Lady Gaga’s former personal assistant, Jennifer O’Neill, has signed a US$1 million book deal with publishers Atria Books to write a potentially scandalous account of the years she spent working for the eccentric pop star.
Jennifer O’Neill, who worked for Lady Gaga over a two-year period (2009 to 2011) had a well-publicised and contentious relationship with the star who she sued in 2011 for US$393,000 in unpaid overtime and damages. The two settled out of court last October, a month before the case was due to go to court. The announcement of the book, titled Fame Monster, has fuelled speculation that there was no non-disclosure agreement signed prior to O’Neill’s employment, leaving her free to divulge the details of the relationship.
Although the release date and details of the book’s content are yet to be revealed, it is expected that it’ll be an extended version of the claims O’Neill dished-out at the court hearing, including O’Neill’s accusations that she was a slave to Gaga’s diva-like whims. O’Neill also complained of being “on-call” 24 hours a day for an annual salary of US$75,000, with no overtime pay, being “required” to sleep in the same bed, administering “medicine”, “ensure the promptness of a towel following a shower”, monitoring Gaga’s personal communication and handling all 20 pieces of her luggage on tour.
Despite currently holding 19th position in the Forbes’ 100 Most Powerful Celebrities list, Lady Gaga, 28, has had a knock in earnings over the last few years. At the time of the 2011 lawsuit she was at her financial peak earning US$90 million. As of last month she is at a third of that with earnings of US$33 million. OK, she’s not on the bread line but that’s a substantial drop.
While Gaga’s camp has yet to make a statement regarding the book, she was scathing about the allegations at the time of the lawsuit. In a recorded deposition she stated: “This whole case is bulls*** and you know it. [Jennifer] thinks she’s just like the queen of the universe … [but] in my work and what I do, I’m the queen of the universe every day … She knew there was no overtime … [She’s a] f***ing hood-rat who is suing me for money that she didn’t earn.”
Image: flickr/petercruise
