Wicked’s Cynthia Erivo Doesn’t Hold Back When Responding To Reports That She And Ariana Grande Are Performing At The Oscars

The Oscars are swiftly approaching, with many wondering what exciting surprises this year’s broadcast has in store. Conan O’Brien is hosting, which is a treat for many comedy fans, and his famous on-stage antics will surely liven up the ceremony. Many are also wondering if there will be any performances to look forward to, including one from Wicked's Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Now, Erivo is weighing in on the rumor running around that claims the Glinda and Elphaba actresses will sing during the telecast, and she had a pretty blunt take.

Cynthia Erivo, who is a 2025 Oscar nominee this year, made an appearance at the Critics Choice Awards. She was interviewed by Variety on the red carpet, and she was asked if she and the rest of the Wicked cast would be performing at The Academy Awards. She seemed surprised by the notion, and shut down any suspicion that she’d spoken to The Academy regarding a live performance, saying:

I personally am surprised that she was shocked by the rumors. Wicked was a massive box office hit this year, and resulted in a Best Picture Oscar nomination, as well as acting nominations for both Erivo and Grande. It clearly will have a presence at the ceremony, and has left a massive stamp on pop culture. It’s also not unusual for a host to include musical elements in their opening, especially when a big musical is nominated.

However, it seems that Erivo’s confusion comes from the fact that Wicked wasn’t nominated for Best Original Song. She said:

While she is correct that Wicked wasn’t nominated for its songs, it also wasn’t technically eligible considering the music wasn’t originally written for the screen and was written for the stage musical. Also, just because it isn’t nominated for songs, doesn’t mean that the potential wasn’t there. The cast of Les Misérables sang “One Day More” at the Oscars in 2013 despite that song not being nominated due to ineligibility, so a Wicked performance didn’t seem out of the question.

Additionally, the Oscars are mixing up how they handle Best Original Song this year. In the past, all the nominees performed their nominated song at the ceremony. However, The Academy has decided not to do it this year. In context, the decision makes sense -- as they're hoping to use the time to highlight how the songs were crafted. Plus, Ryan Gosling brought the house down with “I’m Just Ken” in 2024, and that’ll be hard to top. Some thought this change in tradition may make room for a potential Wicked performance, but based on these Erivo comments, unfortunately, this likely won’t be the case.

Fans may not see “Defying Gravity” performed at the Oscars, but they can revisit the fantastic music of Wicked, which is still playing in select theaters nationwide. You can also see if the film takes home the gold at the Academy Awards by watching the ceremony live on ABC on March 2nd. The Oscars will also be streaming this year for those with a Hulu subscription.