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Hollywood critics post screenshots of emails from Ariana Grande fans bribing jury to get her award nomination for Wicked
Wicked stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande portray Elphaba and Glinda respectively in the film. It has worked well at the box office.
Ariana Grande is getting applause for her role in the musical film, Wicked. Now a new report claims that several fans of the singer-actor have been sending bribery emails to the voters of Critics Choice Awards to nominate her in the Best Supporting Actress category. Also read: Wicked makers deny rumours that Ariana Grande was paid 15 times as much as Cynthia Erivo for musical
Bribery emails by fans
Recently, Hollywood critics have shared screenshots of emails allegedly sent by Ariana Grande's fans, attempting to bribe jurors to secure a nomination for her performance in Wicked.
The emails reportedly offer financial incentives and other perks to those involved in the nomination process. These revelations have sparked controversy, raising questions about the integrity of the awards system. Critics have condemned the actions as unethical.
The voters of the 30th annual Critics Choice Awards are getting these emails asking them to nominate her with the promise of a bribe that's within a “four digit range”. Ariana have received acclaim for her performance with many predicting that her name will appear in the upcoming awards season.
It came to light through social media posts by critics Siddhant Adlakha and Carlos Aguilar.
“Someone apparently sent this email to several (all?) Critics Choice members offering a 4 figure bribe to vote for Ariana Grande,” Siddhant wrote while sharing a screenshot of the mail. Carlos shared, “Ariana Grande stans have a bigger bribery budget than most outlets have freelance funds. Insane email this morning for Critic’s Choice voters”.
“They’re f***** paying for Ariana’s nomination now? This is bribery,” one user wrote reacting to the post. One user shared, “I want to know how high they'd go”.
The 30th annual Critics Choice Awards will be held on January 12, 2025, with Chelsea Handler returning to host the show. The Critics Choice Awards are given annually to honour cinematic and television achievements.
About the film
Wicked is the first of two Universal Pictures films based on a Broadway prequel to The Wizard of Oz. Wicked, adapted from Gregory Maguire's best-selling novel, tells the untold story of the witches of Oz. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande portray Elphaba and Glinda respectively in the film. Winnie Holzman, the original stage production's book writer, collaborated with Dana Fox on the screenplay for Chu's film. Stephen Schwartz, the Oscar-winning composer and lyricist of the original musical, has adapted the score for the cinematic version. The cast also features Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, and Bowen Yang.
