Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga Oscars saga continues as actor's ex hits back at critics of her ‘ha’ reaction
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jennifer Esposito hit back at people who slammed her for her two-letter response to ex-husband Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga’s steamy Oscars performance.
The "NCIS" star called out people’s "bad behavior" after she received flack for commenting "ha" on comedian David Spade’s Instagram post about the intense Sunday night performance of "Shallow" from the "A Star Is Born" co-stars. Spade captioned the picture of Cooper and Gaga, "Is there any chance these 2 aren’t f---ing?"
"You know so many people have been commenting about something that I said which was like this: ‘Ha.’ That was it. And in the way that it has spread," Esposito said Tuesday in a nearly four-minute video on Instagram. "It was toward David Spade’s very outward statement about something about an ex, and I literally laughed at him because he was so bold in what he was saying."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I thought it was funny and I’m allowed to think something is funny," she continued.
Jennifer Esposito and Bradley Cooper were married for four months between 2006 and 2007. (Getty Images)
The 45-year-old actress – who was married to Cooper for four months between 2006 and 2007 – added that it was hurtful for female followers to attack her for her two-letter comment and call her an "old lady" who only spoke out to "feel relevant."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I didn’t watch the Oscars; I don’t know what went on, I don’t care what went on," Esposito said. "I commented on something that I thought was funny…And to find that people are making judgment calls about me or them or the people that the comment was about is really psychotic."
She also slammed those who brought up her 2014 book, "Jennifer’s Way," which was about her journey with celiac disease. In the book, according to Us Weekly, Esposito mentions an ex who she doesn’t identify by name but described as a "master manipulator."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}On Tuesday, Esposito said the reaction to her "ha" was "horrible behavior" and vowed to not stay silent.
"If you think I’m just going to sit quietly and not answer you because it’ll just go away. This is why people don’t speak up on so many situations, and because I had experience with someone, I’m never allowed to say anything?" she questioned.
"I literally said, ‘Ha.’ It’s two letters and for that, you make character judgments," she said. "I feel bad for those people who are involved on the other side of the ‘Ha’ because it wasn’t at them, and I feel bad for you if you took your time to comment on such insanity today."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper (Getty)
"The world is in a crazy place, please go do something positive. Peace," she concluded the video.
Esposito also tweeted about the controversy on Tuesday shortly after learning that her two-letter response went viral.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"so confused. I get off a flight to see a comment I made of "HA" to a joke from @DavidSpade has gone wild!?. Has everyone gone mad? Somehow I’m insulting an X by laughing at a joke someone else made? Pls take your insanity elsewhere," Esposito tweeted.
Several social media users believed Cooper’s ex-wife was throwing shade at the "A Star Is Born" co-stars, who sent fans and celebrities into a frenzy when they shared undeniable chemistry throughout the Oscars performance. Some speculated whether there was a secret romance going on with the duo.
To add fuel to the fire, a rep for Gaga confirmed last week that the singer and her fiancé Christian Carino called off their engagement.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Cooper is currently dating 33-year-old model Irina Shayk, who is also the mother of his child.
Despite the speculation, Gaga called Cooper a "true friend and artistic genius."