Ariana Grande took home a trophy at the 2026 Grammy Awards today, seemingly ending a splashy feud with the Recording Academy that stretches back years.
ICYMI, Grande and Cynthia Erivo won Best Pop Duo/Group performance for their Wicked track “Defying Gravity”, with Grande taking to social media to celebrate the gong.
“This is so special. [Recording Academy] thank you so so much,” the singer — who didn’t attend the ceremony — wrote on her Instagram Stories after the announcement.
Those who’ve been keeping track of Grande’s history with the Grammys might notice a change in tune, particularly given her headline-making beef with awards show back in 2019.
Ariana traded barbs with the Grammys over her 2019 performance
If you recall, the pop star got into it very publicly with Grammys producer Ken Ehrlich over the logistics of her performance at the 2019 ceremony.
When Grande mysteriously pulled out of the performance, Ehrlich claimed it was because she “felt it was too late for her to pull something together”.
However, Grande disagreed. “I’ve kept my mouth shut, but now you’re lying about me,” Grande wrote on X. “I can pull together a performance overnight and you know that, Ken,” she wrote on X
“It was when my creativity and self expression was stifled by you, that I decided not to attend. I hope the show is exactly what you want it to be and more.”
Naturally, the public tit-for-tat meant a bunch of insiders came out of the woodwork.
One source told Variety that Grande withdrew her performance because she felt “insulted” when Grammys execs barred her from performing “7 rings”, one of the singles from her 2019 album, thank u, next.
The insider claimed the Recording Academy relented to Grande’s demands, but only if she performed “7 rings” as part of a medley with two other songs of their choosing.
Grande touched on these claims when doubling-down on the sentiment during her X-posting spree. “I offered three different songs,” she wrote.
“It’s about collaboration. It’s about feeling supported. It’s about art and honesty, not politics. Not doing favours or playing games. it’s just a game y’all.. and I’m sorry but that’s not what music is to me,” she added.
Ehrlich later denied Grande’s claims about the Grammys’ collaboration process in a statement to Rolling Stone. “I saw those tweets and what she said, I guess it was a surprise,” Ehrlich said.
“I will say this, and they don’t want me to say it but I’m going to say it: The thing that probably bothered me more than whatever else she said about me is when she said I’m not collaborative… I don’t say to people, ‘This is what you should do’,” he added.
Ariana lashed out at the Grammys over Mac Miller’s 2019 nomination
Grande’s gripe with the Academy did not stop there. Though she didn’t attend the 2019 ceremony (for obvious reasons), the singer did react to the show in real time, particularly around the Best Rap Album category.
Her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller was posthumously nominated in that category for his album Swimming, just months after his tragic death from an accidental overdose.
When the award ultimately went to Cardi B, Grande lashed out at the Grammys on X. In a series of quickly deleted posts, she called Miller’s loss “literal bullshit” and wrote a simple “fuck”, but clarified she was not coming for Cardi.
“Nothing to do with her. Good for her. I promise. I’m sorry,” Grande added. The singer elaborated on her thoughts in a follow-up post, explaining her frustration given that Miller’s family had attended the ceremony.
“THEY INVITED HIS PARENTS OUT,” Grande wrote, before lamenting that “[Miller’s mother] Karen was gonna have a green suit made”.
Where does Ariana stand with Grammys today?
Grande did eventually get her turn in the Grammys spotlight. In 2020, she performed a medley (!) of tracks at the ceremony including “7 rings” (!!), “thank u, next” and “imagine”, but she notably hasn’t attended the ceremony since.
It’s now been five years since Grande last walked the Grammys red carpet, and in that time, fans have accused the Academy of punishing her for the previous spats by overlooking the music she has released post 2019.
None of Grande’s projects after that time, including positions and eternal sunshine, have been nominated in the Grammys’ major categories like Album, Song or Record of the Year, prompting stans to claim she is being purposefully snubbed.
There’s no confirmation of those claims beyond fans connecting some unproven dots, but Grande’s celebratory post today felt like a step forward, especially since she hadn’t mentioned the Grammys on social media since way back in 2022.
The jury’s still out on whether Grande and the Grammys are slowly mending fences, but in between an Oscar nomination and an upcoming role in the new Meet the Parents movie Focker-In-Law, she’s certainly got enough on her plate.
Lead images: Getty Images and X
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