Celebrity Watch: Lady Gaga Dissolves Relationship With Target

Friday, March 18, 2011

Lady Gaga Dissolves Relationship With Target

Singer has reportedly cut ties with retailer over its political donations and their effect on the LGBT community.
By Jocelyn Vena

Lady Gaga
Photo: Anita Bugge/ Getty Images

Cue the "Bad Romance" headlines. Lady Gaga and Target have dissolved their relationship. According to The Advocate, the pop superstar has decided not to work with the retail megastore.

"She and Target didn't see eye to eye on Target's policy of political donations and how they affect the LGBT community," a source close to the store told the magazine. It was announced in February that Gaga and Target would be working together to release an exclusive deluxe edition of Gaga's May 23 release, Born This Way.

"Target and Lady Gaga together is a win-win," Troy Carter, Lady Gaga's manager, said in a statement at the time. "The partnership provides us with an opportunity to really engage the fans early and widen our reach on the album promotion."

Shortly after the announcement, however, LGBT groups began revisiting certain donations that the store had made. Last year, Target donated corporate funds to MN Forward, a political action committee that supported antigay candidate Tom Emmer in his 2010 run for governor of Minnesota.

Gaga did acknowledge the issue in a recent interview with Billboard, noting that she hoped to work with the retailer to change its policies. "That discussion was one of the most intense conversations I've ever had in a business meeting," Gaga said. "Part of my deal with Target is that they have to start affiliating themselves with LGBT charity groups and begin to reform and make amends for the mistakes they've made in the past. ... Our relationship is hinged upon their reform in the company to support the gay community and to redeem the mistakes they've made supporting those [antigay] groups."

A rep for the store had not responded to MTV News' request for comment at press time.

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