Ariana Grande, Demi Moore and more react to 2025 Oscar nominations

On By Littum

Grande was nominated for best actress for “Wicked.”

Congratulations on your first nomination. Where were you when you found out?

I am in London. I just got out of the bath. Oh! My therapist calls to congratulate me. Hold fast. I tell her I’ll be right back. Oh my god, I’m sorry. I don’t even know what to say. It’s really hard to talk. I just got off the phone with my mom and my best friends and Kristin Chenoweth. And I’ve been texting with Cynthia (Erivo) and Jon (M. Chu) all morning.

What was your reaction when you heard your name?

I cried. I actually haven’t stopped crying since then. It has been really overwhelming.

How did it feel to have your co-star Bowen Yang announce your name?

It felt like home. I love him so much and he is my one of my best friends in the world. And he looked so elegant. He texted me right before wishing me luck and he texted me a week before saying, “I just found out I’m doing this and I can’t wait to hopefully say your name.”

What does it mean to you and Cynthia to both get nominations?

It feels like such a grand celebration of this hard work that we were able to do together. It feels like we were passed the baton and broom by Kristin and Idina Menzel. They were nominated for Tonys together, and now Cynthia and I get to receive this recognition together.

Is this better than getting a Grammy nomination?

Oh my goodness. I bury my head in my tissue box. (Laughs). Um…next question.

“Wicked” received a total of 10 nominations. Why didn’t Jon get a nod for Best Director?

He is incredibly brilliant and all the other nominations are from Jon. I know he wants to see ‘Wicked’ celebrated is a celebration of him too. We just got off Facetime and I told him how much I love him and the truth is that absolutely none of this could have happened without his leadership, brilliance, empathy and thoughtfulness.

Who will you bring to the ceremony?

I haven’t even had a chance to consider yet. I need a table for 40 Italians from Boca. How do we make it work?