Ariana Grande shared a vivid memory of her late grandmother, Marjorie “Nonna” Grande, during a Chapman University Q&A that doubled as a live edition of The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast on December 5. Clips of the exchange circulated widely after the singer — and now Oscar-nominated actor — described the pithy piece of wisdom Nonna repeated whenever life felt overwhelming.

When an audience member asked for the best advice Nonna had given that influenced Grande’s creativity and career, Grande laughed and quoted her plainly: “Fuck ’em!” The quip earned roaring laughter, but Grande explained that it distilled her grandmother’s approach to stress and self-doubt.

Grande said Nonna had a gift for boiling any worry down to a simple directive. “She had this wonderfully Brooklyn way of cutting through the noise,” Grande recalled. “When I’m anxious or insecure I still hear her saying it. She gave me strength in moments I thought I didn’t have any — she was simply the best.”

The tribute grew tender as Grande finished her answer. Nonna, who passed away in June at 99, appeared on several of Grande’s recordings — most notably the 2024 track “Ordinary Things,” which made the then–98-year-old the oldest person ever to appear on the Billboard Hot 100 (peaking at No. 55).

On the closing track of Eternal Sunshine, Nonna offers another piece of old-school counsel: “Never go to bed without kissin’ goodnight,” she tells Grande, adding a blunt caveat — if you don’t feel comfortable doing that, “you’re in the wrong place — get out.”

Grande is currently promoting the film Wicked: For Good on the awards circuit. The movie earned five Golden Globe nominations on December 8, including acting nods (Cynthia Erivo for lead actress and Grande for supporting actress), two original song nominations — “The Girl in the Bubble” and “No Place Like Home” — and recognition for cinematic and box office achievement. The film was not nominated for Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy. Earlier, on December 5, Grande received her film’s sole acting nomination at the 2026 Critics’ Choice Awards.

Below, hear Grande recount Nonna’s delightfully blunt, NSFW advice.

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