The story behind Lady Gaga's next-level 'Devil Wears Prada 2' cameo

Patrick Ryan, USA TODAYFri, May 1, 2026 at 7:30 PM UTC

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Spoiler alert! We're discussing details about a major cameo in “The Devil Wears Prada 2” (in theaters now). Stop reading now if you haven’t seen the movie yet and don’t want to know what happens.

It’s been the worst-kept secret in Hollywood.

Over the last few weeks, Lady Gaga has sparked feverish speculation that she would make a cameo in “The Devil Wears Prada 2.” In early April, she released the soundtrack’s pulsing lead single “Runway,” a house-pop stomper with rapper Doechii. And early last week, the superstar walked the red carpet at the sequel’s glitzy New York premiere.

Now, we can confirm that Gaga does indeed appear briefly in the new movie as herself.

After a slew of budget cuts, Runway magazine can no longer afford to fly John Legend and his piano to Italy to perform during their show at Milan Fashion Week. At the suggestion of right-hand man Nigel (Stanley Tucci), editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) reluctantly agrees to call in a favor and ask Gaga, even though she says that Gaga is "impossible" and that her last Runway cover nearly "killed me."

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Lady Gaga attends "The Devil Wears Prada 2" New York premiere on April 20.

The two women briefly congregate backstage for an amusingly chilly meeting. "I was surprised to hear from you," Gaga dryly tells Miranda. "You don't like me."

"Oh, what an absurd notion," Miranda responds with a forced laugh. "You are such a favorite, and we are so grateful that you're doing this for us."

"Well, of course I'm doing it," Gaga says. "Nigel said I'd never get another cover if I didn't do it."

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Miranda leaves the dressing room with a half-hearted "break a leg," and Gaga snaps at her team, "Who let her in here?!"

As models strut down a circular runway, Gaga takes the stage to perform “Shape of a Woman” − one of three new songs that she recorded for “Prada 2,” including end-credits anthem “Glamorous Life.”

Simone Ashley, who plays Miranda’s new assistant Amari, says it was “an amazing honor” to share the screen with both Gaga and Streep backstage at the fashion show.

“I wasn’t actually meant to be in that scene,” Ashley recalls. “I was in my sweats eating an orange when one of the [assistant directors] came in like, ‘We need you in the scene! It’s Gaga day!’” As it turns out, “she is the most wonderful, grounded, kind human being. To get to work with her and Meryl, it was just like, ‘Don’t fall down! Don’t fall down!’ ”

1 / 0'The Devil Wears Prada 2' cast lights up London at European premiere

Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt stepped out on April 22, 2026, to celebrate "The Devil Wears Prada 2" at the film's European premiere in London. See their red carpet looks.

Costume designer Molly Rogers was similarly verklempt after encountering the 16-time Grammy winner.

“I have never felt so fangirl,” Rogers says with a chuckle. “I literally wasn't functioning like my normal self. I mean, I'm in fitting rooms with Meryl and Emily Blunt and Annie Hathaway, but Gaga? She is next level. We went to see her in concert and I was just daunted by her. She was looking at me like, ‘So what’re we going to do?’ And I was like, ‘What are we going to do?!’ ”

Gaga is dressed in archival Versace during her extravagant performance. But because she was in the middle of her Mayhem Ball tour when “Prada 2” filmed last summer, Rogers also wanted to incorporate some elements of her “Mayhem” album era into the movie. As a result, she wears a jewel-encrusted headpiece and carries a cane reminiscent of her “Abracadabra” video.

“We found that sequined helmet in this crazy rental place in Rome,” Rogers recalls. “We went in there and just raided it, because it was all about giving her a heightened concert moment.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lady Gaga, Meryl Streep share moment in 'Devil Wears Prada 2' cameo

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