Yes, ‘Wicked’ Stars (and Oscar Nominees) Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande Will Perform at the Oscars

Plus: Doja Cat, LISA of Blackpink, Queen Latifah, and RAYE will also take the stage on Sunday night.

Looks like Hollywood heavy-hitters and film fans alike won’t have to travel to Oz to see a performance from “Wicked” stars (and Oscar nominees) Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. As has long been teased (and hoped for), Erivo and Grande are now confirmed to perform at this year’s Academy Awards on Sunday evening, though we still don’t know if they will be opening the show, as has also been rumored for weeks.

Earlier this month, IndieWire asked Best Supporting Actress nominee Grande about the rumors she and Erivo (nominated for Best Actress in the Jon M. Chu musical) would be opening the show together. “What did Cynthia say?,” Grande asked with a laugh upon being asked about opening this year’s Academy Awards.

After IndieWire told her that Erivo doesn’t know where the rumor came from, Grande said, slyly, “Yeah, I don’t know either. It would be really fun. We will have our thermoses, our pink and green thermoses, filled with tea. Hers will probably be rose and an English breakfast mixed together or something like that. In case, we’ll be ready, but I know nothing.”

The pair will have plenty of jams to choose from, though we expect they’ll likely pick something massive like “Defying Gravity” to rev up the crowd and get them pumped for this year’s second “Wicked” feature, “Wicked: For Good,” which opens on November 21.

The Academy kicked off Oscars week with the announcement of Erivo and Grande, along with news about a handful of other set performers, including Doja Cat, LISA of Blackpink, Queen Latifah, and RAYE who will all, per an official AMPAS release, “participate in showstopping performances celebrating the filmmaking community and some of its legends at the 97th Oscars. The show also will feature a special appearance by the Los Angeles Master Chorale. Other performers will be announced in the coming days.

Hosted by Conan O’Brien, the Oscars will air live on ABC and stream live on Hulu on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, with the official live red carpet show airing at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT. The show will be executive produced by Raj Kapoor (also serving as showrunner) and Katy Mullan announced.