Video: Ariana Grande Talks WICKED Oscar Nom, Sings 'Defying Gravity' Riff on JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE

Ariana Grande has been receiving a slew of accolades for her performance as Glinda in the two-part adaptation of Wicked. Most recently, the star was honored with an Academy Award nomination for the film alongside co-star Cynthia Erivo and she discussed it in a new interview. 

"When they announced mine, I was a mess. I almost collapsed," Grande admitted on a recent visit to Jimmy Kimmel Live. She also revealed some of the many calls and texts she received after the awards were announced, including surprising ones from her therapist and gynecologist. "It was lovely. I was like, 'Oh my God, it's been a while. We good?'" Grande recalled.

Grande also talked about funny moments with her mom on the red carpet, doing an SNL sketch based on a true event from her life, and singing a song from Rent at an elderly home with a charity group as a kid.

"We totally should have had a different setlist for that occasion," she noted. "A lot of it was Broadway songs that we all loved because we're all little theater nerds. One of the songs was 'What You Own' from Rent," she recalled, adding that this was "not a great song to sing when the final chorus is 'You're dying in America.'"

In another segment, the performer played a game called "Wing It, Sing It," where she was tasked with performing a song that she never heard or seen the lyrics to before. She concluded the game with her own take on the iconic "Defying Gravity" battle cry from Wicked. Watch it below!

Though this is her first major film role, Grande has said in recent interviews that she plans to pursue more acting and musical theater opportunities in the future. The Wicked film adaptation stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Ariana Grande as Glinda, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Ethan Slater as Boq, and Marissa Bode as Nessarose. The first part was released on November 22, 2024, with Wicked: For Good hitting theaters on November 21, 2025. The first part is now available to watch at home.