Lady Gaga and Graham Breitenstein at the Super Bowl halftime show (Image via the502kid.com)

Lady Gaga’s former backup dancer, Graham Breitenstein, claims he experienced permanent hearing loss while performing on her tour. The 35-year-old, who spent nine years on tour with Gaga, alleges that he lost 70% of his hearing in the left ear during the European leg of her Monster Ball Tour, which ran from 2009 to 2011.

In a series of videos posted on his Instagram page on January 20, 2024, the dancer detailed his experience touring with Lady Gaga and how his hearing loss came about. The videos were accompanied by the following statement from Breitenstein:

“My hope is that, by sharing what happened to me, other leaders in the entertainment industry understand better of what to do and most certainly what not to do in cases like mine.”

Breitenstein claims that his hearing issues began due to the lack of any in-ear protection provided by the production team on Lady Gaga’s tour. He said he wasn’t allowed to see an ear specialist for several weeks, despite asking for one.

The dancer further alleges that the specialist told him that his hearing loss could’ve been reversed had it been treated in the first two weeks with a direct shot of steroids after fluid was found in his ear.

The former Lady Gaga dancer was denied worker’s compensation by Live Nation

In his detailed recollection of the events, Breitenstein explains that his claims were never taken seriously by the production team at Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball Tour.

The dancer alleges that he initially brought his concerns about discomfort in his ear to the team, and the tour doctor found fluid in his ear and prescribed him medication, although the issue persisted.

Once he received the diagnosis of 70% hearing loss in his left ear, Breitenstein claims he turned to assistant choreographer Richard Jackson for help. Instead of raising the issue, Breitenstein alleges that Jackson kept the news under wraps, claiming that he would have been fired if it was revealed. He states:

“I called him and mentioned what was going on. He told me that he wasn’t gonna tell Laurieann (lead choreographer) what happened because, if so, I would be fired. Being 24 at the time… at my first professional, big-time, high-profile experience, I trusted that what my friend was telling me was in my best interest.”

During a break from the tour, the dancer shared his hearing issues with his family and was encouraged to file for worker’s compensation. Despite having an MRI done and a diagnosis from an ear specialist, the dancer alleges that the Lady Gaga tour promoter, Live Nation, denied him any compensation. He also claimed that their lawyers intimidated him with letters and phone calls, stating:

“I didn’t understand how I could be denied worker’s compensation when the writing was all there. [It was] on tour, on stage when this happened.”

According to Breitenstein, some of his peers were not very supportive either. He was teased for his hearing loss by fellow dancers, who likened him to fictional characters who used hearing aids.

While Lady Gaga’s new management did reach out to the dancer to have a conversation about the events that unfolded, he claims that nothing came from it. Despite responding with a six-page recollection of events, he has yet to hear back from them.