Ariana Grande is throwing her full support behind co-star Cynthia Erivo following Erivo's shocking snub from the SAG Awards for her role in Wicked. In a heartfelt Variety interview, the 32-year-old singer-actress also praised director Jon M. Chu after his DGA nomination miss. Grande, fresh from the 2026 AFI Awards in Los Angeles, insists their work's impact is undeniable.
Oh, the drama in awards season never ends, does it? 😩 Ariana Grande, our eternal pop princess turned Glinda extraordinaire, just couldn't stay silent after Cynthia Erivo got iced out by the SAG Awards for her powerhouse Elphaba in Wicked. Spilling the tea to Variety, Ariana laid it all out: "There aren’t enough flowers on this earth for Jon M. Chu. He’s an extraordinary human being and director. This film will be watched for decades to come. He set out to move people, to challenge them, to make them better allies and better humans — and he succeeded."
But wait, there's more shade on the snubs—Ariana didn't stop at Cynthia's oversight. She called out director Jon M. Chu's DGA exclusion too, because why not defend the whole squad? "The impact of his work and Cynthia’s Elphaba is undeniable. Cynthia’s performance is the most truthful, vulnerable and fierce Elphaba we’ve seen, and it will be referenced and adored for generations. That can’t be taken away," she declared. Talk about loyalty! Ariana emphasized their daily collaboration: "That’s why I say every good thing that happens to me belongs to them, too. None of this exists in isolation. We informed each other every single day. Of course, it’s hard — they deserve all the flowers this world can grow."
Meanwhile, Ariana's riding high with nominations across all major awards for her bubbly Glinda, but she's sharing the glow. Filmed in Los Angeles where she hit the 2026 AFI Awards on January 9, this solidarity moment is pure iconic. So, awards voters, are you listening—or is this snub just the messy prelude to bigger wins? 🔥
