Wicked: For Good fans were stunned on Monday as the movie musical was shut out of the best motion picture musical or comedy category at the 2026 Golden Globe Awards.
Despite strong expectations and acting nods for stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, as well as the film’s original songs, the movie failed to secure a place among the top contenders, sparking social media fury.
Wicked: For Good missing out on a nomination for best musical or comedy film is perhaps the biggest shock of the nomination announcement, and fans quickly made their displeasure known.
@SeanHorace wrote on X: ‘How Wicked: For Good wasn’t nominated in Motion Picture Musical or Comedy at #GoldenGlobes but Ariana and Cynthia and their songs got nominated I’ll never understand.’
@Mikem717 added: ‘Wicked is dead in the best picture race. Not even a musical or comedy nomination #WickedForGood #GoldenGlobes.’
@eternalopalite summed up the mood among many fans: ‘oh god …. they didn’t give wicked best comedy / musical……. yep there goes any hope i had at ariana winning anything this awards season.’
The film has been a major box office success, and last year’s instalment, Wicked, won in this very category, making it all the more shocking.
But the sequel has been met with far less enthusiasm, which might partly stem from the fact that theatre fans widely regard the second half of the stage musical as weaker than the first, and the film appears to have inherited some of those narrative challenges.
The omission does not bode well for its Oscar trajectory, although its stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande at least received recognition in the acting categories.
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Grande is nominated for best supporting female actor – motion picture, alongside Emily Blunt (The Smashing Machine), Elle Fanning, and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas (both for Sentimental Value), Amy Madigan (Weapons), and Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another).
Erivo is up for best female actor – motion picture – musical/comedy, competing with Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You), Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue), Chase Infiniti (One Battle After Anothe’), Amanda Seyfried (The Testament of Ann Lee), and Emma Stone (Bugonia).
The best motion picture musical or comedy category instead featured a spread of studio heavyweights and indie contenders: Blue Moon (Sony Pictures Classics), Bugonia (Focus Features), Marty Supreme (A24), No Other Choice (NEON), Nouvelle Vague (Netflix), and One Battle After Another (Warner Bros. Pictures).
Warner Bros.’ One Battle After Another emerged as the most nominated film overall, earning nine nods, including best director for Paul Thomas Anderson, lead actor for Leonardo DiCaprio, lead actress for Chase Infiniti, and supporting nominations for Benicio Del Toro, Sean Penn, and Teyana Taylor.
It also secured mentions for Anderson’s screenplay and Jonny Greenwood’s score. Close behind were Sentimental Value with eight nominations and Sinners with seven.
In television, HBO’s White Lotus dominated with six nominations, including best drama series and acting nods for Carrie Coon, Parker Posey, Aimee Lou Wood, Walton Goggins, and Jason Isaacs.
Netflix’s limited series Adolescence earned five, while Only Murders in the Building and Severance picked up four each.
The 2026 Golden Globe Awards will air on Jan. 11 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS and stream on Paramount+ in the U.S., with comedian Nikki Glaser returning as host for the second year in a row.
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