What does Lamashtu signify? Lady Gaga accused of performing satanic ritual during SNL amid mounting backlash

Lady Gaga appeared as the host and musical guest on the March 8 episode of Saturday Night Live’s 50th season. She has since gone viral after a video of her performing an alleged satanic ritual as part of a skit gained traction online.

Lady Gaga and her co-performers, dressed in black overalls and a red cloak, summoned a demonic entity named Lamashtu. During the skit, one person was seen drinking what looked like blood to symbolize re-baptism by the "mother of beasts," while another was smeared with it.

Lamashtu, according to Brew Minate, refers to an evil demon from ancient Mesopotamia believed to harm pregnant women and kill babies.

In the wake of the now-viral sketch, Lady Gaga is facing backlash from netizens—

“How low can they go?” a person wrote.

“Jesus will return, and when he does, he’s stopping by Hollywood,” another person wrote.

“Parody devil worship is still devil worship. I won’t even watch this thing,” a user wrote.

Others continued to weigh in—

“She was literally trying to induce nightmares & worse. They didn’t even use fictional Spells or Gods,” a netizen wrote.

“In a way they are trying to tell us how so many fell into their trap. Through peer pressure. Many had no idea what was really being done. Didn't believe it because ‘that stuff isn't real.’ Welp, that sucks,” an individual wrote.

---

More about Lamashtu in the wake of Lady Gaga’s SNL skit

In ancient Mesopotamia, Lamashtu was regarded as the evil demon who harmed unborn and newborn children and their mothers and fed on the blood of human infants. As per Brew Minate, she was a “hideous creature” who was part human and part animal, with a “head of a lion (or perhaps a dog or wolf), long donkey ears, and straggly hair.”

“Her human body had heavy breasts that suckled a dog and a pig. Her feet were talons, and, according to the inscribed spells, ‘her hands are a net, her grip means death,’” the website explained.

The demonic deity, who was the daughter of An, was widely recognized in ancient Mesopotamian mythology as the harbinger of cot deaths and miscarriages. Another demon, named Pazuzu, the son of Hanbu, king of the Lilu demons, was invoked to combat and keep Lamashtu at bay. Lamashtu, like many other demons from that era, was known to bring troubles, including nightmares, fears, and death.

In pop culture, Lamashtu has appeared in the NBC TV series Constantine and the movies Still/Born and The Exorcist: Believer. The demoness has also been featured in video games, songs, and horror content.

---

In brief, exploring Lady Gaga’s SNL skit

During Saturday Night Live’s latest episode, Lady Gaga appeared in every segment of the 90-minute show except for the Trump-based “Cold Open” and the Weekend Update. Her notable skits included the magic-themed “Abracadabra,” the promotional piece “Killah” for her brand-new album, Mayhem, and the closing sketch “No More Slay.”

In another skit, Gaga was waiting tables at Friendly's alongside Kenan Thompson, Ego Nwodim, and Sarah Sherman’s characters, who summoned Lamashtu after a group of friends, played by Heidi Gardner, Mikey Day, Bowen Yang, and Andrew Dismukes, pretended it was one of their birthdays to receive a free cake, ice cream, and a song.

After summoning the goat-legged, horned beast figure Lamashtu, Lady Gaga and her team also called upon Mola Ram, the cult leader from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which is associated with human sacrifice and gouts of blood.

The 38-year-old also performed a parody version of Wonderful Tonight in a restaurant-set duet with Bowen Yang, joked about her cameo in the film Joker, and recalled how R. Kelly was her co-host the last time she appeared as both host and musical guest on SNL during its 39th season.

Lady Gaga performed at the SNL 50th anniversary concert at Radio City Music Hall in New York City in February 2025.