At the 2026 Golden Globes, Ariana Grande had a truly delightful moment to celebrate. As she entered the lavish ballroom at the Beverly Hilton for the January 11th award show, she unexpectedly ran into Scarlett Spears, who portrayed the younger version of her character Galinda in Wicked: For Good.
"When two worlds collide, in the BEST way possible," Scarlett captioned an adorable January 12th Instagram video of their meeting, adding "#ForeverFriends." Ariana was thrilled to catch up with the 8-year-old and her mother Sharline Spears, writing in the comments, "My angels! It was so good to see you both!"
In the video, Scarlett could be seen running up to the 32-year-old, who immediately bent down to give her costar a huge hug. "Oh my god, hi," Ariana exclaimed to Scarlett. "Look how beautiful you are! You look stunning." The "Seven Rings" singer introduced Scarlett to stylist Law Roach as she gave her another hug, telling Scarlett, "I'm so happy to see you. Oh my god, I'm so happy you're here."
"This made my whole day, you have no idea," Ariana raved. "This was the best part. I love you." Since the release of Wicked: For Good, Ariana has been effusive in her praise of her young costar and her scene-stealing moment in the film. "My tiny girl in the bubble, played by the wonderful and talented @miss.scarlett.brielle," she posted on Instagram in October alongside a photo hugging Scarlett. "Thank you for your beautiful work and for allowing the world to understand our Galinda more deeply than ever before.. I adore you so."
Equally impressed by Scarlett was Ariana’s boyfriend and costar Ethan Slater, who sang her praises at the film’s November premiere. "You're so unbelievably good in this movie," he told her during a joint interview with E! News' Justin Sylvester on the red carpet. "I can't wait for people to see it. It's really so sweet."
For Scarlett, playing the role of Young Glinda was a dream come true. "I was so happy and grateful," she told LiveNOW from Fox about getting the role. "I started crying." She added, "I've always wanted to be blonde. It was my dream, and I finally got to be blonde, and I'm just like Glinda. I'm bubbly, I'm funny, I'm kind, and I love everything pink."
