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Lady Gaga brought mayhem to 30 Rock.
Just one day after the release of her seventh album, Mayhem, the 38-year-old pop icon and actress took on double duty as both host and musical guest on Saturday Night Live on March 8.
The evening opened with a hilarious monologue where Gaga poked fun at her movie Joker: Folie à Deux and even referenced her previous SNL hosting debut in 2013, which featured a guest appearance by the now-imprisoned R. Kelly. Amid a series of comedic sketches, the night shifted into high gear as the 14-time Grammy winner delivered two electrifying performances from her long-awaited new album.
Gaga opened with an impressively choreographed performance of the dance-pop anthem “Abracadabra,” wearing a sparkly red ensemble and surrounded by dancers in black with long red wigs, who spun around her inside a small, neon-lit structure. For her next performance of the funk-inspired “Killah,” Gaga started off backstage at Studio 8H, before moving to the main stage for a full-on, colorful dance party with a live band. She ended with an electrifying finish, rocking out next to the drum kit in a fiery display.
Gaga’s SNL appearance arrived more than a decade after she first hosted the show in 2013.
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Mayhem arrives on the heels of a successful 2025 for Gaga, which saw her chart-topping collaboration with Bruno Mars, “Die With a Smile.” The song spent five weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, marking her second-longest-running No. 1 hit after 2011’s “Born This Way.” She also won a Grammy for best pop duo/group performance alongside Mars.
The new album features a diverse mix of production collaborators, including Andrew Watt, Cirkut and Gaga’s fiancé, Michael Polansky. In a recent interview with Billboard, she discussed the creative process behind Mayhem, explaining that its chaotic vibe was intentional.
“There have been times in my career where I had an idea in terms of how to conceptually approach a record. But I would say that this album, from start to finish, was like pieces coming together,” she said. “I did not want to turn it into anything artificial, I really wanted to allow myself to just follow the music. By doing that, it started to slowly remind me of my earlier work.”
Watch Lady Gaga’s SNL performances below. For those without cable, the broadcast streams on Peacock, which you can sign up for at the link here. Having a Peacock account also gives fans access to previous SNL episodes.
Lady Gaga can do it all. At least she’s going to try to when she both hosts and performs as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live tomorrow (March 8). You know, “just like Tiomothée Chalamet” did a few weeks ago, she proudly tells cast member Bowen Yang in the second promo for this weekend’s episode
“Damn,” Bowen says with a dismissive head tilt and crossed arms. “Good luck girl.”
“Thanks,” Gaga responds, seeming a bit peeved, as Yang softens up and gives her a sweet “you’re welcome.”
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The second run finds the two a bit chummier, with Gaga leaning in to touch Yang’s chest as he reveals that he’s sooooo excited to see her perform at Coachella next month. “You’re going?” she asks. “Yeah, but I’ll be at the Chobani tent handing out açaí bowls… for whoever wants açaí,” Yang explains with an annoyed look at his mandatory sponcon gig.
“Well, that’s the best part of Coachella,” Gaga assures him as they bust out their best jazz hands to yell in unison “BRAND ACTIVATIONS!”
After a bit about Gaga’s hit Mayhem song “Abracadabra,” the pair land the plane with a most embarrassing reveal from Yang. Blushing, the Wicked-ly talented break-out star of the show pulls down the collar of his T-shirt to reveal the new chest tattoo he got honoring his favorite Gaga song, “Alejandro.”
“Bowen, who is that?” Gaga says concerned. “Hello? That’s Alejandro, Alejandro Mayorkas, the seventh United States Secretary of Homeland Security? Keep up!” he tells her as if she is dense or something. “Bowen… that’s not,” she says before they bust into the chorus of the 2010 single from her The Fame Monster album.
Gaga’s seventh studio album, Mayhem, is out now and she will take the stage at Coachella as a headliner at this year’s event, which takes place from April 11-13 and April 18-20.
Watch Gaga and Yang’s promo below.
Tate McRae made her return to Saturday Night Live on March 1, delivering a pair of standout performances from her latest album.
The 21-year-old pop star graced the stage for her second appearance on the iconic NBC sketch comedy show, captivating viewers with electrifying renditions of “Sports Car” and “Dear God.” Both tracks are from her third album, So Close to What, which was released on Feb. 21.
For her first performance of “Sports Car,” McRae stepped onto a stage filled with stacked metal chairs, surrounded by male dancers in suits who appeared to be snapping photos of her. Later in the episode, she returned to the same minimalist stage design for a slower, emotional performance of “Dear God.”
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Saturday’s episode was hosted by comedian Shane Gillis.
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McRae is fresh off the release of her latest album, So Close to What. The project features previously released viral singles like “It’s OK I’m OK” and “2 Hands,” as well as a collaboration with Flo Milli (“Bloodonmyhands”). The set also includes a track with McRae’s boyfriend, The Kid Laroi, titled “I Know Love.”
So Close to What follows her 2023 album, Think Later, which debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. The album was bolstered by singles like “Greedy” and “Exes.”
The Canadian-born star first appeared on SNL in November 2023, with Jason Momoa as the pre-Thanksgiving episode’s host. She performed two songs, “Greedy” and “Grave,” to promote her then-upcoming sophomore album, Think Later.
Later this month, McRae will launch a world tour in support of So Close to What. The Miss Possessive Tour will begin on March 18 in Mexico City and will see the singer touring through Europe, Canada and North America until the end of September 2025. Special guests for the tour include Zara Larsson and Benee.
Watch McRae’s SNL performances below. For those without cable, the broadcast streams on Peacock, which you can sign up for at the link here. Having a Peacock account also gives fans access to previous SNL episodes.
Shane Gillis is pumped to host Saturday Night Live for the second time this weekend, but the cast members are still in recovery. In a new promo for the upcoming episode, Gillis walks backstage at Studio 8H with cast member Ashley Padilla, who asks how the comedian is feeling about his upcoming hosting gig. “I’m […]
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SNL alums Martin Short and Maya Rudolph’s COVID-19 diagnosis led Steve Martin to refer to a “curse” on the cast of the anniversary special.
On Thursday night (Feb. 20), veteran comedic actor Steve Martin shared on social media that fellow comic Martin Short had come down with COVID-19 after the 50th anniversary special of Saturday Night Live last Sunday (Feb. 16), potentially catching it from Maya Rudolph. Martin shared a photo from the night on Instagram, which shows Short and Rudolph sharing a kiss.
“Maya had Covid. Marty has Covid. I wonder why? The SNL 50th Covid curse is real,” Martin wrote in the caption of the post, adding: “Unfortunately, we have to reschedule this weekend’s sold-out Durham and Knoxville dates to 10/17 Knoxville and 10/18 Durham. So sorry for the inconvenience. I think we’ll be funnier then, anyway.”
The Only Murders In The Building star might’ve been referencing a joke from current SNL star Colin Jost during the Weekend Update segment of the show. “Health experts are facing increased pressure this winter in the face of outbreaks of COVID, the flu, RSV, and norovirus, which they’re calling a quad-demic,” Jost said. “So we did the smart thing and packed every beloved entertainer over 60 into one tiny space.”
Rudolph and Short aren’t the only two dealing with illness after the special. EGOT winner and co-host of The View, Whoopi Goldberg, missed several tapings of the show this week after attending the special. “Whoopi is still out with the flu. It’s going around, be careful,” co-host Joy Behar told the audience on Thursday. “We hope you’re feeling better, Whoopi. Come back soon!”
The timing of the special did lead to a couple of notable absences. Dana Carvey, one of the show’s best-known figures who made a partial return to the show this season, shared that he had to miss the special due to recovering from the flu under doctor’s orders. Another beloved alum, Dan Akroyd, didn’t appear due to “prior commitments” and Bill Hader wasn’t present citing a “longstanding scheduling conflict.”
Chloe Fineman isn’t proud of her Harry Styles impression.
The Saturday Night Live cast member chatted with Chicken Shop Date host Amelia Dimoldenberg on the SNL 50th anniversary special red carpet on Sunday night (Feb. 16), where she revealed that her impression of the One Direction superstar is “really bad,” adding, “I did it and he was at the table and was so devastated by how bad it was.”
The comedian also did a quick rendition of Styles per the New York Post, saying in a British accent, “Anyway, I’m Harry Styles, anyway.”
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Styles has only hosted SNL one time, in 2019, but has appeared a number of times as a musical guest. With One Direction, he performed on the iconic sketch comedy show in 2012, 2013 and 2014. As a solo artist, he performed in 2017 and on the same day as his hosting gig in 2019. However, he and Fineman have never acted in a sketch together.
While Styles wasn’t one of the musical guests at the SNL50 celebration, the show featured a star-studded lineup with collaborations between Sabrina Carpenter and Paul Simon, Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard, and Lil Wayne and The Roots. The show wrapped with a performance from Sir Paul McCartney, who delivered an Abbey Road medley of “Golden Slumbers” / “Carry That Weight” / “The End.”
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Meanwhile, at the Homecoming Concert at Radio City two days prior, the stars who took the stage to perform included Bad Bunny, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, Jelly Roll, Backstreet Boys, Arcade Fire, Bonnie Raitt, Brandi Carlile, Brittany Howard, Chris Martin, David Byrne, DEVO, Eddie Vedder, Jack White, Mumford & Sons, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Robyn, The B-52s and The Roots.
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Hit dogs are hollering on social media after Tom Hanks put on a MAGA hat to portray a racist Donald Trump supporter during a skit on SNL 50.
Tom Hanks is feeling the wrath of MAGA Republicans for what they are saying is a “racist and disgusting” portrayal of Trump supporters on Saturday Night Live’s (SNL) 50th-anniversary special.
For the special, NBC spun the block on some of the more popular sketches, including “Black Jeopardy,” featuring Kenan Thompson, Leslie Jones, Eddie Murphy, and Tom Hanks.
For the hilarious skit, Hanks brought back his character Doug, an accurate depiction of Donald Trump’s core base of supporters who have no clue about what is going on in America outside of the right-wing echo chamber.
The Forrest Gump star first portrayed Doug in 2016 during Felon 47’s first failed presidency. In that original skit, he pointed out the differences and similarities between those who proudly support Orange Mussolini and those who give him the middle finger every chance they get.
In this new skit, Doug is the only white contestant on Black Jeopardy and refuses to shake hands with Kenan Thompson’s character, Darnell Hayes, before reluctantly agreeing to complete the gesture.
MAGA world took it as an insult, basically crying that it’s wrong to label the group of people who are proudly rallying behind immigrants being rounded up and deported and an administration on a mission to remove all DEI policies geared towards evening the playing field for Black and Brown people to “make America great again.”
Social media has been sipping on MAGA rage tears over the skit because Tom Hanks nailed the performance.
Welp.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
3. Nailed it.
5. We’ll wait
6. Never forget
7. So delicious
10. He sure does
If you need someone to put the perfect words into song, just call Adam Sandler. The movie star, who got his start as a Saturday Night Live castmember from 1991 to 1995, returned to his 30 Rock stomping grounds on Sunday night (Feb. 16) for SNL50: The Anniversary Special, pulling out his trusty acoustic guitar […]
Miley Cyrus teamed up with Brittany Howard to cover “Nothing Compares 2 U,” the Prince-written hit made famous by Sinéad O’Connor, on Sunday night’s (Feb. 16) SNL50: The Anniversary Special. Cyrus and Howard belted the song, with the Alabama Shakes frontwoman offering some extra soulfulness on the guitar for the powerful cover. O’Connor famously brought […]
Sabrina Carpenter not only opened SNL50, but was a guest star in the newest SNL sketch to feature Domingo, a recurring character that cast member Marcello Hernandez has become known for on the comedy show.
After singing “Homeward Bound” beautifully in a duet with Paul Simon at the start of Sunday night’s (Feb. 16) special, Carpenter sang … not as beautifully at her friend Kelsey’s (Chloe Fineman) less-than-one-year vow renewal celebration with Matt (Andrew Dismukes).
Martin Short and Molly Shannon started the bit with a speech from the bride’s parents, welcoming all to their $70,000 party with an open bar at the Best Western.
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“Kelsey and Matt, may you have a marriage as loving and passionate as Daddy and me,” Shannon drunkenly said before making out with Short.
Carpenter, whose “Espresso” was actually featured in the very first sketch that introduced Domingo (on the Oct. 12, 2024 episode) then cut in: “For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Sophie, the bride’s childhood bestie. I couldn’t make it to the wedding because I was unfortunately in prison.”
Then she invited up the rest of the bride’s squad to sing, instead of doing a speech, as these ladies do.
Apparently Kelsey and her friends went to New York, got blackout drunk and saw Wicked, so of course their first song was to the tune of “Defying Gravity,” just with replacement lyrics about finally learning to try monogamy.
The next parody to make their set was to the tune of Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me,” except with lyrics all about the beloved Domingo, who suddenly showed up and joined in.
“What she’s looking for/ Is the hung Latin guy,” he sang, even getting a shoutout from Kelsey’s mom and dad.
Matt’s groomsmen took the floor next, and bringing the tune of Carpenter’s “Espresso” back to the sketch series, they sang about a local staycation in Scottsdale and a secret new flame in Matt’s life: Ronaldo (Pedro Pascal), who turns out to be Domingo’s brother. And Bad Bunny is also their brother — the “hot” one, Santiago!
The three-hour SNL anniversary special aired live from New York City on NBC and Peacock beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Sunday. Watch the latest Domingo sketch below.
