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Ariana Grande<\/strong><\/a> had a full fangirl moment when she spotted Leighton Meester<\/strong><\/a> on the red carpet at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards<\/a> \u2014 but a split-second exchange between the two stars quickly turned into an internet-wide debate.<\/p>\n While walking the carpet on Sunday, January 4, Ariana, 32, lit up upon seeing Leighton and her husband, Adam Brody<\/strong><\/a>. The pop star, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Wicked: For Good<\/em>, could barely contain her excitement as she shouted, \u201cI love you so much!\u201d toward the couple.<\/p>\n Clearly overwhelmed, Ariana clutched her chest and exclaimed, \u201cWow, wow, wow,\u201d before continuing on her way.<\/p>\n Leighton\u2019s response \u2014 repeating \u201cwah, wah, wah\u201d with a laugh \u2014 is what sparked confusion online. While some viewers initially interpreted the moment as teasing, others were quick to point out that the line could be a direct reference to Gossip Girl<\/em><\/a>, the iconic series that made Meester a household name.<\/p>\n The clip quickly circulated online, racking up millions of views, with one TikTok alone<\/a> earning more than 1.1 million likes. On X (formerly Twitter), reactions were split.<\/p>\n \u201cWas Leighton making fun of her??\u201d one person questioned. \u201cNow why she make fun of Ari\u2019s \u2018wow\u2019 and laugh with the staff??? rude???\u201d another wrote. \u201cLeighton making fun of Ariana saying \u2018wow\u2019 um\u2026\u201d a third added.<\/p>\n But as fast as the criticism rolled in, fans rushed to Leighton\u2019s defense, insisting the moment was being blown wildly out of proportion.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can even tell how Ariana says that in a sarcastic way, cause it\u2019s all part of the jokeee! she was not laughing at her, she was laughing WITH HER,\u201d one TikTok user argued.<\/p>\n Others claimed Leighton\u2019s response was actually a reference to Gossip Girl<\/em>, where her iconic character Blair Waldorf delivered a similar line (which you can watch here<\/a>).<\/p>\n \u201cGuys, it was a reference from Gossip Girl.<\/em> Leighton was not being mean,\u201d one fan commented. \u201cShe wasn\u2019t mocking, Ariana said, \u2018Wow wow wow.\u2019 Leighton said, \u2018Wah wah wah.\u2019 That is the reference,\u201d another added.<\/p>\n Some fans were simply thrilled to see a hint of Blair energy resurface. \u201cIt\u2019s not Leighton, ITS BLAIR,\u201d one user declared.<\/p>\n Additional defenders pointed out that Leighton appeared more stunned than shady. \u201cShe wasn\u2019t mocking, she was charmed and repeating it playfully cuz Ari\u2019s delivery was so adorably extra \ud83d\ude2d pure fangirl energy on both sides,\u201d one tweet read.<\/p>\n Another theorized, \u201clol she probably just liked the way she said it sometimes i repeat things ppl say too not in a mean way tho.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLeighton looked stunned and giggly. It\u2019s a cute convo..\u201d someone else added.<\/p>\n For context, 39-year-old Leighton rose to fame as Blair Waldorf on Gossip Gir<\/em>l in 2007 and attended the ceremony to support Adam, who was nominated for Best Actor in a Comedy Series for Nobody Wants This.<\/em> The award ultimately went to Seth Rogen<\/strong> for The Studio.<\/em><\/p>\n