Bradley Cooper's Tragic Downfall Explained

Over the past two-plus decades, Bradley Cooper has taken Hollywood by storm. After catching the attention of audience members while playing supporting roles in movies like "Wet Hot American Summer," Cooper finally broke out as a leading man with the hit 2009 comedy "The Hangover." Since the release of this film, he has starred in major movies like "Silver Linings Playbook," "American Sniper," and the "Guardians of the Galaxy" films.

Additionally, he has shown how talented he is behind the camera by directing "A Star Is Born" and "Maestro," both of which were nominated for several Academy Awards. However, being one of the most popular stars in Hollywood has its downsides. Over the years, fans have dug into Cooper's personal life and analyzed his comments in interviews, and many believe the actor gives off many red flags. Therefore, let's take a look at the downfall of Cooper.

In 2018, Bradley Cooper took his career to new heights when he both directed and starred in "A Star Is Born." In the film, Cooper plays a successful country musician who meets and quickly falls in love with a struggling singer, who is played by Lady Gaga. After the release of the movie, people all around the world agreed that Cooper and Gaga had undeniable chemistry, and they both received immense acclaim for the film. Very quickly, rumors started circulating that they were romantically involved.

Cooper and Gaga's intimate performance of "Shallow," a hit song from "A Star Is Born," at the 2019 Oscars fueled speculation further. Many who watched the ceremony agreed that the co-stars truly seemed like they were in love. "Raise your hand if you thought Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper were about to make out," one user posted on X (formerly Twitter) following the performance.

However, Cooper later claimed that both he and Gaga were simply in character while performing at the Oscars. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he said, "Just from a personal standpoint, it reduces the anxiety level. They kind of fall in love in that scene in the film. It's that explosive moment that happens to happen to them on a stage in front of thousands of people. It would have been so weird if we were both on stools facing the audience." Despite Cooper's justification for their steamy performance, a source told People in 2019 that "he has a huge and overwhelming connection to Gaga," which definitely made his life more complicated since he had a girlfriend at the time.

The rumors about Bradley Cooper and Gaga's romantic connection were not a good look for the "A Star Is Born" director since he had been dating model Irina Shayk for four years. Cooper and Shayk began dating in 2015 and even share a daughter together. Therefore, fans and media outlets theorized that Cooper had cheated on Shayk with Gaga and prompted speculation that the relationship suffered. Even though Shayk appeared at several events during the 2019 awards season and seemed completely supportive of Cooper and "A Star Is Born," the couple split in June 2019.

It has never been confirmed whether something was actually going on between Cooper and Gaga, and whether the rumors about their romance led to the end of his relationship with Shayk. Just after Cooper and Shayk's breakup became public knowledge, a source told E! that "they tried to work things out for awhile, but it just became clear the relationship was over." This source added, "As much as they tried to rekindle what they once had, they couldn't find that spark."

The reasons for their breakup remain quite vague, but it seems like Cooper and Shayk were on thin ice for a while. Cooper may have experienced an immense amount of acclaim and professional success following the release of "A Star Is Born," but it's clear that his personal life took a hit, and his relationship with Shayk wasn't strong enough to survive the constant rumors about him.

Bradley Cooper didn't let his breakup with Shayk keep him down for long, however. After the release of "A Star Is Born," he quickly started working on his next directorial effort, "Maestro," a biopic about music conductor Leonard Bernstein. For the film, the actor wore a prosthetic nose so that he more closely resembled Bernstein, who was Jewish. After the first official stills from "Maestro" were released in 2023, some were quick to accuse Cooper of being antisemitic. In now-deleted posts, many users thought Cooper's prosthetic nose was insensitive to say the least.

After Cooper started getting attacked online, he weighed in on the matter and actually admitted that he initially considered not wearing a prosthetic nose. In an interview on CBS Mornings, he said, "I thought, 'Maybe we don't need to do it.' But it's all about balance, and, you know, my lips are nothing like Lenny's, and my chin. And so we had that, and it just didn't look right [without the prosthetic]." Therefore, despite the criticisms, it's clear that Cooper believed the film wouldn't have worked, and it wouldn't have been an accurate portrayal of Bernstein if he didn't wear the prosthetic.

Bernstein's children were also adamant that having him wear a prosthetic nose was the right decision. In an official response posted on X, Bernstein's three children, Jamie, Alexander, and Nina, wrote, "It breaks our hearts to see any misrepresentations or misunderstandings of his efforts. It happens to be true that Leonard Bernstein had a nice, big nose. Bradley chose to use makeup to amplify his resemblance, and we're perfectly fine with that. We're also certain that our dad would have been fine with it as well."

Bradley Cooper's choice to wear a prosthetic nose wasn't the only thing that put him in hot water after the release of "Maestro." Additionally, some of his set rules as a director caused him to be attacked by fans online. Most prominently, some people were shocked to learn that he doesn't allow chairs on his movie sets. In a "Directors on Directors" interview between Cooper and Spike Lee for Variety, the former claimed that having chairs on film sets makes people less productive. "There's no chairs. I've always hated chairs on sets; your energy dips the minute you sit down in a chair," Cooper claimed.

It's not uncommon for directors to have specific rules for their sets, but people didn't hesitate to attack Cooper after he revealed that he enforces a no-chair rule. As reported by the New York Post, many users took to X to argue that Cooper's no-chair rule is unnecessary and even inhumane. One user wrote, "For Bradley Cooper and everyone else who needs to hear it, you get the best work out of folks when they feel safe, included, and their needs are met. If you have to create harsh conditions to get people to work, you are simply not good at leading. It's a skill issue." Another user stated, "Sorry but even completely able-bodied people are not performing at their artistic best when they've been standing for 14 hours."

In the buildup to the 2024 awards season, Bradley Cooper also appeared in an "Actors on Actors" interview for Variety alongside Emma Stone. In the interview, they discussed how both "Poor Things," the film Stone was promoting, and "Maestro" took about six years of prep time. Cooper said, "I feel like you couldn't have made 'Poor Things' if you didn't have a tremendous amount of prep, and it's the same thing with 'Maestro.' This wasn't like you got a call, and in six months you're going to do it. This had to have taken years."

This comment immediately stood out to people since actor Cillian Murphy had previously told Vulture that he got offered the lead role in "Oppenheimer" only about five months before filming began. Since it was expected that the two leading men would be competing against each other for best actor at the 2024 Oscars, a lot of people took this comment as a slight against Murphy and believed Cooper was trying to claim the "Oppenheimer" actor didn't work hard enough. Despite what Cooper may have believed at the time, Murphy ultimately ended up winning best actor at the Academy Awards. Meanwhile, "Maestro" took home no Oscars.

That last sentence should be repeated here: "Maestro" took home no Oscars. Many fans believe this is something that keeps Bradley Cooper up at night. It can't be denied that Cooper received a lot of acclaim for his first two directorial efforts. He was nominated for best actor for "A Star Is Born" and "Maestro," and both films received plenty of other nominations, as well. However, neither movie has led to Cooper standing on stage holding the highly coveted golden statue.

Even though Cooper claimed that he would rather see a Philadelphia Eagles "Super Bowl victory" than take home best actor and best director awards at the Oscars during an appearance on "The Howard Stern Show," fans aren't buying it. Even Stern himself accused Cooper of lying. For years, fans and even major media outlets like Vox have argued that "No one wants an Oscar as badly as Bradley Cooper." Perhaps one day Cooper will finally hold an Oscar above his head, or maybe he's just destined to always fall short at Hollywood's most prestigious awards ceremony.

While Bradley Cooper has always been quite open about his filmmaking methods and his artistic approach to his projects, he rarely discusses his personal life. However, just a couple of weeks before the 2024 Oscars, he reflected on raising his daughter during an appearance on the "Armchair Expert" podcast, which is hosted by actor Dax Shepard. During the podcast, Cooper openly admitted that he wasn't sure he loved his daughter for many months after she was born. He said, "If I'm being honest, the first eight months, I'm like, 'I don't even know if I really love the kid.' It's dope. It's cool. I'm watching this thing morph. [I'm] fascinated by it — love taking care of it. [But] would I die if someone came in with a gun?"

Even though Cooper eventually embraced being a father and formed a special bond with his daughter, this comment rubbed many fans the wrong way. Some may argue that this comment confirms that Cooper is too self-centered to focus on anyone other than himself. No matter what your interpretation of this comment is, it's clear that it's likely not the best thing to admit publicly.

In October 2023, Bradley Cooper was spotted out for dinner with Gigi Hadid, sparking romance rumors. These rumors continued for nearly a year and a half, and sources indicated that the actor and model were enjoying each other's company, but it wasn't until May 2025 that their relationship was confirmed. To celebrate her 30th birthday, Hadid posted an Instagram carousel that included images of her and her closest friends. Surprisingly, Hadid used this post to hard-launch her relationship with Cooper.

In a photo near the end of the carousel, Cooper and Hadid are passionately kissing in front of her birthday cake. This hard launch was likely an exciting moment for both of them, but it quickly brought a lot of scrutiny Cooper's way, mainly because of the significant age gap between him and Hadid. Cooper celebrated his 50th birthday earlier this year, which means he is 20 years older than Hadid.

Instagram users weren't afraid to voice their opinions on this significant age gap in the comment section of Hadid's birthday post. As reported by The List, one user wrote, "How awkward to be dating a guy that could be your daughter's grandpa." Meanwhile, another user commented, "Boyfriend old enough to be her dad." Therefore, instead of celebrating Cooper and Hadid's relationship, some fans think it's weird that they're together at all, instead hoping the actor would find someone his own age.

Even though Bradley Cooper and Hadid appear to be in love with each other in the aforementioned photo from her birthday party, some fans believe their relationship is fake. Theories that their relationship is simply a PR stunt began not long after they were first spotted together, just before the release of "Maestro" and during the road toward the 2024 awards season. At this time, fans started to believe that Cooper and Hadid were only acting like a couple so that they could receive a significant amount of attention at the Oscars. Perhaps his relationship with Hadid would somehow lead to Cooper finally winning an Oscar.

However, these theories seemed to be dismissed when Hadid didn't even attend the Academy Awards with Cooper. Now that Hadid has officially posted Cooper on her Instagram, it would be shocking if their relationship is just a PR stunt. However, the fact that these rumors existed in the first place suggests that some online commentators remain skeptical.

Hadid didn't attend the Oscars or any other major award shows with Bradley Cooper after the release of "Maestro," but that was before they were considered an official couple. Therefore, some fans believe Cooper has no good excuse for not attending the 2025 Met Gala with his model girlfriend, which took place literally two days after she hard-launched him on Instagram. To make matters worse, Hadid revealed that she and Cooper were together earlier that day.

In an interview with Emma Chamberlain for Vogue at the Met Gala, Hadid said, "I woke up, I was with my man. We had a chill morning, some laughs. Then I went to my house, had an hour by myself, then took a shower, had my fitting, had chicken fingers and fries, then got into glam. And I think a little protein in the form of fried chicken helps take down the jitters a little bit." This suggests that Cooper wasn't out of town filming a movie or something. He was in New York but still decided to skip the Met Gala and show some support for his girlfriend. Perhaps Hadid simply wanted to strut around the event alone, but some considered this a red flag.

Bradley Cooper may not have attended the Met Gala with Hadid, but at least he attended a cocktail party with her at filmmaker Baz Luhrmann's bar in New York City's East Village, which was celebrating the model's new Vogue cover. Only one problem: he was clearly distracted by the NFL game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs that was taking place at the same time. While they were walking into the bar hand-in-hand, paparazzi photos reveal that Cooper had the football game playing on his phone.

Fans of the Eagles may think this is hilarious and celebrate Cooper's dedication, but many of Hadid's supporters didn't appreciate it at all. They argue that it's ridiculous that Cooper was too distracted by the football game to give Hadid his full attention, especially on a night that was supposed to celebrate her. Cooper was likely happy that his Eagles defeated the Chiefs in this specific game, but he definitely didn't win over anybody who already thought he and Hadid were not a good fit.

Bradley Cooper didn't win an Oscar for "A Star Is Born" or "Maestro," but maybe his luck will change with his next directorial effort, "Is This Thing On?" This film releases on December 19, 2025, and follows a middle-aged man who decides to pursue stand-up comedy while he is going through a divorce. Interestingly, Cooper actually isn't playing the main character in "Is This Thing On?" He is only playing a supporting role in the film, and the lead will instead be played by his longtime friend Will Arnett.

This is quite surprising, since he was so dedicated to playing the leads in both "A Star Is Born" and "Maestro." While there's still a chance he will be nominated for best Director and best supporting actor for "Is This Thing On?", perhaps Cooper has taken note of the backlash against him and given up his pursuit of a best actor win.

On the contrary, it's also possible that Cooper realized he wasn't the right actor to play this character and knew Arnett could do a better job. Speaking about Arnett in an interview with Vanity Fair, Cooper said, "Will's the funniest guy you'll ever meet in a room. And for him to play a guy who's not really good at stand-up and just sort of working his way, that was incredible to behold." Cooper clearly had an amazing time working with Arnett for "Is This Thing On?", but since he's not playing the lead, he probably won't be a major topic of conversation during the upcoming awards season.