Bachelor nation’s Carly Waddell has given the 4-1-1 about what pop icon Lady Gaga was like in college.
During the 6 November episode of Trading Secrets, a podcast by fellow Bachelor alum Jason Tartick, Waddell, 38, disclosed details of her time at New York University’s Tisch School of Arts with the “Poker Face” vocalist. Though the mom of two is a fan of Gaga – born Stefani Germanotta – now, she actively avoided her when they were undergraduate students together. According to Waddell, she was “not a fan” of the Grammy winner.
“Stefani used to, during lunch, play on the piano. You would eat lunch in a dance studio and there was a piano, and she would sit at the piano every single day and just play and sing Wicked at the top of her lungs every day,” she confessed. “And we were all just trying to eat lunch. It was break time, and we were all forced to listen to her.”
According to Waddell, it wasn’t that Gaga was untalented, but rather the reality star just didn’t find the singer’s lunch time performances as intriguing when all she wanted was peace between classes.
“And yes, was she good? Of course! She was great, but I just wanted to eat my sandwich. And so, I used to just eat in the hallway because she was driving me crazy,” she told Tartick.
Typically, Tisch only accepts around 500 people per year across all its programs. From Gaga to Whoopi Goldberg and Anne Hathaway, a number of lauded artists and entertainers perfected their craft under the school’s curriculum.
According to Waddell, during their time as classmates, she did take note of Gaga’s risqué fashion choices. The aspiring country singer noted how Gaga would wear form-fitting bodysuits which accentuated her chest.
“She would wear these really tight leotards and her boobs were just like coming out. She’s so ridiculous,” Waddell recalled.
Waddell also said Gaga’s performances of her own material were better than when she was made to sing someone else’s music. According to Waddell, the “Bad Romance” performer stood out every time she opted for her own lyrics over the musical trainings encouraged by the Collaborative Arts Project 21 (CAP21) program.
“When she played at the NYU talent show, she was singing her own stuff and I was like: ‘You can’t argue, that girl is really good,’” Waddell remarked. “She was good at everything, but she was better at her own stuff. She was down at the piano, wailing her own tunes.”
Wicked royalty, Kristin Chenoweth, chimed in on X, formerly known as Twitter, on a post that referenced Waddell’s comments. “I’m ready to sing FOR GOOD with our girl Gaga,” the Glinda star remarked, sending musical fans into a full-on frenzy.
“CAN YOU PLS I WOULD DIE,” an excited viewer exclaimed, while another said: “I’m here for y’all running the whole soundtrack down -- top to bottom! More extra, please!”
Both Waddell and Gaga eventually dropped out of Tisch – Gaga pursuing a career in music and Waddell leaving due to a lack of interest in the program. “I’m sure she was just as unhappy in it as I was or she would have stayed,” the Bachelor in Paradise star added.
Though it’s taken Waddell some time to get back to her artist roots, she’s making her way in the music industry now, looking to fuse pop and country vibes. She noted: “This is not the ideal time to put music out, but I think the ideal time for me is now. I like telling people you can do it whenever.
Waddell recently divorced Evan Bass – a contestant on Jojo Fletcher’s season of The Bachelorette – after three years of marriage. The two officially separated in 2020 and share daughter Isabella “Bella” Evelyn, five, and son Charles “Charlie” Wolfe, three.
