tuscan-style Malibu mansion
