Lady Gaga Answers Bette Midler Copying Accusations [PHOTOS]

The "Judas" singer has spoken about the allegations of being a "copycat" thrown against her after using a wheelchair in her recent performances.

After Lady Gaga used a wheelchair during her recent shows, Broadway legend Bette Midler commented on what seems to be her original idea. Midler has been using a wheelchair as a part of her concurrent shows since the 80's, shows where Midler is dressed as a mermaid - the same direction Lady Gaga is planning to head for. Midler reacted via Twitter and had this to say to the "Born this Way" singer: "I've been doing singing mermaid in a wheelchair since 1980. You can keep the meat dress and firecracker tits - the mermaid's mine."

After the tweet, Lady Gaga defended herself in an interview posted by the Toronto Sun, saying she "did not know" about Midler's original wheelchair stunt. "I had no idea that she did that and I'm a huge Bette Midler fan", says the singer. Gaga continued "(It was) not (a Midler tribute) in the beginning... because I didn't know that she'd done (it), but I do now and I think it's great. Obviously I feel connected to women in theatre and women from the past." In the same Toronto Sun post.

"Maybe we're just cut from the same cloth. I couldn't hop around in that tail so I just stuck myself in a wheelchair," says Gaga after deciding to use a wheelchair while dressed as a mermaid. "All I'll say is that I... admire her and find her to be one of the most brilliant and incredible performers, so that's all I'll say" gushes the singer in the same interview.

In a separate incident, 80's singing sensation Grace Jones also accused Lady Gaga of copying her unusual style. Huge similarities between Jones and Lady Gaga have been pointed out by major music magazines and gossip websites, and it seems Lady Gaga has a lot of explaining to do. When asked about Lady Gaga's outfits Jones deliberately exclaimed "I've seen some of the things she's worn that I've worn and that kind of p***es me off".