Though the performance started 25 minutes late, Lady Gaga came out on stage and the audience before her "took [her] breath away." The audience was expected to include a whopping 1.5 million attendees, but the artist instead came out to entertain more than 2.5 million people and broke the record of 1.6 million guests in the process.
The "Mother Monster" performed for two hours to her 2.5 million fans, putting on a show that was emotional for the fans and the artist alike.
Throughout the evening, Gaga's performance paid homage to Brazil, first with her green dress with blue and yellow stripes at the end of her song "Abracadabra," and followed by her backup dancers dressed in CBF jerseys during "How Bad Do U Want Me."
The fan favorite moment of the night, however, had to be during the song, "Alejandro," when she unfurled a Brazilian flag and asked an interpreter named Nicholas to deliver a message to the crowd.
"Tonight, we're making history. But no one makes history alone. Without you, the incredible people of Brazil, I wouldn't be living this moment."
"Thank you for making history with me. Brazilians are the reason I can shine. You're as vibrant and beautiful as the sun and moon rising over the ocean, right here on Copacabana Beach."
Lady Gaga later continued her thanks in a heartfelt Instagram post.
"Nothing could prepare me for the feeling I had during last night’s show, the absolute pride and joy I felt singing for the people of Brazil. The sight of the crowd during my opening songs took my breath away."
"Your heart shines so bright, your culture is so vibrant and special, I hope you know how grateful I am to have shared this historical moment with you."
"An estimated 2.5 million people came to see me sing, the biggest crowd for any woman in history. I wish I could share this feeling with the whole world."
"I know I can’t, but I can say this: if you lose your way, you can find your way back if you believe in yourself and work hard. You can give yourself dignity by rehearsing your passion and your craft, pushing yourself to new heights. You can lift yourself up even if it takes some time."
"Thank you, Rio, for waiting for me to come back. Thank you, little monsters all over the world. I love you. I will never forget this moment. Paws up, little monsters. Obrigada. Love, Mother Monster."
Fans were grateful for Lady Gaga's impactful performance and message.
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Everyone was touched by Lady Gaga's performance and message, and it's hardly surprising that if someone were to break Madonna's record, it would be Lady Gaga.
Back in 2021, for the 25th anniversary of the show, Steve Burns reappeared and reminded his audience of how much they'd grown and how proud of them he was. It was also around this time he revealed that, despite all the dark rumors, he'd actually left the show due to hair loss and signs of aging.
Since the anniversary, Steve has become more connected with his fans on TikTok, posting videos of him checking in and then just listening. After President Donald Trump was elected for a second time, he even brought his audience a cup of coffee and just held space with them, giving them time to process the results.
He even did a special edition video with Rainn Wilson, which you can see here:
This week on the Soul Boom with Rainn Wilson podcast, Burns revealed even more about his time on the show, ranging from the pressure he felt around his identity to how little money he was paid.
"Every waiter I ever knew made more money than I did for the first many seasons of that show."
"It was like a side hustle at first. My real gig was [as] a voiceover guy. I fell into that early."
"Actually, because I thought [Blue's Clues] was a voice thing, I went to that audience, and when I got there, there was a camera in the room. And I thought, 'Oh s**t, I better do something.' So I looked at the script, and you know, I figured, 'I'm gonna act the s**t out of this.'"
Steve's audience was so compelling, he was a quick sell for the part on Blue's Clues, which became the first call-and-response children's television show of its kind.
But there were other hurdles Steve had to cross, like who he was going to be on camera.
"You get to be two things as a kids' show host: You get to be an implausible saint, like Fred Rogers, or you get to be a crack-addled monster. There is no in-between. You get bifurcated and marginalized to the extremes."
"This has been a struggle of mine, you know?"
"I used to always feel like, Dear God, I'm screwed, because I'm gonna disappoint everyone by being normal."
"I'm not Fred Rogers. Of course I'm not. I make no such claim. I'm a pretty nice guy, and I try to be. And I aspire to be, but I'm no more wholesome than you or anyone else."
"I'm also not a crack-addled miscreant."
"I am a person with wonderful qualities and flaws just like anybody else. And I've always felt like, 'Man, do I get to be that? Will people be sad if I am not either of these things?' That's kind of the Fred Rogers problem."
Rainn Wilson understood what Steve was saying and empathized with him, adding:
"You can't be a flawed and struggling human being who has qualities of great wisdom to share and to help and to educate, but who also has struggles. And is human."
Fans empathized with Steve and applauded him for being real and honest.
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Other fans shared how important Steve on Blue's Clues had been to them and their families.
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It's so refreshing when Steve Burns reveals something new about himself, because it's far too frequent of a problem that we put a character or an actor on a pedestal, only to have the rug pulled out from under us later when it is revealed that they are not the good and kind person that we thought they were.
Being vulnerable and honest can be scary, but Burns' revelations have only served to make his audience care more for him, as they can see how genuine his work has been, but also how relatably human he is, too.
You can watch the full podcast below.
- YouTubeyoutu.be
"The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death. Other Countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States."
" Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated. This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat."
"It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda!"
"Therefore, I am authorizing the Department of Commerce, and the United States Trade Representative, to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100% Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands."
"WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!"
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Speaking to reporters Sunday night after returning from another weekend spent in Florida on the taxpayers' dime, Trump said:
"Other nations have been stealing the movie-making capabilities from the United States. If they’re not willing to make a movie inside the United States we should have a tariff on movies that come in."
People are giving Trump’s latest proclamation all the seriousness it deserves.
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People who actually know about film production say Trump's latest tariff target makes no logical or logistical sense.
Entertainment consultant Kathryn Arnold told TIME:
"I know it’s not the U.S. government or the President’s job to understand how movies are made, but if you understand how complex and interconnected the global film market is—both on a production and a distribution level—it’s devastating and doesn’t make any sense."
Trump didn't provide any details. One thing industry insiders asked to have clarified is how movies shot on location around the world would be taxed and who would have to pay the tariff.
But instead of answers, Monday brought more waffling from the Trump administration which now says the tariffs aren't a definite thing until they speak to the film industry.
Maybe Trump should have started with that step.
Jason Isaacs, who played chaotic financier Timothy Ratliff, described the set as “a theater camp, but to some extent an open prison camp” in The Guardian, mentioning that “alliances, romances, and friendships formed and broke,” and admitting he wasn’t immune to the off-screen drama. His wife, he said, called some castmates “mad.”
Meanwhile, Walton Goggins, who played the emotionally distant Rick Hatchett, spoke to Cultured about his intense method acting, saying he remained isolated during filming to reflect his character’s solitude. He said a co-star complimented his work on Fallout, and he said of the filming process for the new hit show that “Every day was f**king horrible.”
But any lingering gossip was put to rest on May 3, when Isaacs posted playful photos of himself and Goggins on Instagram, clearly on good terms. “Hey, all you genius online sleuths — see any beef?!! #RicksAlive!!!” he joked in the caption.
Their post had fans breathing a sigh of relief—and laughing at how quickly the internet’s drama radar can go off the rails.
People were pretty much immediately impressed and amused.
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The fact that they even addressed it had people laughing.
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Some folks needed more information.
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Many people found the fact that Isaacs tagged Duke University in the photo hilarious. The university recently came forward and condemned an episode of White Lotus where Isaac’s character Timothy, who notably is a Duke alum in the series, imagined a murder-suicide as part of an episode while wearing Duke attire.
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But really, folks were just happy to see them getting along.
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White Lotus is viewable on Max.
