Leighton Meester Explains Her Viral Red-Carpet Moment With Ariana Grande

Leighton Meester’s viral meet-cute with Ariana Grande didn’t go exactly how fans saw it. During the final episode of Penn Badgley’s Podcrushed podcast (yes, they had a little Gossip Girl reunion), Meester addressed her encounter with the singer at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards, revealing that she completely misunderstood Grande’s intentions.

As seen in a TikTok video, the actors ran into each other on the red carpet. Meester was being led by her husband, Adam Brody, while Grande was going in the other direction. Grande was clearly starstruck, as she could be heard saying, “Love you so much. Wow, wow, wow.” When the camera panned back to Meester, she repeated Grande’s comment and laughed.

However, as she told Badgley, Meester totally misheard her. “I was with Kate [my publicist], and [Ariana] said something to me,” she recalled. “And then Kate turns around, and we both heard that [Ariana said], ‘Hi, I love you. Wah, wah, wah.’”

At the time, she thought Grande was poking fun at her for crying at last year’s Critics Choice ceremony, when Brody thanked his wife during his acceptance speech.

“I couldn’t hear her. She was walking away,” she explained. “And I was like, ‘Oh, she’s kind of a comedy queen. She’s just being funny.’ Like, ‘I love you. Wah, wah, wah.’ Like, I thought that would be something she would do. And so I was like, ‘Oh, my God, that’s cute and funny.’ Turns out she didn’t say that.”

How Leighton Fixed The Situation

After watching the clip herself, Meester rectified the situation with Grande. “I saw her, like, the next week, and I was like, ‘I have to tell you, like, I thought [you said that],’” she said. “And she’s like, ‘You thought I said wah, wah, wah? That’s so funny.’ And I was like, ‘No, it’s an old person not being able to hear.’ Like, that is so embarrassing.”

While the two have yet to work together, they’ve been fangirling each other on social media for over a decade. Back in 2013, Meester shared an Instagram photo of Grande performing her debut single “The Way” on The Tonight Show. “Adorable @ArianaGrande She can SING! Great job,” she wrote. Grande replied back, “@itsmeleighton :) thank you for making my night.”