Do Leighton Meester, Ariana Grande have bad blood after viral awards moment?

Leighton Meester set the record straight after her playful red carpet exchange with Ariana Grande went viral.

At the Critics Choice Awards on January 4, Grande enthusiastically shouted “I love you so much! Wow, wow, wow” while passing Meester, who cheekily responded with “Wah, wah, wah.”

The moment quickly spread online, with some viewers accusing the Gossip Girl alum of mocking the Wicked star.

But Penn Badgley former costar explained on the Podcrushed podcast that she simply misheard Grande.

“I couldn’t hear her. She was, like, walking away,” the 39-year-old recalled. “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.”

She added, “And so I was like, ‘Oh, my God, that’s cute and funny.’”

Meester recalled that it turned out that Grande didn’t say that.

She admitted she was embarrassed by the misunderstanding, especially after seeing Grande the following week.

“She’s like, ‘You thought I said wah, wah, wah? That’s so funny.’ And I was like, ‘No, it’s just an old person not being able to hear,’” she laughed.

The actress clarified that she believed Grande was ribbing her for crying over husband Adam Brody’s 2025 Critics Choice win for Nobody Wants This.

“I thought it was cute and funny,” she said, adding that both she and her publicist misheard the pop star.

Though the clip sparked backlash on social media, many fans defended the lighthearted moment, calling it “sweet” and “funny.”

Grande herself seemed amused by the mix up, proving there’s no bad blood between the two stars.