Conspiracy Theory: Madonna Is Actually Lady Gaga's Mother

If you haven't heard of her, you've been living under a rock since the 1980s. She became the mother of the pop industry in 1982. You might have seen her perform Living for Love at the Grammys last week.

If you don't know who she is, like, seriously, are you even from this planet? She is what many people today consider the "new Madonna". She was also at the Grammys last week, where she won her sixth award and performed Cheek to Cheek alongside jazz legend Tony Bennett.

Both are Italian New Yorkers who dyed their hair blonde and became pop sensations of their time. Both can be very risque and controversial. They are also both very eccentric, to put it mildly. They're so alike, in fact, that it's created a bit of a rivalry between their fans - and between them. What could all this mean, you may ask? I'll tell you what I think...

On June 11, 1986, Madonna released one of her classic hits called Papa Don't Preach. In a very conservative time in America, it caused a lot of controversy because it was about getting pregnant out of wedlock. Why is this significant? Guess when Lady Gaga was born: in that same year of 1986.

My Speculation: Madonna got pregnant around June of 1985. Papa Don't Preach was a song about her own pregnancy. She wasn't married, and a pregnancy out of wedlock would surely tarnish her public image. So, she masterfully kept it a secret. She was against abortion, so she decided to "keep the baby" (as the song goes) who would later be born on March 28, 1986 - Lady Gaga.

There is, however, a twist to the story. In 1985, Madonna had been in a relationship with actor Sean Penn. The two got married that August - just after Gaga would have been conceived. But, the marriage was short lived; Penn's violent tendencies and arrests likely ruined their relationship.

My Speculation: It's possible that Sean Penn is Gaga's father. Madonna told him about the baby, and they quickly planned their nuptials for the end of that summer. This indicates that the two initially planned to raise the child. As the song goes, "He says that he's going to marry me. We can raise a little family." They were probably going to wait until later to announce the pregnancy so nobody knew that the child was conceived out of wedlock. However, there were complications. When the baby was born, they gave her up for adoption. Perhaps Madonna felt it best not to raise a child with someone so unstable. Maybe she wanted to focus on her career. Or both. Either way, the pregnancy was never announced and the whole affair was swept under the rug.

Cynthia Germanotta is Lady Gaga's mother - or so the media tells us. They certainly have a very close bond; Cynthia helped Gaga co-found their Born This Way Foundation in 2012. And, of course, you can't deny the uncanny resemblance. But who else does Cynthia bear a striking resemblance to? That's right: Madonna.

My Speculation: Cynthia is somehow related to Madonna. Maybe they're sisters. They are only three years apart. When deciding her newborn's fate, Madonna knew she couldn't trust just anyone with such a huge secret. Who better to rely on than her older, not famous, married sister who was probably about ready to have children anyway? So, Cynthia and Joe Germanotta are really Gaga's aunt and uncle, not her parents.

While they may deny it publicly, their fans can tell that there has always been some underlying tension between Gaga and Madonna. They're both fighting for their individuality and want to be their own person, rather than constantly being compared to each other.

My Speculation: This is more than just a fight to stay unique in an industry that is all about individuality. Madonna and Gaga have a complex mother-daughter rivalry. Madonna, now 56, doesn't like the idea of her young, beautiful daughter coming in and taking away the spotlight that she held for so many years. She feels threatened. Gaga is always trying to make a name for herself and not just be the newer version of her mother. This means that, at some point, Gaga learned the truth about her real parents. It's almost poetic, if you think about it.

Both Madonna and Lady Gaga have cited David Bowie as major influences on their work. While no clear evidence can be found to support this, it's possible that Madonna and Bowie had an affair, which led to her pregnancy. This means that Bowie could also be Lady Gaga's real biological father.