Robert De Niro Makes an Ariana Grande Confession

Robert De Niro worked with Ariana Grande on the comedy “Focker-In-Law,” and now, he’s making a confession about his friendship with Grande. He actually has never seen her in “Wicked.” So, yes, we’ve found at least one person on the planet who hasn’t seen that blockbuster film.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actor admitted, “I didn’t see her movie, and I still am trying to see it, believe it or not, but I want to see it. I’m going to see it with my daughter. And she’s, of course, seen it.”

But De Niro isn’t totally living under a rock. He also said that he knew about Grande because “I had seen her in some stuff with my daughter, some sitcom thing she had done.”

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He added: “I’m forgetting the name. My kid was into that. I was aware of her then and, of course, aware of her in other ways. She was great.” We’re thinking it was a Nickelodeon show.

De Niro also said that Grande did well acting in “Focker-In-Law,” which debuts in theaters Nov. 25. In the film, she plays Olivia, the girlfriend of Henry Focker.

“She was very professional,” he said of her performance. “She’s terrific and very quick and got it all. She was very much part of the whole process. I liked her. Nice kid.”

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Seeing De Niro give props to Grande on her acting chops says a lot. He’s a legend, and even though Grande is best known for her singing, it shows that she also still has strong acting chops.

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This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 8:00 AM.