The “Materialists” star joined the singer for the notorious “West End Girl” song.

Lily Allen recruits Dakota Johnson for surprise SNL cameo as mysterious other woman ‘Madeline’

The "Materialists" star joined the singer for the notorious "West End Girl" song.

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

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December 14, 2025 12:56 p.m. ET

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Dakota Johnson makes a cameo in Lily Allen's 'Madeline' performance on 'Saturday Night Live'. Credit:

Saturday Night Live/YouTube

For weeks, internet sleuths have been asking: Who the hell is Madeline, the mysterious woman that Lily Allen sings about on her juicy new album?

Well, for one night at least, the answer was… Dakota Johnson.

During Allen's Dec. 13 appearance as musical guest on *Saturday Night Live*, the Grammy winner performed the notorious song from her latest record, *West End Girl,* about a mistress who drastically changes her relationship with her significant other.

The performance begins with Allen center stage, singing about the mysterious Madeline, who is also on stage but hidden behind a curtain.

Allen recounts how her and her partner "had an arrangement" allowing him to sleep with other people, but claims he broke the rules. "Be discreet and don't be blatant. And there had to be payment," she sings. "It had to be with strangers. But you're not a stranger, Madeline."

Dakota Johnson waits to make her surprise appearance during Lily Allen's 'SNL' performance.

Saturday Night Live/YouTube

The song eventually calls for Madeline to share her side of the story in spoken-word snippets. This is when the enigmatic figure behind the curtain chimes in, telling Allen, "I hate that you're in so much pain right now. I really don't wanna be the cause of any upset. He told me that you were aware this was going on and that he had your full consent. If he's lying about that, then please let me know."

She continues, "Lies are not something that I wanna get caught up in. You can reach out to me anytime, by the way, if you need any more details or you just need to vent or anything. Love and light, Madeline."

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Towards the end of her segment, Johnson as Madeline emerges from behind the curtain to join Allen on stage — and give her a quick kiss on the cheek. The surprise cameo sees Johnson wearing a sheer black lace minidress that resembled Allen's own black minidress.

"Madeline" was Allen's second performance of the night. *SNL *host Josh O'Connor had previously introduced her live rendition of another *West End Girl* track, "Sleepwalking," which took place in a bedroom set under a neon sign.

Lily Allen and David Harbour in 2023.

Karwai Tang/WireImage

Allen, who was married to *Stranger Things* star David Harbour from 2020 to 2024, chronicles their separation on her latest album without ever mentioning her ex by name. Across several songs, Allen implies that Harbour cheated on her and violated the terms of their open marriage. "Madeline" is one such song, and since the album's release in October, speculation has been rampant about Madeline's real identity.

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For her part, Allen has said the album isn't entirely autobiographical and shouldn't be taken as such. She told *Vogue* that *West End Girl *is "inspired by what went on in the relationship" and "there are things that are on the record that I experienced within my marriage," but added, "that's not to say that it's all gospel."

Watch Johnson join Allen as "Madeline" in the *SNL* performance above.**

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