Anime & Manga
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure:
- The Love Deluxe album would serve as the naming basis for two separate Stands; Yukako's Love Deluxe in Diamond is Unbreakable, and Karera's Love Love Deluxe in JoJolion.
- In The JOJOLands, Dragona Joestar's Stand, Smooth Operators, shares the name of Sade's song.
Film Live-Action
- Se7en: Mills mispronouncing the Marquis de Sade, "the Marquis de Sha-Day", pronouncing it like the name of the band.
- Shaun of the Dead: In the scene where Shaun and Ed try to use LPs as a weapon against a zombie Sade is among the records mentioned.
Live-Action TV
- 30 Rock: In "Jack Gets in the Game" Tracy imagines Kenneth and Angie making love in ridiculous, over-the-top ways while Sade's "No Ordinary Love" plays in the background.
- Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: The song "We Should Definitely Not Have Sex Right Now" from the episode "Where is Josh's Friend" is a pastiche of 80s/90s soul-jazz and R&B, Sade, Anita Baker, & Alexander O'Neal.
Sports
- Formula 1: Carlos Sainz Jr. developed a habit of singing bits of Sade's "Smooth Operator" over the team radio when things were going well during the 2019 season.
Video Games
- One of the customizable nickname options available in Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is "Smoothie Operator", a reference to the "Smooth Operator" song.
- Hitman (2016): Killing both "Club 27" targets while dressed as the stalker unlocks Smooth Operator.
- Rock Star Ate My Hamster: The character Sado is a parody of Sade Adu from Sade.
