Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ references ‘Telephone’ video with Lady Gaga

After 14 years of fans waiting to see where the Kill Bill P—y Wagon took Lady Gaga and Beyoncé after they murdered a restaurant full of people with toxic pancakes, the latter’s new album, Cowboy Carter, gives them the tiniest (non-poisonous) morsel of a hint that the long-promised sequel to their 2010 “Telephone” video could still happen.

While many speculated that Gaga would be one of the featured artists on the country-influenced Cowboy Carter — the second release in Beyoncé’s three-act musical project that also includes 2022’s Renaissance — she doesn’t show up on the LP. But a reference to “Telephone” does.

“Hey, Miss Honey Bee, it’s Dolly P,” Dolly Parton says on the album’s “Dolly P” interlude, which plays just before Beyoncé’s cover of the Parton classic “Jolene” — and fans will remember that Honey Bee was the name of Beyoncé’s character in the “Telephone” video.

And that’s not all. “You know that hussy with the good hair you sing about?” Parton continues, referring to “Becky with the good hair” from “Sorry,” a song from Beyoncé’s beloved 2016 album, Lemonade. “Reminded me of someone I knew back when, except she has flamin’ locks of auburn hair. Bless her heart. Just a hair of a different color, but it hurts just the same.”

At the end of the Jonas Åkerlund–directed “Telephone” video, Gaga and Beyoncé — on the run after their aforementioned crime spree — set off into the unknown riding in their yellow P—y Wagon truck, with Gaga turning to her companion to praise their work.

“We did it, Honey Bee. Now let’s go far, far away from here,” she tells Beyoncé, who asks, “You promise we’ll never come back?”

Beyoncé’s words were an omen of things to come, as the clip concludes with a title card reading “To be continued.” But 14 years later, no sequel has materialized. “Telephone” appeared on Gaga’s 2009 record, The Fame Monster, and the pair released another song, “Video Phone,” on a reissue of Beyoncé’s I Am… Sasha Fierce album earlier that year, but that song’s visual has no narrative link to the “Telephone” video.

Speculation over Gaga’s potential involvement on Cowboy Carter began in February at the 2024 Super Bowl, which both superstars attended despite not interacting together on camera.

EW has reached out to a representative for Beyoncé for comment.

Cowboy Carter is out now. Listen to Parton on “Dolly P” and Beyoncé’s “Jolene” cover below.

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