Ariana Grande Has Her First Post-‘Wicked’ Acting Gig And It’s So Random

Ariana Grande is fully in her movie star era. After wowing fans in Wicked (and earning an Oscar nomination, too), Ari’s found her next big screen project. No, I’m not talking about Wicked: For Good, even though I’d be happy to yap about it all day. But after the second Wicked movie comes out on November 21, 2025, Ari’s got another movie lined up, and… well, I have some questions.

For her next project, Ariana is going to be starring in Meet The Parents 4 alongside Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Blythe Danner, and Teri Polo. If your first question is, “Wait, there are already three Meet The Parents movies?” you’re not alone. However, upon further investigation, there was indeed the first one, the iconic sequel starring Barbra Streisand, and then the infamous third movie, Little Fockers (which currently boasts a 9% rating on Rotten Tomatoes).

According to The Hollywood Reporter, although much of the plot of this fourth movie is being kept under wraps, Ariana is set to play the fiancée of Ben Stiller’s character’s son, “a ball-busting woman who seems all wrong for him.” Okay! While I definitely did not have Ariana Grande stars in the new Meet The Parents movie on my bingo card, I think I’m starting to see the vision here.

Ariana Grande Is Starring In Meet The Parents 4

Image Credit: @arianagrande/Instagram

On May 30, Ariana posted the big casting news on her Instagram story with the text: “very thrilled to be joining (meeting) the family!!!!!!!” Very cute, Ari!

Arianators know Ari is both a musical theater and a comedy super-fan. So it kind of makes sense for her to go from starring in one of the biggest musicals to one of the biggest comedy franchises. And we know she’s got the goods. She got her start in comedy on Nickelodeon with Victorious and Sam & Cat, and recently, she’s brought the laughs as a host on Saturday Night Live.

THR reporter Borys Kit spilled some insider tea on X, saying Ari was really picky about her next project. He wrote: “Since her turn in WICKED, Grande had been offered numerous roles from Universal, Sony & WB, passing on all of them. She even declined a comedy that would have given her the power to pick her co-star. One thing was clear, however: she was intent on finding a comedy.”

So yeah, it’s clear Ari’s a comedy queen. She also received high praise for her comedy chops from her Wicked co-star (and boyf) Ethan Slater. “My unbiased opinion is that she’s one of the best comedians that’s been in a movie in a long time. She’s a genius,” he told GQ. Okay, I don’t know how unbiased you are, Ethan, but I am excited to see Ari earn some laughs when Meet The Parents 4 releases in theaters on November 25, 2026.