The yellow brick road led nowhere near the Dolby Theatre this year. Wicked: For Good, the long‑awaited follow‑up to 2024’s Wicked, was completely shut out of the 2026 Academy Awards, leaving fans and Broadway loyalists stunned by the omission.
The nominations were announced Thursday, Jan. 22, by actors Danielle Brooks and Lewis Pullman. When the list wrapped without a single mention of Oz, disbelief quickly turned into frustration across social media.
No Acting Love for Oz’s Leading Ladies
Despite returning to their roles, neither Cynthia Erivo nor Ariana Grande earned acting nominations for portraying Elphaba and Glinda. Both performers received Oscar nods for the first film, making the absence this year especially glaring for viewers who saw For Good as a natural continuation of that success.
For many fans, the decision felt less like healthy competition and more like selective amnesia. Posts questioning how the Academy could overlook two performances so closely tied to last year’s nominees quickly gained traction online.
“Wicked For Good being snubbed in every category… wtf is happening,” one fan wrote on X, summing up a sentiment echoed thousands of times throughout the day.
Songs, Costumes, and Craft Left Behind
The snub extended beyond acting categories. Stephen Schwartz’s two new original songs, “The Girl in the Bubble” and “No Place Like Home,” failed to land nominations, despite his long history with the Academy and the franchise’s musical pedigree.
Craft categories offered no consolation either. Costume design, makeup and hairstyling, and production design, often reliable strongholds for fantasy films, were nowhere to be found on the ballot.
“Wicked: For Good not getting a nomination for Costume Design or Hair & Makeup will never sit right with me,” another viewer posted, while others questioned how a visually maximalist musical could be passed over so thoroughly.
Fan Backlash Builds Online
As the news spread, reactions ranged from disbelief to outright protest. “Ariana’s performance in Wicked: For Good was DEFINITELY better than in part one, these Oscars voters are just following social medias trends and it’s so weird and unprofessional” one fan declared, while another simply wrote, “Oscars, you will be dealt with for snubbing Wicked.” The frustration wasn’t limited to stan culture; longtime theater fans also expressed concern that large‑scale musicals continue to face an uphill battle with AMPAS.
While outrage dominated Wicked‑centric timelines, the Academy’s choices did bring historic wins elsewhere.
A Record‑Breaking Year for Other Films
Ryan Coogler’s vampire thriller Sinners, starring Michael B. Jordan, led the pack with a record‑breaking 16 nominations, the most ever earned by a single film in one year. The achievement positioned Sinners as the clear frontrunner heading into Oscar night.
Other major contenders include One Battle After Another, led by Leonardo DiCaprio, along with Marty Supreme and Frankenstein, all of which landed multiple high‑profile nods.
Ethan Hawke also secured a Best Actor nomination for his portrayal of lyricist Lorenz Hart in Blue Moon. Hart, a key figure in American musical theater, has long been reported as gay, despite public engagements to women, a complexity the film reportedly explores with nuance.
Looking Ahead to Oscar Night
The 2026 Academy Awards will be hosted by Conan O’Brien and air March 15. Whether Wicked: For Good will receive any on‑stage acknowledgment remains to be seen, but its absence from the nominations has already cemented it as one of the year’s most talked‑about omissions.
For fans of Oz, the magic didn’t vanish, it was simply left uninvited.
