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The 2025 Oscars are this Sunday, and exciting details keep emerging. After rumors and speculation, the Academy has confirmed that Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo will perform a special number from Wicked - live on stage. Both actresses have nominations for their roles in the film—Grande, hoping to win her first Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, and Erivo for Best Lead Actress. If Erivo wins, she will achieve EGOT status, joining fewer than 30 artists who have each won Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards.
© GettyAfter Grande and Erivo coyly denied that they would take the stage, the official account for The Academy shared the exciting news featuring a video with scenes from Wicked, teasing what promises to be a stunning moment. "A fascinating moment awaits. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande will take the stage at the #Oscars for a performance you won’t forget," the post reads, already gathering over 450,000 likes.
Wicked is in second place for nominations with 10 nominations: Best Picture, Best Actress in a Leading Role (Erivo), and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Grande), along with recognition in several technical categories, including Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, Best Editing, Best Production Design, Best Original Score, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Costume Design.
© Universal / YouTubeA change this year
Unlike other years, the nominated songs for Best Original Song will not have live performances. Instead, the ceremony will highlight the stories and inspirations behind each song, with reflections from the creative teams. Nominated for best song is "El Mal" from Emilia Pérez, "The Journey" from The Six Triple Eight, "Like A Bird" from Sing Sing, "Mi Camino" from Emilia Pérez and "Never Too Late" from Elton John: Never Too Late.
© SHANNA BESSON/Emilia PerezAs for why Wicked wasn't nominated for Best Original Song, the songs were not written specifically for the film, meaning they were not eligible for the Best Original Song Oscar. However, the film is nominated for Music (Original Score) and will go head to head with The Brutalist, Conclave, Emilia Pérez, Wicked, and The Wild Robot.
© Europa Press EntertainmentStill, Wicked will have its big moment on the most important night in cinema, and with Erivo and Grande leading the performance, it’s sure to be one of the most anticipated moments of the 2025 Oscars.
Who else is performing
But they won’t be the only ones adding music to the night. The Academy also confirmed performances by Queen Latifah, Doja Cat, LISA from BLACKPINK, and RAYE.
Who is presenting
Hosted by Conan O’Brien, today, a new list of celebrities that will be helping him present awards was revealed. Dave Bautista, Harrison Ford, Gal Gadot, Andrew Garfield, Samuel L. Jackson, Margaret Qualley, Alba Rohrwacher, Zoe Saldaña, and Rachel Zegler are the latest names added to the presenter lineup.
© GettyThey’ll be joining an already stacked list of A-listers, including Joe Alwyn, Halle Berry, Sterling K. Brown, Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Ana de Armas, Lily-Rose Depp, Robert Downey Jr., Elle Fanning, Whoopi Goldberg, Selena Gomez, Goldie Hawn, Scarlett Johansson, John Lithgow, Cillian Murphy, Connie Nielsen, Amy Poehler, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, June Squibb, Ben Stiller, Emma Stone, Oprah Winfrey, and Bowen Yang.
When are the awards?
The Oscars will air live on ABC and stream live on Hulu on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, with the official live red carpet show airing at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.
