Fans of Ariana Grande are praising the Wicked star for how she handled an awkward red carpet interview with Shrinking star Jessica Williams. Viral footage from the Critics Choice Awards red carpet began circulating via social media on Monday, January 5, showing Williams, 36, speaking with a reporter. The situation turned awkward when, seemingly in the middle of the interview, the reporter declared that Grande, 32, was on the carpet and invited her over to speak. As seen in the footage, Williams paused and smiled as the camera panned over to Grande, who had a microphone in her hand and was attempting to make her way through a crowd, as she was seemingly farther back in the interview line. Poker Face star Natasha Lyonne could be seen saying something to Grande before the Victorious alum walked over to the interviewer, but it's unclear what was said. Grande then stopped and chatted with Williams, her back turned to the camera and the reporter, before Williams walked away. Did Ariana Grande Win Best Supporting Actress at 2026 Critics Choice Awards? "You are amazing," Grande told Williams. Williams also appeared to wave her hands and tell Grande, "It's OK." Grande gave Williams a hug before the two continued to chat. At the end of the interaction, Williams told the "Thank U, Next" singer, "You're amazing. Do your thing." After Grande turned back to the reporter to begin her interview, she said, "That was so scary chaotic. I didn't want to interrupt and they kept trying to push me in." Jessica Williams and Tramell Tillman present during the 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association Grande received praise from fans for the way she stopped to interact with Williams before starting her interview. "Love how Ariana made her feel and comforted her," one person commented on a clip shared by PopFaction on Tuesday, January 6. "Through and through, I love my girl Ari 😭 she's so considerate and self aware! I love how she made Jessica feel seen and hugged her too 😭," another user added. "I love Ariana, she knew exactly what was happening and acknowledged her first," a third person commented. Others, however, defended the interviewer. "It's the reporters job to interview the most famous person. If people get angry about this, they need to be giving backlash to the person interviewing's company. It's not THEIR fault," one user wrote. Ariana Grande Thanks 'Friends Botox and Juvederm' for Rising Star Award Another person added, "I watched the interview live and the interview with Jessica was already finished, and Ariana was next that's because she had the mic 🎤." Grande attended the Critics Choice Awards on Sunday, January 4, amid her nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Glinda in Wicked: For Good. The film was also nominated for several awards, including Best Casting/Ensemble, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Hair and Makeup and Best Picture. Wicked: For Good did not receive any wins. Though Williams was not nominated for any awards on Sunday night, she presented the award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Williams was previously nominated for the accolade for her role as Gaby in AppleTV's Shrinking in 2024. That same year, Harrison Ford was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, and the series was nominated for Best Comedy. In 2025, Michael Urie won Best Supporting Actor for his role as Brian. Shrinking returns to AppleTV with its third season on Wednesday, January 28.