Let us be glad, let us be grateful, Ariana Grande is an Academy Award nominee. Nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Galinda “Glinda” Upland in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked.
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And if that wasn't already thrillifying enough, another reason to rejoicify, Grande’s Wicked co-star, Cynthia Erivo has received a nod for Best Actress for her portrayal of Elphaba Thropp, and the film is also up for Best Picture.
Shortly after the Oscar nominations were announced, Grande took to Instagram to share her gratitution “for this unfathomable recognition,” reflecting on her childhood and history with Wicked and The Wizard of Oz.
“picking my head up in between sobs to say thank you so much to @theacademy for this unfathomable recognition. i cannot stop crying, to no one’s surprise. i’m humbled and deeply honored to be in such brilliant company and sharing this with tiny ari who sat and studied Judy Garland singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow just before the big, beautiful bubble entered. i’m so proud of you, tiny," she wrote alongside a series of photos that began with one of herself in a Dorothy costume as a kid.
She continued, “thank you @jonmchu for taking this chance on me and for being the most unbelievably brilliant leader, human being, and most fierce friend. i am so deeply proud of my beautiful Wicked family. i am so proud of my Elphie, my sister, my dear @cynthiaerivo. your brilliance is never ending and you deserve every flower (tulip) in every garden. i love you unconditionally, always.”
“I don’t quite have all my words yet,” Ari went on to say, “I’m still trying to breathe. but thank you. oh my goodness, thank you. Universal, Marc, my family, my heart. lemons and melons and pears, oh my. 🫧”
Also nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 2025 Oscars, Ariana will be up against Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown), Felicity Jones (The Brutalist), Isabella Rossellini (Conclave), and Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez).
Prior to her music career, Grande began with musical theater in 2008 when she was cast in the musical 13. In 2012, she got her second gig starring as Snow White in a production of A Snow White Christmas at the Pasadena Playhouse. Shen then went on to star in two Nickelodeon series, Victorious and Sam & Cat.
However, since the 2013 release of her debut LP Yours Truly, the trajectory of Ariana’s career went the way of music, with a successful run of six albums over a seven-year span, and some touring in between. During that time, Grande only had one feature-film role, playing herself in the apocalypse comedy Don’t Look Up.
Wicked marked Ariana’s first truly major feature-film role, with it’s sequel, Wicked: For Good, is scheduled for release on November 21, 2025.
Grande’s Oscar is the cherry on top, after already receiving previous nods at the 2025 Golden Globe Awards, British Academy Film Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and Critics Choice Awards. Not to mention, she’s also in the running for three trophies at the 2025 GRAMMYs — Best Dance Pop Recording for “Yes, And?”, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “The Boy Is Mine” Remix, and Best Pop Vocal Album for Eternal Sunshine.