The Emmy-winning actress and singer was previously nominated for Best Actress for her performance as Elphaba in “Wicked” at the event last year.

Cynthia Erivo gets snubbed by Critics Choice nominations

The Emmy-winning actress and singer was previously nominated for Best Actress for her performance as Elphaba in "Wicked" at the event last year.

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and *NME*.

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December 5, 2025 2:47 p.m. ET

Cynthia Erivo attends the 'Wicked: For Good' New York premiere on Nov. 17, 2025. Credit:

Jamie McCarthy/Getty

The Critics Choice Awards announced their nominations on Friday and, naturally, there were a few talented actors left off their list. However, no omission was more shocking than Cynthia Erivo getting snubbed after her gravity-defying performance as Elphaba in *Wicked: For Good*. **

The 38-year-old actress was not among the six talented individuals to receive a Best Actress nomination, despite earning a Best Actress nod for her portrayal of Elphaba in the musical duology’s first film, *Wicked, *last year. **

Instead, this year’s Best Actress category saw nominations for Jessie Buckley (*Hamnet)*, Rose Byrne (*If I Had Legs I’d Kick You)*, Chase Infiniti (*One Battle After Another)*, Renate Reinsve (*Sentimental Value)*, Amanda Seyfried (*The Testament of Ann Lee*), and Emma Stone (*Bugonia*).

Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in 'Wicked: For Good'.

Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

While Erivo may not have made the list, there was still plenty to celebrate in Oz. The film was nominated for seven awards overall, including Best Picture, Best Casting and Ensemble, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Hair and Makeup, and Best Song. **

Erivo’s costar, Ariana Grande, was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Glinda in *For Good*. She joins a star-studded category that also includes Elle Fanning (*Sentimental Value*), Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas (*Sentimental Value*), Amy Madigan (*Weapons*), Wunmi Mosaku (*Sinners*), and Teyana Taylor (*One Battle After Another*).

Grande specifically shouted out Erivo and her impact on her performance in an Instagram Story thanking the Critics Choice Association for the nomination.

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“My Glinda does not exist without the imprint of our remarkable leader Jon M. Chu or without being touched by my Elphaba, the singular Cynthia Erivo,” she wrote in part. “So I am sharing this most thrilling recognition and celebratory moment with them both and with the rest of my *Wicked* family.” **

Chu failed to nab a Best Director nomination for the film, despite it being a box office smash hit. The category rounded out its nominations with nods for Paul Thomas Anderson (*One Battle After Another*), Ryan Coogler (*Sinners*), Guillermo del Toro (*Frankenstein*), Josh Safdie (*Marty Supreme*), Joachim Trier (*Sentimental Value*), and Chloé Zhao (*Hamnet*).

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To say that *Wicked* fans were displeased with Erivo being snubbed is an understatement, with one fan calling it “absolutely insane.” **

“REVOLTING!” another fan wrote on X. “It's hard to understand how a performance as powerful as Cynthia Erivo's was left out of the Critics Choice Awards nominations.”

Cynthia Erivo in 'Wicked: For Good'.

Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

A third added, “What do you mean the beautiful and talented Cynthia Erivo did not get nominated for the Critic Choice Awards. Like did y’all forget that she sang live as she is acting and being recorded in the movie. Especially in No Good Deed.”

The Critics Choice Awards will air live from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. Excited fans can catch all the action by tuning in to E! or the USA Network beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET.

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- Critics Choice Awards

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Source: “EW Critics”