Ariana Grande is officially joining one of Hollywood’s most dysfunctional families.
The Wicked star and global pop icon has been cast in the upcoming sequel to Meet the Parents, reuniting Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro on the big screen for another round of hilariously awkward family drama. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Grande will play the girlfriend of Stiller and Teri Polo’s son—described as “a high-maintenance woman who seems completely wrong for him.”
The film marks the fourth installment in the wildly successful Meet the Parents franchise, following 2000’s original, Meet the Fockers (2004), and Little Fockers (2010). Also returning are franchise favorites Blythe Danner and Teri Polo, with Barbra Streisand and Dustin Hoffman reportedly set to reprise their iconic roles as Roz and Bernie Focker.
Grande isn’t the first music superstar to join the Focker universe—Streisand, of course, left an unforgettable impression as the free-spirited matriarch in the second and third films. Fittingly, Grande recently teamed up with Streisand and Mariah Carey for a song on Streisand’s forthcoming album, dropping this June.
This marks a notable return to comedy for Grande, who has showcased her acting chops on Broadway, Nickelodeon, and most recently in the two-part Wicked film adaptation. Playing opposite a cast of legendary comedic heavyweights, her role promises to add a new layer of chaos to the Focker family dynamic.
The sequel is slated for release on Thanksgiving Day, 2026, in U.S. theaters—a perfect holiday reunion with cinema’s most lovable mess of a family.