Shutting it down. Lady Gaga’s dad, Joe Germanotta, is under fire for asking people to donate to a GoFundMe page he established for employees of Joanne Trattoria — the restaurant he owns on News York City’s Upper West Side — as it remains closed amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The page, which has since been deactivated, was apparently created by the 64-year-old restauranteur and had a $50,000 fundraising goal, which was intended to cover his staff’s wages for two weeks. The campaign raised $541 before it was shut down.
Prior to being taken offline, the GoFundMe page stated that Joanne Trattoria has had to layoff almost 30 employees in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, according to Newsweek.
“Our amazing staff is made up of primarily hourly workers who depend on our payroll, and who overwhelmingly live paycheck to paycheck,” the campaign explained. “As our doors remain closed longer than anticipated, our staff is finding it increasingly difficult to finance the daily necessities to keep them healthy, like groceries and insurance costs – to say nothing of rent, utilities, and other recurring bills.”
The page also implored “neighbors, friends, family and fans” to do their part in helping Joanne Trattoria stay afloat during this trying period. “If you’ve enjoyed us in the past, have had a friendly encounter with someone on our incredible service staff, or even if you hope to enjoy us in the future, we’d be so appreciative if you would consider donating to our staff to help them through this difficult time,” it read.
Germanotta even tweeted about the now-defunct campaign in an effort to drum up some donations. “I’m doing the best I can but we had to close Joanne for the month. Our staff needs some help financial,” he wrote in a since-deleted message, per Newsweek. “Any help for our employees will be appreciated.”
The GoFundMe campaign was almost immediately met with criticism given Germanotta’s oldest daughter’s financial status. Lady Gaga, 34, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, is worth is an estimated $275 million. The Academy Award winner also earned approximately $39.5 million in 2019, according to Forbes.
“You’re asking people that are more than likely worse off than you to pay for your staff. Come on, you can afford to pay them,” declared one Twitter user.
Blogger Perez Hilton shared: “Lady Gaga is worth hundred of millions of dollars AND is part owner in her family’s restaurant. Yet her also wealthy father has just taken to Twitter to ask the public to help financially the workers they have stopped paying. What the f–k?”
For her part, Gaga has remained mum on the matter thus far. However, her beauty line, Haus Labs, announced on Instagram on March 16 that it is donating 20 percent of its sales from the prior week to local food banks in Los Angeles and New York to help those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Grammy winner, who was forced to postpone the release of her Chromatica album because of the illness, also participated in the Fox Presents the iHeart Living Room Concert for America on Sunday, March 29, which raised funds for those impacted by the virus.
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