Lady Gaga Loses Best Actress At The Oscars, But Goes Home A Winner

Everybody knows that Lady Gaga can do just about anything. She can sing, she can dance, she can act, she can provoke thought and break ground and inspire empathy... and she can win an Oscar. Gaga won her only Oscar of the night at the 91st Academy Awards when she tearfully accepted the statue for Best Song for "Shallow," which was amazing, but Gaga's name wasn't also called for Best Actress, the award that everybody had been buzzing about for weeks, and it kind of hurt.

For the Best Actress category, Olivia Colman, first known in the U.S. for her role in Broadchurch opposite David Tennant, took home her first Oscar for her critically-acclaimed performance in The Favourite. In addition to Lady Gaga, the 45-year-old British actress beat out Glenn Close (The Wife), Melissa McCarthy (Can You Ever Forgive Me?), and Yalitza Aparicio (Roma). Prior to the Oscars, Colman already won numerous awards for her portrayal of the sickly Queen Anne during the 2019 awards season, according to Forbes; including honors from BAFTA, the National Society of Film Critics and the Golden Globes.

Gaga naturally took the disappointment in stride, but then, she's been on both the winning and losing sides before: She’s a nine-time Grammy winner, two-time Golden Globe winner, and a three-time Emmy nominee, according to O, The Oprah Magazine. And she's been doing it a long time, too: She won her first Grammy back in 2009 for Best Dance Recording for "Poker Face," as Harper's Bazaar reported, and just won her two most recent Grammys in 2019, for Best Song Written for Visual Media (for "Shallow") and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "Joanne (Where Do You Think You're Goin'?)." She hasn't had the same luck at the Emmys, however, where she didn't win any of her three nominations (which were for televised performances).

Gaga's acceptance speech at the Oscars for best original song was an incredibly emotional affair, filled with gratitude for her sister, mom, and dad (as well as some major love for Bradley Cooper):

"To my sister, my soulmate, I love you. My family's here, I love you, Mom and Dad. Bradley, there is not a single person on the planet that could've sang this song with me but you. Thank you for believing in us. Thank you so much. And if you are at home, and you're sitting on your couch and you're watching this right now, all I have to say is that this is hard work. I've worked hard for a long time, and it's not about, you know...it's not about winning. But what it's about is not giving up. If you have a dream, fight for it. There's a discipline for passion. And it's not about how many times you get rejected or you fall down or you're beaten up. It's about how many times you stand up and are brave and you keep on going. Thank you!"

Such inspiring words from a true winner. And naturally, Gaga looked beyond perfect for the entire evening, win or lose. Beyond her familiarity with the process of accepting statuettes (or not, depending on the ceremony; can't win 'em all), Gaga's awards show prowess extends to her outfits, of course.

As Elle reported, her exquisite black gown (which some people thought looked more green) was by Alexander McQueen, and the showstopping diamond on her necklace was from Tiffany & Co. — but it wasn't just any old Tiffany diamond. This particular stone was worn just "three times at major award ceremonies throughout its 142 year history," according to Elle; with one of the other times being Audrey Hepburn's Breakfast at Tiffany's publicity photos in 1961.

It's obvious that Gaga is talented in more ways than one, and it wouldn't surprise me if Lady Gaga was back at the Academy Awards next year, whether for acting, singing, songwriting... Honestly, she could probably start designing costumes or sets in the next couple years and find herself with another impressive nomination in an unexpected category. This woman truly can do it all.