Lady Gaga won't perform at 2023 Oscars. Here's why

By Andrea Dresdale

Sunday night's Oscars telecast on ABC may be able to boast a performance by Rihanna, but unfortunately, Lady Gaga will not be performing.

Oscars executive producer and showrunner Glenn Weiss told reporters on Wednesday that Lady Gaga, nominated for best original song for "Hold My Hand" from "Top Gun: Maverick," wouldn't be performing the song at the ceremony.

"I would love to say, 'No I can't confirm,' but y'know what? I'm gonna tell ya," Weiss told reporters. "So here's where we are: We actually invited all five nominees -- we have great relationships with Lady Gaga and her camp -- [but] she is in the middle of shooting a movie right now, and here we are honoring the movie industry and what it takes to make a movie."

Some had suspected that Lady Gaga wouldn't be able to perform due to her filming schedule for "Joker: Folie à Deux," which also stars Joaquin Phoenix, Zazie Beetz, Brendan Gleeson and Catherine Keener, and is expected to be released in October 2024.

"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, that she's used to," Weiss explained Wednesday. "So she is not going to perform on the show."

"However, this is all from our point of view of somebody making a movie and us completely understanding that that's what's a priority in this business," he added. "Especially when we're honoring movies."

In addition to Rihanna, who will be performing "Lift Me Up" from "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" on Sunday, viewers will see performances of songs from the movies "Everything Everywhere All at Once," "Tell It Like a Woman" and "RRR."

Watch the 2023 Oscars live from the Dolby Theater on Sunday, March 12 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and catch the best celebrity moments, wins, and performances at Oscar.com.

Read more on everything to know ahead of the 2023 Oscars here.