Lady Gaga won't perform at the Oscars, but Rihanna will: What to expect from Academy Awards

Let's just get this out of the way. Lady Gaga will not be performing her best song nominee "Hold My Hand" from "Top Gun: Maverick" at Sunday’s 95th Academy Awards.

Producers Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss had been coy about a possible Gaga performance. The Oscars had already announced the other four Oscar-nominated songs would be performed at the Dolby Theatre ceremony (airing live on ABC, 8 p.m. ET/5 PT).

But Weiss said during a news conference Wednesday that Gaga had informed the show's creative team she won't be performing because of her movie work on the DC sequel "Joker: Folie à Deux" with Joaquin Phoenix.

"She is in the middle of shooting a movie," Weiss said. "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 is used to. So she isn't going to perform." Gaga will, however, attend the Oscars.

Here's what else the producers shared about the Oscar show:

'Joker' sequel first look: Lady Gaga is shown embracing Joaquin Phoenix

Producers are pumped for post-Super Bowl Rihanna, other performances

Oscar producers were already ecstatic to have Rihanna perform her Oscar-nominated song "Lift Me Up" from "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." Then Rihanna stole the Super Bowl with her halftime performance and pregnancy reveal.

"We were thrilled before the Super Bowl, but it only helped to see the coverage that her Super Bowl performance received," Kirshner told USA TODAY.

Oscar night is stacked with promising nominated song performances including "This Is a Life" from "Everything Everywhere All At Once" performed by David Byrne, Son Lux and actress Stephanie Hsu. Sofia Carson will be accompanied by Diane Warren for "Applause" from "Tell It Like a Woman," and "Naatu Naatu" from "RRR" will also be performed live by Indian singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava.

" 'Naatu Naatu' is sort of an international sensation at this point," Kirchner says. "So we're happy with the performances. As producers, we don't get a say in the nominations, but we really lucked out."

Will Smith slapping Chris Rock will be addressed in Jimmy Kimmel's monologue

Expect host Jimmy Kimmel to address the elephant in the theater during his opening monologue: Will Smith's infamous slap of presenter Chris Rock at last year's ceremony.

"We're going to acknowledge it, and then we're going to move on," said executive producer Molly McNearney, who is also married to Kimmel, at Wednesday's news conference. "We don't want to make this year about last year. But it's certainly something that we can and will address in a comedic fashion."

Smith, who won the best actor Oscar minutes later in the show, has been banned from attending the Academy Awards for 10 years as a result of the "slap" incident. The Oscar tradition that dictates the winner of the best actor award gives the award to the best actress the next year has been scrapped this year to get around Smith's absence.

"There is no more, 'This is what we used to do,' " Kirshner said. "We've rethought the show and put presenters together that make sense for the categories."

The Oscars will honor all filmmakers during the live telecast on ABC

For the 2022 Oscars, awards such as film editing and animated shorts were handed out prior to the live Oscar telecast. This year, all 23 awards will be given during the show.

"This is literally a tribute to the folks who make films and making sure that everybody is part of that process," Weiss tells USA TODAY.

To boost appreciation for each category, the show will include QR codes that viewers can scan to learn more about upcoming categories.

"So if you want to learn more about the cinematography nominees, for example, you can scan the QR code on your screen," says Kirshner. "And we will take you to a two-minute package to really humanize the people."

Get ready for Oscars 2023:

• Jimmy Kimmel: Host jokes he's 'studying the martial arts' to prep for potential Oscars slap

• 'No blood will be shed': Famed Oscars red carpet is now champagne-colored

• Paul Mescal: Everything to know about the Oscar-nominated heartthrob and future 'Gladiator'

• 'I'm not a victim, baby': Chris Rock on the Will Smith slap (and Jada) in Netflix special

• Oscars 2023: When and where to watch the Academy Awards, plus who's hosting

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Oscars: Lady Gaga won't perform, Rihanna will; what else to expect