Chelsea Handler made a Wicked joke about Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater that didn’t quite land with the audience at the 2025 Critics Choice Awards. Grande and Slater were seated side-by-side and posed for photos together at the event Friday night (Feb. 7).
Handler, who hosted the awards ceremony for the third year in a row, directed her attention toward the couple during Friday’s speech at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif.
“It is so nice to see some of our beloved child stars all grown up and thriving. Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande are all nominated tonight,” Handler said, leading up to the joke.
“And now, Ariana has even found love with a Munchkin,” she quipped, to a quiet response in comparison to the laughs she’d gotten elsewhere in her comedic speech. Grande’s been linked to Slater since 2023, when they met on the set of Wicked.
Handler attempted to quell the seemingly awkward reaction from the crowd, insisting, “That’s good news, everybody.”
Slater portrayed Boq, a character from Munchkinland, in the film.
The pop star and actor have mostly kept their relationship private. Grande was previously married to luxury realtor Dalton Gomez; the pair finalized their divorce in March 2024. Slater was previously married to therapist Lilly Jay, with whom he shares a young child; they settled their divorce in September 2024.
When it came time to mention Wicked star Cynthia Erivo in her speech, Handler heaped praise on her performance.
“My god,” the host said. “The most radical hero of any movie this year, or maybe even this decade. And not because you were green — because you were, and you are, epic, and it’s an honor to be in the same room as you.”
Then came a punchline involving Erivo and Grande: “I loved the Wicked press tour,” said Handler. “The two of them all over each other. I remember the first time I did molly.”
The Wicked team took home three honors at the 2025 Critics Choice Awards: Jon M. Chu won best director, Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales won for best production design and Paul Tazewell won for best costume design. The film was nominated for a total of 11 awards, including for best picture, which Wicked lost to Anora. Best actress went to Demi Moore (The Substance) rather than Erivo, while best supporting actress went to Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez) rather than Grande.
See Handler’s bit about Grande and Slater in the clip from her Critics Choice Awards speech below.