Pop superstar Lady Gaga recently confirmed the fate of her memorable alter ego Jo Calderone during a lie detector interview with Vanity Fair. When shown a photo of the character, Gaga simply stated "this person is no longer with us," passing the polygraph test.
Jo Calderone, who debuted in 2011, was portrayed as a chain-smoking mechanic from Sicily. The character made waves in the music industry, appearing in Gaga's "Yoü and I" music video and making a striking live appearance at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs). During the VMAs, Calderone performed alongside Queen's Brian May and presented Britney Spears with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard award.
The creation of Calderone stemmed from a collaborative effort between Gaga and British fashion photographer Nick Knight. Initially appearing on the cover of Vogue Hommes Japan, the character was born from what Gaga called a "mischievous experiment" to challenge beauty standards and conventional modeling norms.
In a 2011 statement on social media, Gaga shared the philosophical undertones behind Calderone's creation, emphasizing self-love as a foundation for finding love. She described the character as an exploration of drag culture and an attempt to "liberate the present" by reimagining what constitutes a model artist and citizen.
The revelation about Calderone's fate comes as Gaga prepares for the release of her new album "Mayhem" on March 7. The character hasn't been mentioned by the artist since its last appearances during the Born This Way era.