In a surprise, last-minute turn of events, Lady Gaga reportedly will be performing her Oscar-nominated song “Hold My Hand” at the 2023 Academy Awards on Sunday, March 12!
The singer originally couldn’t make a performance happen due to scheduling conflicts with the Joker sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux. But according to Variety, Gaga and the Oscars producers were able to pull together a performance of the high-flying track from Top Gun: Maverick in the nick of time. Top Gun star and executive producer Tom Cruise won’t be attending the event, per Deadline.
In a March 8 statement, Oscars executive producer and showrunner Glenn Weiss said there wasn’t enough time to arrange a performance that met Gaga and the Oscars’ quality standards.
“She is in the middle of shooting a movie [Joker: Folie à Deux] right now,” he told Variety. “Here, we are honoring the movie industry and what it takes to make a movie after a bunch of back and forth. It didn’t feel like she can get a performance to the caliber that we’re used to with her and that she is used to. So, she is not going to perform on the show.”
Now, sources close to the broadcast say things have changed and the Grammy-winning artist will appear during tonight’s ceremony.
The singer/actor previously was the only artist out of this year’s Best Original Song nominees not slated to perform. She now joins the following list of performers: Rihanna, “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever; Sofia Carson and Diane Warren, “Applause” from Tell It Like a Woman; Stephanie Hsu, David Byrne, and Son Lux, “This Is a Life” from Everything Everywhere All at Once; Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava, “Naatu Naatu” from RRR.
Seeing music icons like Rihanna and Lady Gaga performing in the same night will surely be an exciting sight for their avid fans. In a more poignant moment, Lenny Kravitz will take on the 2023 Oscars “In Memoriam” segment.
Lady Gaga has four Oscar nominations and one win under her belt — three for Best Original Song (“Til It Happens to You,” “Shallow,” and “Hold My Hand”), and one for acting (A Star is Born). “Shallow” won Best Original Song in 2019. She and co-star Bradley Cooper performed the song at that year’s Oscars, marking the last time Gaga performed during Hollywood’s biggest night. She performed “Til It Happens to You” at the 2016 show.
The 36-year-old star’s last Oscars appearance was in 2022 when she memorably escorted Liza Minnelli on stage to announce the winner for Best Picture. Coincidentally, this year’s Oscars falls on Minnelli’s 77th birthday.
The 2023 Oscars will broadcast live from Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre starting at 8/7c on ABC.
95th Oscars, Sunday, March 12, 8/7c, ABC