Lady Gaga spun some comedy out of some of her less glamorous career developments in her return to “Saturday Night Live,” cracking jokes about incarcerated singer and producer R. Kelly’s appearance during her prior hosting gig and scoring some laughs for the notoriously bad reception for “Joker: Folie à Deux.”
“I’m so happy to be back at ‘SNL.’ The last time I hosted was in 2013. And every aspect of my performance aged amazingly,” Gaga said, beginning a nervous dance. “Because there’s no need to Google ‘SNL 2013 Lady Gaga featuring R. Kelly.’ I won’t bring it up!” The pair had performed together on the episode, years before R. Kelly was charged and convicted for racketeering and sex trafficking.
Gaga immediately segued into talking about her more recent, renewed focus on screen acting, which has included praised performances in “A Star Is Born” and “House of Gucci.” But that came with an acknowledgement of her most recent film performance: playing Lee Quinzel, a spin on the “Batman” villain Harley Quinn, in last fall’s commercial bomb and critically lambasted Joaquin Phoenix sequel “Joker: Folie à Deux.”
“Anyways, I’m an actor now. And I’ve been very diligent about selecting films that can showcase my craft as a serious actor, films such as ‘Joker 2,’” Gaga continued, getting an uncertain cheer from the crowd. The follow-up got a laugh. “Apparently people thought it was awesome.”
“Joaquin and I even got nominated for a Razzie, which is an award for the worst films of the year. We won for worst screen duo,” Gaga continued. “But joke’s on them. I love winning things! And my Razzie brings me one step closer to an EGORT. It’s like an EGOT, but it’s hurtful.”
Gaga also opened the monologue by noting how time has passed since her last time hosting in Studio 8H: “Last time I hosted ‘SNL,’ I was 27. I’m 38 now, which is scientifically the best age for a female pop star to be. Most pop stars are over 40. Chappell Roan is 58. And Charli xcx, she’s 75. Tate McRae is my biological grandmother.”
Gaga is hosting “SNL” for the second time after previously taking on duties in 2013. She’s also this week’s musical guest, performing songs off her seventh studio album “Mayhem,” released this week. Gaga has been an “SNL” musical guest four times prior.
