Ariana Grande poked fun at herself during her acceptance speech for the Rising Star award at the Palm Springs International Film Awards. Receiving the honor for her performance in “Wicked,” the 31-year-old singer-actress joked about her unexpected longevity in the entertainment industry. “I want to start by thanking my good friends Botox and Juvéderm,” she quipped. “I thought I’d be hearing ‘Slightly Withering Star’ or ‘Drooping Star’ by now, so thank you.”
Presenter Jennifer Coolidge also shared a humorous anecdote, commenting on Grande’s remarkably long and successful career: “Hasn’t Ariana Grande already risen? I mean, the girl’s barely 30 and it feels like she’s been famous since the Eisenhower administration.” Grande, in turn, expressed gratitude to Coolidge, saying, “Thank you Jennifer for doing this for me, for showing up, for coming all this way. I can’t tell you what it means to me.” She also acknowledged her “Wicked” co-star Cynthia Erivo and director Jon M. Chu.
In a separate, poignant moment at the awards ceremony, Nicole Kidman became emotional while accepting the International Star Award for her film “Babygirl.” Overcome with emotion, she spoke about the loss of her mother.