While Lady Gaga’s new album “Artpop” may not be faring as well as expected on the charts, a season-high audience tuned in to catch the eccentric pop star host “Saturday Night Live” this weekend.
The 27-year-old “Applause” singer’s first turn as host — she’s appeared as a music guest twice — garnered the show its highest ratings of the season, and best since Justin Timberlake fronted the show on March 9, reports Variety.
Saturday’s episode of the iconic NBC’s sketch comedy show earned a 4.9 household rating/12 share, topping the other network’s televised offerings on Saturday night.
In the coveted 18-49 demographic, the show managed a 2.6 rating/9 share, matching the previous season high from the October 5 episode, which was hosted by Gaga-rival Miley Cyrus.
Final numbers of exactly how many viewers watched the airing are not yet available, but the figure is expected to be around the 8.4 million viewers that Timberlake’s episode averaged.
Those who tuned in on Saturday night, were greeted by a pop star who showed absolutely no qualms poking fun at herself, whether it be as a nerdy Apple store employee who doesn’t like fashion, a talent show-stealing parent or as very enthusiastic wannabe child star.
Gaga’s turn as host comes just days after the release of her third studio album, “Artpop.” The album is projected to sell 260,000 copies during its first week, a number that is expected to top the Billboard 200 chart, but would fall behind the debut sales for Katy Perry (286,000) and Miley Cyrus (270,000).