Leighton Meester is one of the most talked-about women in the world. And from her season two role in Nobody Wants This to her sweet relationship with Adam Brody, the Gossip Girl star never fails to make headlines.
This week, Meester was particularly front and centre, appearing on Penn Badgley’s popular ‘Podcrushed‘ podcast. And during the conversation, the 39-year-old broke her silence on her viral red carpet exchange with Ariana Grande.
The two A-list women went viral for a shared moment at the Critics Choice Awards in January, where their red carpet exchange became an internet moment.
The footage shows Grande telling Meester “I love you so much! Wow, wow, wow,” as she walks past her, before Meester can be seen repeating the statement to the woman next to her, and laughing.
Lip readers and online detectives weighed in on the moment at the time, with some social media users criticising Meester for her “mocking” response.
And while the Gossip Girl star has previously remained quiet about the situation, she opened up about the viral exchange this week, explaining that she had misheard, mistaking Grande’s comment for a joke about her crying.
Leighton Meester explains her reaction to her viral encounter with Ariana Grande at the Critics Choice Awards:
“I was with Kate [my publicist]. And she [Ariana] said something to me. And then Kate turns around and we both heard that she goes, ‘hi, I love you. Wah, wah, wah’. I… pic.twitter.com/WgR6Da4VYfFebruary 18, 2026
Meester explained that she had felt very “raw and emotional” at the 2025 Critics Choice Awards, the year before, crying during the ceremony.
“But like a few weeks ago, I was going to the same award show, and I was like: ‘Oh my god, remember when I cried last time?’” she recalled. “Tears were coming out. And then I walked by Ariana Grande on the red carpet, and if you just walk by her, you’re on the internet. And she said something I couldn’t hear.
“I was with my publicist, Kate,” she continued. “So [Grande] was walking by, and she said something to me. And then Kate turns around, and we both heard: ‘Hi, I love you, wah, wah, wah!’ I couldn’t hear – she was walking away.”
Believing Grande’s comment to be a joke about her crying, Meester continued: “I was like: ‘Oh, she’s kind of a comedy queen, she’s just being funny.’ I thought that was something she would do, and I was like, ‘Oh my god, that’s cute and funny.’
“Then it turned out she didn’t say that,” she revealed. “And then I saw her the next week, and I was like: ‘I have to tell you, like, I thought…’ 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!’ That’s so embarrassing.”
Well, this is hilarious.
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