Wicked duo Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s cringeworthy behavior during the film’s promo run cost them Oscar nominations, new reports have claimed.
RadarOnline.com can reveal voters were put off by the co-stars’ overly affectionate press tour displays, which sparked numerous viral moments.
‘Creepy’ Red Carpet Displays
Grande and Erivo’s touchy-feely antics on the red carpet put people off.
One unnamed member of the Academy’s voting committee broke ranks to give further insight into the double snub.
“The movie wasn’t that great,” one voter explained. “The two have amazing on-screen chemistry but spent most of the movie apart.”
The insider added, “I was also just completely turned off by their promotional performances. They creeped a lot of people out, and in their rush to feel authentic, came off as cosplaying.”
As well as their jarring red carpet moments, the actresses’ noticeable weight loss was called out by concerned fans.
Another unidentified voter said: “… (Erivo and Grande) sucked the air out of any red carpet they were on, and no one wanted to go through that again.
“‘Think of it this way: We were protecting Ariana from her anxiety, and Cynthia from having to intervene. Again.”
Grande’s plummeting weight, like Erivo’s, also sparked controversy.
Despite the Oscar snub, Grande, 32, was nominated at the 2026 Golden Globes for her role in Wicked: For Good but went home empty-handed.
Grande and Eviro, who played Glinda and Elphaba in the two Wicked blockbusters, caused a stir courtesy off their odd behavior on the sequel’s promo run.
One of the viral clips saw Grande, pretending to shush a helicopter so Erivo, 39, could get on with her emotional outburst in peace.
“Not the time, helicopter,” Grande said in a mock, admonishing tone. Fans joked that her attempt to “regulate the sky” was peak chaotic Glinda energy and instantly turned it into meme material
Another viral moment came when Grande found her arm suddenly grabbed and shaken by producer Marc Platt.
A ‘Bizarre’ Display
Erivo kissing Grande’s arm after a producer touched it became one of many viral moments.
Erivo quickly intervened, gently reaching for Grande’s arm and prompting him to release it. She then held the arm protectively and appeared to place a soft kiss on it, a moment many viewers labelled “bizarre,” “unusual,” and oddly intimate.
The pair also told how they had “been crying all day long,” having regularly blubbed during interviews, while Erivo gave a fan the death stare when hugging her co-star in another awkward moment.
Another viral clip saw Erivo reach over to “fix” Grande’s necklace – even though it looked perfectly fine to most viewers — and the co-stars were heavily mocked when asked to describe each other’s auras during the premiere of Wicked: For Good in Paris, France.
Grande and Erivo discussing each other’s auras also divided fans.
“Yellow,” Grande told Erivo, adding, “Sunshine. I think there’s also purple.”
“That’s very good,” Erivo responded to her co-star. “I see, like a clear blue, you know? Like aqua. And like, sunset-orange.”
The two Hollywood stars went on to gush over the reporter’s question and thank her for asking them to describe one another’s auras.
“We’ve never been asked that question,” the Wicked stars said in unison. “That’s incredible. That’s a great question to ask.”
