Ariana Grande Thanks 'Botox and Juvederm' Upon Receiving Rising Star Award at the Palm Springs Film Festival Awards Gala

Mar. 15, 2025

Jennifer Coolidge presents Ariana Grande the rising star award at the Palm Springs international Film Festival.Photo:Chad Salvador/Variety via Getty

Chad Salvador/Variety via Getty

Ariana Grandeshowed off herwickedsense of humor while accepting her first major accolade of 2025.

“Thank you guys so much,” the singer/actress told attendees at the Palm Springs International Film Festival after receiving the rising star award fromJennifer Coolidge.

Grande, who has performed hilarious impressions of Coolidge as recently as during herSaturday Night Livehosting gigin October, then took the stage to acknowledge her friendship with theWhite LotusEmmy winner, calling Coolidge a “comedic genius whose brilliance has inspired my entire life.”

After thankingWickeddirectorJon M. Chu,whom she described as her “fearless leader” and her costarCynthia Erivo, whom she called her “brilliant sister,” Grande shared how comedy shaped her life even before singing.

“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.”

“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 it feel like the beginning of a new chapter.”

Ariana Grande accepts the rising star award at the Palm Springs international Film Festival.Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

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For her supporting performance as Galinda a.k.a. Oz’s Glinda the Good in the Chu-directedWicked: Part One, Grande has also been nominated for theGolden Globes,Critics Choice Awardsand more this season. The movie and its sequelWicked: For Good(in theaters Nov. 21) star Erivo as Elphaba a.k.a. the future Wicked Witch of the West.

Of the Grammy winner’s honor at the Palm Springs Film Festival awards gala, Festival Chairman Nachhattar Singh Chandi said in astatementthat Grande “is an iconic global performer, who has seamlessly transitioned to film in her first major starring role, proving herself to be a multifaceted and undeniable talent. This role is certain to be the beginning of the many accolades she will garner throughout her acting career.”

Wicked: Part Oneis in theaters now.

source: people.com