I’m always the most excited at award shows to see the actors and creatives getting their big breaks. Whether we’re talking newbies, or people who’ve been toiling in obscurity and are finally getting their dues, getting to witness those career moments pulls at my heartstrings. And one of the revelations of this film season has been the breakout of that new rising star… Ariana Grande? Well, the Palm Springs Film Festival thinks so! Sure, Ari’s been steadily working since she was a kid, and has maintained what some might consider a high level of fame/recognition since her time on Nickelodeon and the release of her first album, both of which happened over 10 years ago. But now the Grammy winner is finally getting noticed!! To be clear, I’m not knocking Ariana, just lol-ing at the PSFF. Ari herself seemed to poke fun at being called a “rising star” during her acceptance speech last Friday, where she thanked Botox and Juvederm for contributing to her youthful visage:
Ariana Grande thanked two special “friends” while accepting her first major award of the year:
“Thank you guys so much,” the 31-year-old Wicked star told the crowd at the 2025 Palm Springs International Film Festival on Friday, January 3, where she was presented with the rising star award by The White Lotus star Jennifer Coolidge.
“You don’t know how much it means to me,” Grande continued. “I’ve been performing since I was a child, so I never thought at the age of 31 I would be hearing the words ‘rising star’ again, so I wanted to start by thanking my two friends: Botox and Juvederm.”
Grande’s quip was met with laughter from the audience as she added, “I thought I’d be hearing ‘slightly withering star’ or ‘drooping star’ by now, so thank you.”
In September 2023, Grande revealed to Vogue that she had botox and “a ton” of lip filler through the years, but had stopped using both in 2018.
“Being exposed to so many voices at a young age, and especially when people have things to say about your appearance at a young age, it’s really hard to know what’s worth hearing or not,” she explained at the time. “When you’re 17, you don’t really know that yet.”
In her speech on Friday, Grande also thanked Wicked director and “fearless leader” Jon M. Chu, as well as her costar and “brilliant sister” Cynthia Erivo, who portrayed Elphaba to Grande’s Glinda in the 2024 movie musical. She went on to say that comedy was her first love, even before she became a pop star.
“Being able to play Glinda the Good was not only the honor of my life but it felt like a homecoming,” Grande continued. “For those of you who don’t know, I started out in stand-up comedy. My first professional gig was in our living room in Boca Raton, Fla., [to entertain] my grandparents. I was 4 years old and my mom gave me $5.”
She continued, “I learned early on that laughter was one of our greatest escapes and I remember the infectious impact that it had, not only on the people in my life, but how it fed me in return. And the past 10 years when I was really focused on music I really missed that feeling. So it really does feel like the beginning of a new chapter.”
Wait, I could’ve gotten paid for those preschool era at-home gigs?! Nah, nah, I’m not bitter. Room & board, food & clothing, and of course, love, were payment enough for those early performances. Really. But getting back to Ariana… First of all, she quickly clarified that she hasn’t used fillers in years. Second, she really does have great comedic timing. I thought this speech was deftly written and delivered (the winners were announced a month ago, clearly she used the prep time well). I also appreciate Ariana celebrating the incomparably uplifting impact of laughter. Only I will quibble with Ari on one point: I don’t actually think it’s an escape. Laughing is such a visceral, physical act that it pulls you into the present moment. And personally, I find that some of the greatest humor, and what truly makes me guffaw is someone daring to tell the truth, which I see as another way laughter isn’t escapism. Because nothing bursts a fantasy bubble and brings us crashing back down to reality quite like truth-telling. And dear Oz do we need full doses of both — laughter and truth-telling — for what lies in store when our very own snake oil wizard takes over.
Photos credit: Avalon.red
Imagine at 17 being told – is that what she’s saying? – you have to look younger or not having reasonable people on your team? But something is going on with her because she doesn’t look like a real person anymore. I don’t know what she’s done – not Botox or Juvederm but something more substantial, so it’s parsing words. I dislike that young girls are now getting filler and using these products (possibly surgerical) way before they ‘need’ it. She’s still only 31. Then the older stars go too far also. I hope she’s okay.
Influencers and the like are pushing Botox at 28/29, otherwise it’s “too late” and the lines set in. Humph.
Did she get that cheek fat removal thing? I really don’t like that. It looks so odd. I do like this bubble dress though. And this speech is clever.
She lost a lot of weight, I am assuming, for the movie. That is probably why she lost some volume on her face. It doesn’t look like buccal fat removal to me.
What was going on with her eye makeup? She had two weird lines under each eyebrow that looked like waxing scars, but weren’t. It was not attractive.
The chicken yellow rectangle eyebrows have to stop. Faces are so much more beautiful with a full face framing brow and the correct angle. Higher contrast would be so much prettier on her.
She was really good in Wicked!
She definitely had a chin implant and work on her eyes. Maybe something to her cheeks as well? Having said that, she’s an absolute delight in Wicked.
I don’t know that I’d be thanking Botox if one of my eyebrows was frozen higher than the other.