Lady Gaga's dog walker Ryan Fischer doesn't want anyone to think he has a "bad romance" with his former employer.
Fischer responded to commenters GoFundMe video and essay, who wondered why the "Born This Way" singer wasn't bankrolling his recovery following health issues and PTSD from getting shot while walking her dogs, who were abducted and ultimately returned in February 2021. Initially following the attack, Fischer stayed in Gaga's Hollywood Hills home and she paid for a trauma therapist to work with him, per Rolling Stone.
Fischer spoke with the outlet about the criticism: "Everyone thought that I was setting a blame on someone, when it was all love," he said. "It's what happens in trauma—all your loved ones, all your family, everyone: you feel alone. You don't feel supported because this is your journey."
"I tried so hard," he continued. "I tried to navigate that. I really did think about the wording. It's a weird video and it's a weird way to go about life. It's not normal and I understood that. And I really did try to navigate it as best I could."
Despite people alleging in the comments section of his page that he and Gaga aren't on good terms, Fischer claimed that all is well between him and the A Star Is Born actress.
"They're my friends, and I love them and they're absolutely there for me," he explained of his former employers, consciously opting to only "rarely" drop his famous boss' name, he said. "I have nothing but gratitude for everything. It's just a weird situation just because of how it's evolved in the media. But I'm very grateful for my friendships."
Fischer's assistant Elisha Ault claimed a different story, though: "They were supportive from afar—there were a lot of words of assurance, like: 'Oh yeah, don't worry about anything, we're going to take complete care of you.'"
Ault continued: "Nobody really made a point to come see him or talk to him or make contact with him," she said, adding, "Ryan was a lot more than just an employee for them. They were friends—close friends—for years."
The assistant claimed that she sent Gaga's team an invoice after Fischer departed LA in spring 2021 for a road trip (leaving his apartment and car behind) for six months of financial support. However, Gaga's team allegedly inquired about the purpose of the invoice, per Rolling Stone, with an unnamed source claiming, "Gaga's team only expected to support Fischer until the pop star returned from Italy around three months after the shooting."
"He had made the move to change his life in a way that he was expecting to be supported in," she said. "They knew that he didn't have any other source of income."
But Fischer still remains publicly supportive of Gaga.
"I received so much support, and I'm so grateful," he said. "I have nothing but gratitude in my heart for the care that I received and the support I received," adding, "Most [victims] of crime do not get that and I did, and I'm very grateful for that."
So far, Fischer is a little under $8,000 shy of his $40,000 fundraising goal, at time of publication. The video he referenced to Rolling Stone is featured at the top of his donation page, and shows his van, footage from the hospital and clips of himself in nature. Lady Gaga has not publicly responded to Fischer's newest statement and a representative for the singer declined to comment on the story.