Vice-president Joe Biden will make a special appearance at the 2016 Oscars to introduce Lady Gaga’s performance, the White House has announced. Gaga — whose “Til It Happens to You,” from the campus-rape doc The Hunting Ground, is up for Best Original Song — will sing as part of a presentation on sexual-violence awareness and prevention. In 1994, Biden championed the Violence Against Women Act, and has continued that fight against abuse ever since. He’ll reportedly join Gaga to promote the president’s It’s On Us campaign, a pledge to help keep women and men safe from sexual assault and combat rape culture. This isn’t the first time the Obama administration has been involved in awards-show advocacy: At last year’s Grammys, Obama himself gave a passionate speech, from the White House, about domestic violence before a performance from Katy Perry and activist Brooke Axtell. And in a more lighthearted gesture, Michelle Obama showed up, also via video, at the 2013 Oscars as the surprise Best Picture presenter. Biden is expected to actually attend the Oscars, which air this Sunday.
