Ariana Grande made her first public appearance of 2026 at the Critics Choice Awards, where she gave fans more than just her award nomination and her stunning dress to discuss.

The Wicked star, nominated for best supporting actress at Sunday’s (Jan. 4) ceremony at Barkar Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif., spoke about her upcoming Eternal Sunshine Tour that’s set to launch in June. It’s her first tour in six years.

“I’ve been working on the set list for months now,” she revealed to Live From E! on the carpet, which she graced in a pale pink gown with an elegant cape effect and silver floral embellishments — a custom Alberta Ferretti design. “It’s in a good place, but we’ll never know until we get into the rehearsals — which are starting very soon — and we put things on their feet if it’ll make sense or not.”

Grande’s sold-out Eternal Sunshine Tour marks the star’s first concert trek since her Sweetener World Tour, which wrapped in 2019.

As for what fans can expect to hear at the new show, Grande’s lips are sealed: “I want to let it be a surprise.”

She added, “I am grateful to work, and I’m excited for the tour.”

To complement her romantic Alberta Ferretti gown, the singer/actress wore Christian Louboutin heels (a custom Cassie Lace Up design) and debuted a hair color refresh at the Critics Choice Awards, opting for an auburn shade of locks styled in a loosely curled updo with sideswept bangs.

Wicked: For Good, the second installment of the hit Wicked movie franchise in which Grande stars as Glinda opposite Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba, was nominated in seven categories at the awards ceremony — including best picture and Grande’s nod for best supporting actress.

The film is also up for the best costume design, which designer Paul Tazwell spoke of on the carpet on Sunday. Grande and Erivo’s iconic Wicked wardrobes get archived by Universal, he told Live From E!, where “they’re held very carefully, thermostatically controlled.”

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Kicking off 2026 strong, we’ve got the 31st annual Critics Choice Awards, making a big splash out of the gate as the first award ceremony of the new year.

Honoring both TV shows and movies, the event will take place on Jan. 4, 2026, and will be available to watch live via the E! Network from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. ET / 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. PT. If you miss the live event, do not fret. You can stream the event the next day via Peacock.

Comedian and actress Chelsea Handler will be hosting the star-studded occasion at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica and a slew of notable nominees will be in attendance, including Ariana Grande, Timothée Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael B. Jordan, Wagner Moura, Amanda Seyfried, Emma Stone, Benicio del Toro, Jacob Elordi, Paul Mescal, Adam Sandler, Elle Fanning and Stellan Skarsgård, among others. Sinners leads the Critics Choice Awards film contenders with an impressive 17 nominations, nearly matching the record of 18 that Barbie achieved two years ago. Adolescence leads this year’s television nominees with six nominations, including a nod for Best Limited Series. Four new categories have been added to this year’s show, including Best Variety Series, Best Stunt Design, Best Casting and Ensemble and Best Sound.

If you’re looking to tune into the award ceremony on TV, we’ve got you covered. We’ll be showing you how to watch the show live for free. Keep reading to find out more.

How to Watch the 2026 Critics Choice Awards for Free

As mentioned, the 2026 Critics Choice Awards will take place on Jan. 4, 2026 and will be available to watch live via the E! Network from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. ET / 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. PT.

If you’re looking to watch the award show through E!, consider DIRECTV. The network is available on DIRECTV’s ENTERTAINMENT package. This package is currently on sale for $49.99 a month, down from $89.99 a month. This package is for those looking to tap into a slew of entertainment-based channels. If you’re unsure about committing to a new subscription, you can simply try the service out for free for five days, which will give you plenty of time to watch the award ceremony before canceling.

With a subscription, users will gain access to live TV, local networks such as NBC, ABC and PBS, and you can also watch various entertainment networks, including AMC, Bravo, E!, FX, FXX, Freeform, HGTV, Hallmark Channel, Lifetime and Paramount Network. That’s more than 90-plus channels that you can tap into with the touch of a button.

Another option for our readers is a Hulu + Live TV subscription, given that E! is included in the live TV channel lineup. The service’s live package includes major networks, along with MTV, like ABC, NBC, and Fox for all your live TV viewing needs. A subscription to the service (with ads) will cost approximately $82.99 per month, while the plan without ads goes for $95.99 per month.

This subscription gives you access to the titles in Hulu’s library, along with live TV programs 24/7. This is one of the pricier plans on our list. However, the bundle is well worth the price, thanks to the added Hulu titles, which include music-themed shows and movies like American Idol, The Voice, The Masked Singer, The Beatles: 8 Days a Week, Amy Winehouse: A Final Goodbye, Billie, Madonna and the Breakfast Club, Bad Rap, 69: The Saga of Danny Hernandez and more.

If you don’t have the time to catch the award show live, you can stream the show the next day, Jan. 5, via Peacock. The Peacock Premium Plus plan is $16.99 per month, while the ad-supported plan is only $10.99 per month.

Jesy Nelson is giving a heartbreaking update on her twin daughters.

On Sunday (Jan. 4), the former Little Mix member shared a video on social media with a health update about her 8-month-old girls, Ocean Jade and Story Monroe. In the clip, the 34-year-old singer revealed that they have been diagnosed with a rare genetic condition called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type 1.

“We were told that they’re probably never going to be able to walk,” Nelson says in the Instagram video, breaking down in tears. “They probably will never regain their neck strength, so they will be disabled. And so the best thing we can do right now is to get them treatment, and then just hope for the best.”

She continued, “Thankfully, the girls have had their treatment, which you know, I’m so grateful for because if they don’t have it, they will die.”

Nelson said she feels like “she’s had to become like a nurse” for the twins since their diagnosis, having to put them on breathing machines and handle “lots of stuff that no other mother should have to do.”

JoJo Siwa showed her support in the comments, writing, “Sending lots of love and prayers,” with two red heart emojis.

SMA is an inherited neuromuscular disorder that causes certain muscles to weaken and waste away, according to the Cleveland Clinic. SMA Type 1 accounts for roughly 60% of cases, with symptoms typically appearing in the first six months of life. While there is no cure, certain therapies and medications can help manage symptoms.

Jesy Nelson and her fiancé, Zion Foster, welcomed the identical twins on May 15, 2025. The girls were born prematurely at 31 weeks after Nelson experienced complications from carrying monochorionic/diamniotic twins, who share a placenta but have separate amniotic sacs.

Nelson said that she made the video to help other parents who may notice similar symptoms in their child.

“I just think that I can raise as much awareness about this as possible, and the signs, then, you know, something good has to come out of this,” she said, noting symptoms such as the inability to hold themselves up without support, a “frog-like” leg position, and rapid tummy breathing.

“If anyone is watching this video and they think they see these signs in their child, then please, please take your child to the doctor, to the hospital, because time is of the essence, and your child will need treatment. And the quicker you get this, the better their life will be.”

Watch Nelson’s full update on Instagram below.

ABC’s Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest delivered the highest ratings of any program on the final night of 2025.

The network’s 54th annual New Year’s Eve special averaged 18.8 million viewers during the 11:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. ET hour on Dec. 31/Jan. 1, according to Nielsen ratings.

That total is up from 17.9 million viewers last year, marking the night’s top entertainment broadcast and the special’s largest audience in four years.

ABC estimates the telecast peaked at midnight, with 30 million viewers tuning in to New Year’s Rockin’ Eve to watch the ball drop in New York City’s Times Square. That figure is up from 29 million viewers last year.

By comparison, CBS’ New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash drew 5.3 million viewers during the same hour, while specials on CNN and NBC trailed behind, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Beyond television, New Year’s Rockin’ Eve aired across iHeartMedia, reaching two million listeners across 150 stations — a 9% increase year over year.

The annual year-end event was hosted by Ryan Seacrest, with Rita Ora joining him as co-host in Times Square. Airing live beginning Wednesday (Dec. 31) at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, the telecast featured musical performances leading up to the iconic ball drop from Ciara, LE SSERAFIM, Little Big Town, Maren Morris and headliner Diana Ross.

Additional appearances throughout the evening included Chance the Rapper, who co-hosted and performed from Chicago alongside Jamila Woods, as well as a West Coast lineup featuring Mariah Carey, Zara Larsson, New Kids on the Block and DJ Cassidy’s Pass the Mic Live! with artists including Busta Rhymes and Wyclef Jean.

Other notable performances came from Post Malone in Nashville and Chappell Roan in Kansas City, along with Pitbull, 4 Non Blondes and others.

Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest is produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.