We all kinda knew that the 98th Oscar was gonna be a bloodbath, but no one was looking forward to the whole thing being a massacre. But on January 22nd, 2026, the day the Oscars announced their picks as the nominees for the Oscars, we were all taken aback that not that much attention was being paid to “Wicked: For Good.” We all kinda knew that the first film just kinda ran away with the whole thing at the 97th Oscars with ten nominations.
And then, if you believe that the fans are taking it all so well, just consider Charlie Puth.
While Puth tends to stay well within the realm of perfect pitch/production breakdowns on his TikTok, it is quite obvious that this dude just could not stay out of this situation. With his X platform, Puth has chosen to spill the beans on the truth bomb every theater kid/pop star can identify with as far as the course of this entire situation is concerned.
Despite the Oscar snub, both actresses earned Golden Globe and SAG nominations
He said, “Ariana and Cynthia not getting nominated for Wicked is such a disappointment. I don’t watch a lot of movies, but I believe the amazing musicality they both showcased should be acknowledged.”
Of course, it is not often one gets to hear an industry peer quite so candidly from the Oscars stage, but they could hardly have been more accurate in their statement. Grande and Erivo have to access very dark and difficult places vocally in the final scene of the picture, quite different from the opening scene. All of these things aside, it is quite disconcerting indeed.
But just like that, a film can go from being a favorite of the Oscars to Persona Non Grata in a year’s time. This film last year, received 10 nominations, winning 2. This year, however, they received a paltry 0. But the irony, folks, is that while the Oscars shunned the film, its peers did not. Ariana Grande has just won a SAG award for her role as Glinda! What’s going on here?! A huge disconnect! Actors think that this movie is fantastic, while the Academy thinks that this movie is just another sequel in a long line of movies like that!
The agony, folks, especially in the musical numbers! Why, everyone knows that “No Place Like Home” or “The Girl in the Bubble” would have won an award as the best original song! These are no ordinary songs! These are cultural touchstones! By failing to nominate these songs, the Academy has failed to nominate two actresses, as well as failing to nominate the magic that made the show a phenomenon! As the Oscars are coming up, the mood in Tinseltown couldn’t be more different! Without the witches of Oz, this event isn’t exactly “popular”—it’s boring!
