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Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, and Garth Brooks were showered with praise from friends, peers, and fans on social media on Wednesday as they performed at the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden.

Gaga helped to kick off the events on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. by belting out the American national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner, accompanied by the Marine band.

She accessorized her navy Schiaparelli fitted jacket and red silk ballgown with a large, gold peace dove pin, a nod to the America United theme of the ceremony, and later shared a close-up of the piece online, explaining, "A dove carrying an olive branch. May we all make peace with each other."

J.Lo, dressed in white Chanel, delivered a touching rendition of folk classics This Land Is Your Land and America the Beautiful, adding the titular line from her Let's Get Loud hit in between as she addressed viewers in Spanish, reciting part of the Pledge of Allegiance, saying, "One nation, with liberty and justice for all."

Country superstar Brooks was the final musical performer of the inauguration, singing an a capella Amazing Grace as he asked attendees and viewers at home to join him in singing the final verse "as one, united".

Reflecting on the powerful moment online, actress Sophia Bush wrote, "That moment. Inviting everyone in America to sing 'Amazing Grace' together ... it was hard to get the words out through tears. But it felt beautiful to do that with folks all across the country."

"Amazing Grace, indeed," remarked Kim Cattrall.

Meanwhile, Bette Midler hailed Gaga for her "sensational version" of the national anthem, and applauded J.Lo for "another great new version of two American standards".

Monty Python star Eric Idle was moved to tears by Gaga's delivery, as The Hangover star Ed Helms declared, "I AM GAGA FOR GAGA!!! So amazing!!!"

Destiny's Child singer Michelle Williams was "loving everything about this" ceremony after tuning into Gaga and Lopez's performances, while Fast & Furious actress Michelle Rodriguez remarked, "Jenifer Lopez Nice she even broke out the Spanish beautiful (sic)".

And a host of other celebrities marked the swearing-in of Biden and his Vice President, Kamala Harris - the first African-American, South Asian woman to hold the second-highest position in the White House - as they witnessed history in the making.

Among those offering support and congratulations to Biden were former California Governor and Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger, and rockers Gene Simmons and Billy Joel, while rapper Eve celebrated Harris' arrival at the ceremony by writing, "Really proud and tears in my eyes watching @KamalaHarris walk out. What a beautiful day!!!!!"

"We have a Black, South Asian American Madam Vice President of the United F**king States!!!!!" exclaimed Olivia Munn, as Mindy Kaling shared a photo of her daughter Katherine watching Harris' swearing-in on TV and captioned the Instagram shot, "I was at work, but she said, 'Is that mommy? It looks like mommy.' Best compliment I ever got! It matters. Happy Inauguration everyone."

"My heart is full right now. Hope restored. A time for renewal indeed!" wrote Zoe Saldana, as Oprah Winfrey celebrated Harris by adding: "In tears watching this extraordinary moment for women in the U.S. and the world. Vice President @kamalaharris."