Critics Choice Awards: Grande, Meester captures attention on red carpet

Ariana Grande and Leighton Meester on the Critics Choice Awards red carpet have  gone viral. The moment has prompted mix reactions across social media.

On Sunday night, both stars attended the event in Los Angeles. In the image captured by E!News,  showed two women briefly interacting as Grande headed into the venue, while Meester and Brody paused for photographs. Grande told Meester, “Love you so much”. As she walked away Grande placed her hand on her chest and said, “Wow, wow, wow”.

The moment occurred on Sunday night as both stars attended the ceremony in Los Angeles. Leighton Meester rose to prominence playing Blair Waldorf in Gossip Girl and was present with her husband Adam Brody, who was nominated for Best Actor in a Comedy Series for Nobody Wants This.

Moments later, Meester turned to a woman standing beside her and repeated, in a deadpan tone, “Wow, wow, wow,” before pulling a face and laughing. The clip was widely shared on X, where some users accused Meester of mocking Grande’s enthusiasm. However, others defended Meester’s reaction.

The short clip continued to circulate, highlighting how brief celebrity interactions can quickly become a focus of online interpretation and debate.

Ariana Grande, meanwhile, was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Glinda in Wicked: For Good.