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A Major ‘American Horror Story: Hotel’ Clue Just Got Explained

Case closed on Operation Top Hat.

Rejoice, "American Horror Story" fans! We can officially scratch one semi-huge mystery off our season five list. Remember that "arcane," but "purposeful" top hat clue "AHS" boss Ryan Murphy teased in "Freak Show?" Well, it turns out that was alluding to the fifth installment's hotel theme -- and its leading lady.

Per EW, the "American Horror Story: Hotel" Powers That Be confirmed that the top hat image that appeared on Maggie's coffee cup was a reference to the classic 1935 film "Top Hat," which just so happens to be set in a hotel. Palm, meet forehead.

FX

American Horror Story season five clue

But wait! There's more. The top hat clue was also a nod to Lady Gaga. As MTV News previously reported, the pop star officially landed the leading role in "Hotel," and while the details of her characters remain sparse, we can tell you how it all relates back to that damn top hat. "Cheek to Cheek," Gaga's latest single with Tony Bennett, was written originally for "Top Hat." And there you have it. The great top hat mystery is officially over. Now, onto other "Hotel" clues.

HuffPost Entertainment previously theorized that "American Horror Story: Hotel" could have a connection to the Garden of Allah Hotel. Denis O'Hare's Stanley referenced it in "Freak Show," telling the freaks he had a cousin who worked at the famous Hollywood hotel. Opening in 1927 and demolished in 1959, the Garden of Allah was the celebrity hotspot of its day. Frequent guests and residents included F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Dorothy Parker, Greta Garbo, Humphrey Bogart, Gloria Stuart and the Marx brothers.

Seeing how "Top Hat" came out in 1935 and Marlene Dietrich's film "The Garden of Allah" was released in 1936, we could be looking at a storyline set in the Golden Age of Hollywood -- and that, Little Monsters, has Gaga's name written all over it.

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