Singer Ariana Grande recently starred in the musical fantasy film Wicked, which has not only garnered praise from critics but has also dominated the box office. Co-starring Cynthia Erivo, Wicked serves as a musical prequel to the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz, exploring the friendship that once existed between Galinda the Good (Ariana Grande) and Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo), who would eventually become the Wicked Witch of the West. ‘Completely False’: Universal Pictures Denies ‘Wicked’ Pay Disparity Between Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.

Both Erivo and Grande have received acclaim for their performances, with many predicting their names will appear in the upcoming awards season. Variety has even speculated that Erivo and Grande could earn Oscar nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively, at the 2025 Academy Awards.

Before the Oscars buzz, however, the 30th annual Critics Choice Awards are set to take place on January 12, 2025. It has recently come to light, through social media posts by critics Siddhant Adlakha and Carlos Aguilar, that an alleged Ariana Grande fan has been privately messaging voters to campaign for her nomination as Best Supporting Actress for her role in Wicked.

Siddhant Adlakha

Carlos Aguilar

As you can see both the emails have the same content, which means the message has been copy-pasted to all voters, mostly whose email addresses are in the public domain.

While the identity and intentions behind these messages remain unclear, netizens are divided on whether this is the work of an overzealous fan or a deliberate smear campaign against the singer. ‘Wicked’ Movie Review: Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande Make a Fun Combo in This Flashy but Tiresome Prequel.

'This is bribery'

'Smear Campaign'

Directed by Jon M Chu, Wicked is the first instalment of a two-part origin story based on the hit Broadway musical of the same name. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum. Wicked Part Two is set to release on November 21, 2025.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 29, 2024 07:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).