Lady Gaga's jump from the top of the Super Bowl stadium was actually an edited illusion
But it turns out the drop from the top of NRG was actually a pre-recorded stunt. USA Today spoke to two top people at Intel Drones - which provided the drones in the sky behind Gaga that displayed the US flag and the Pepsi logo - who confirmed that her stunt was done in advance.
The Intel sources explained that the opening jump was filmed ahead of time due to "weather and environment" issues. Basically, if there had been rain during the Super Bowl, the roof of the stadium where Gaga was standig would have been closed. While the drones still could have operated, Gaga obviously couldn't have flown down from a closed stadium.
But Gaga did indeed drop from the top of NRG Stadium in the pre-recorded bit, and did not use a stunt double, so we can still be impressed.
Clever editing made it appear both at home and on the jumbotrons at the stadium that Gaga's drop from the top of the stadium led directly into her flight on cables in the middle of the stadium. But in fact on Super Bowl night, Gaga started from a lower point, as you can see in this video from TMZ and another video from inside the stadium below.
You can see the full Lady Gaga halftime performance below: