Just days before the live telecast of the 95th Academy Awards, it's been revealed that Lady Gaga will not be performing. The revelation comes after it was first revealed in January that the pop star was nominated for Best Original Song for her Top Gun: Maverick single, "Hold My Hand."
According to the 2023 Oscars producer Glen Weiss, Gaga was invited to participate in Sunday's ceremony, but she was unable to make the commitment. "We have a great relationship with Lady Gaga and her camp," Weiss said during a press conference.
Because she's in the middle of shooting a new movie, she didn't feel like she could deliver a performance at the caliber that she's used to doing at the annual awards show. "So, she is not going to perform on the show,” Weiss added.
That movie, of course, is Joker: Folie à Deux, a sequel to 2019's Joker, which started production at the end of 2022. Directed and co-written by Todd Phillips, the upcoming film stars Gaga as Harley Quinn, a psychiatrist who falls in love with Arthur Fleck, the clownish nihilistic criminal once again played by Joaquin Phoenix.
Rounding out the cast is Zazie Beetz, who is returning as Fleck's neighbor, Sophie Dumond, as well as Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener and Industry star Harry Lawtey in undisclosed roles.
Days before it was revealed that Gaga was skipping the Oscars, where she previously won the category in 2019, the singer posted a photo of herself from the set of the Joker sequel. And weeks earlier, after her Top Gun song was nominated, she wrote, "I’m on set filming now."
While Gaga will be missed, the Oscars has confirmed that the other four nominated songs in her category will be performed live during the ceremony.
That includes Diane Warren teaming up with Sofia Carson on "Applause" from Tell It Like a Woman; Rihanna singing "Lift Me Up" from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever; Indian singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava performing "Naatu Naatu" from RRR; and "This Is a Life" from Everything Everywhere All at Once being performed by David Byrne, Son Lux and Best Supporting Actress nominee Stephanie Hsu.
The 2023 Academy Awards hosted by Jimmy Kimmel will air live on Sunday, March 12 starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC. In the meantime, keep checking back into ETonline.com for complete Oscars coverage.
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