Lady Gaga served as both host and musical guest on last night’s episode of Saturday Night Live. Hot on the heels of releasing her seventh studio album, MAYHEM, the pop star sang her single “Abracadabra” in a light-up mirrored box, and performed the first half of new track “Killah” in the back hallways of studio 8H before joining her neon-clad band onstage and pulling off an impressive costume change. Gaga also appeared as a funeral home director, sang a song about overusing the word “slay,” and led a satanic ritual at a Friendly’s birthday party in sketches throughout the evening.
“The last time I hosted was in 2013, and every aspect of my performance…aged amazingly,” Lady Gaga joked in her opening monologue. “There’s no need to google ‘SNL 2013 Lady Gaga featuring R. Kelly.’ We all won’t, and I won’t bring it up, cause that would be bad.” She also shouted out her Razzie-winning performance alongside Joaquin Phoenix in Joker: Folie à Deux and told the story of being set up with her fiancée by her mother. Watch Gaga’s full speech and performances, plus her SNL promo video with cast member Bowen Yang, below.
This is only Lady Gaga’s second time hosting SNL, but her fifth appearing as its musical guest. Prior to the release of MAYHEM, she performed her Top Gun: Maverick original song “Hold My Hand” at the 2025 Super Bowl and a cover of the Mamas & the Papas’ “California Dreamin’” with Bruno Mars at the 2025 Grammys, where she and Mars also won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for their single “Die With a Smile.” At SNL’s 50th anniversary concert last month, Lady Gaga joined Andy Samberg onstage at New York’s Radio City Music Hall to sing the Lonely Island’s “Dick in a Box.”
The 50th season of Saturday Night Live premiered in September. Lady Gaga is the third artist to pull double duty this season, following Timothée Chalamet and Charli XCX . Last week’s musical guest was Tate McRae. To celebrate its 50th anniversary, SNL aired the aforementioned concert special, as well as SNL50: The Anniversary Special, a three-hour live production that included musical performances courtesy of Paul Simon and Sabrina Carpenter, Lil Wayne, and Paul McCartney.
Read “6 Takeaways From Lady Gaga’s New Album MAYHEM,” and check out our track reviews for “Abracadabra” and “Garden of Eden.”
