Awards
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Peso Pluma and his cousin, Tito Double P, were both fetted with special honors at the 2025 BMI Latin Awards, held March 6 at the Coastal Convention Center in the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami.
Peso Pluma received the BMI Champion Award for is great influence in the global musical landscape, and for opening doors to the exploding Música Mexicana movement. In winning the Champion Award, Peso Pluma joins a select group of honorees that includes Mark Ronson, Keith Urban and Residente. Peso Pluma also received the regional Mexican Songwriter of the Year award.
The Contemporary Latin Songwriter of the Year award went to both global superstar Karol G and producer and songwriter MAG, who each worked on six hit songs, including “Mi Ex Tenía Razón,” where they both have credits.
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Tito Double P also received a special award –the BMI Impact Award– for “his contributions to Peso Pluma’s success and his innovative songwriting that has propelled him into one of the most popular new artists in the Música Mexicana genre.”
Hit song “Lady Gaga,” written by Gabito Ballesteros and Alexis Fierro Román, was named Regional Mexican Song of the Year while “La Bebé (Remix),” written by Peso Pluma and HASA KING Beatz, won Contemporary Latin Song of the Year.
Sony Music Publishing took home the honor for Regional Mexican Publisher of the Year for representing 11 of the previous year’s most-performed regional Mexican songs, including those by JOP and his stable of songwriters at Street Mob Records; and Kobalt Music Publishing won Contemporary Latin Publisher of the Year for representing seven of the previous year’s most-performed contemporary Latin songs.
The evening was hosted by BMI’s President & CEO Mike O’Neill, and Jesús González, VP creative for Latin, with awards given to the songwriters and publishers of the top 50 Latin songs of the previous year, including Ryan Castro and Miguel Armenta.
The gala also featured live performances by FloyyMenor, who sang his smash hit “Gata Only,” and Jasiel Núñe, who, accompanied by his excellent band, performed an impressive medley that blended Mexican, blues and country sensibilities.
Prior to the ceremony, the BMI Foundation presented the 2025 Peermusic Award to jazz pianist Tomás Jonsson, a student at Peabody Conservatory, for his winning song “Ocurrencias.”
For a complete list of 2025 BMI Latin Award winners, click here.
Winnie Holzman, best known for her work on Wicked and My So-Called Life, will be honored by her alma mater, New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, at its annual gala on April 7 at Cipriani South Street. Holzman wrote the book for the blockbuster stage musical Wicked, with music and lyrics by Stephen […]
Well, here’s a surprise: The audience for the Oscar telecast on Sunday (March 2), where indie film darling Anora led with five awards, showed a slight uptick from last year, when two certified blockbusters, Oppenheimer and Barbie, went head-to-head for best picture. Updated Nielsen data released Tuesday showed that the ceremony at the Dolby Theatre […]
With a little help from his friends, and fans, Joe Cocker may finally get into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year.
He’d be pleased, according to his widow.
“Joe was never anxious for it,” says Pam Cocker, who married the British singer in 1987 and was with him until his death from lung cancer in 2014 at the age of 70. “The awards and accomplishments and all of that kind of stuff were not his thing — not to say that he wouldn’t be very pleased, as I am, just thrilled. But you just didn’t think about it.”
Cocker has been eligible since 1989 but was nominated for the first time this year; he’s currently sitting in the top seven selections of the online fan vote that’s being conducted by the Rock Hall. The campaign, such as it is, got a significant boost this week when Paul McCartney issued a public letter endorsing Cocker as “a great man and a fine singer whose unique style made for some fantastic performances.”
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Praising Cocker’s legendary 1968 rendition of the Beatles’ “With a Little Help From My Friends,” McCartney continued that “whilst he may not have ever lobbied to be in the Hall of Fame, I know he would be extremely happy and grateful to find himself where he deserves to be amongst such illustrious company.”
“What a sweet, sweet letter,” says Pam Cocker, who met McCartney once, briefly. “I know he’s always been a big supporter. I was very proud.”
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McCartney, a two-time inductee, has a winning record for supporting Rock Hall nominees. He successfully lobbied for Beatle-mate Ringo Starr’s 2015 award for musical excellence and was part of last year’s campaign for the induction of another longtime snub, Foreigner. Over the years Cocker has also been publicly championed by Billy Joel.
Pam Cocker, who met Joe when he moved to Santa Barbara, Calif., during the late ‘70s (they married Oct. 11, 1987), says she was “really surprised” by Cocker’s inclusion among this year’s nominees. “It’s just one of those things that every year it comes up and every year you just go, ‘Oh, well, not again….’ Joe always applauded the people who were getting in; he’d be the first to say, ‘I can’t believe they’re not in there already’ or hadn’t been nominated before. So it was very much a part of our life, knowing about it. But it’s never something that he campaigned for or asked his management, ‘Why aren’t I in it?’ or ‘Can’t you do more?’ There was never anything like that, ever. But he’s been eligible for a long, long time, so it’s about time.”
The elevator pitch for Cocker’s inclusion is certainly long. Born in Sheffield, England and influenced by R&B (Ray Charles in particular), Cocker first sang with his older brother Victor’s skiffle group when he was 12 years old, then played in bands while working as a gasfitter in England. He began recording in 1964 but his career accelerated after he formed the Grease Band in 1966 and then signed with producer Denny Cordell, who helmed “With a Little Help From My Friends” in 1968 — and famously became the theme song for TV’s The Wonder Years 20 years later.
Cocker’s soulful delivery and spasmodic performing style made him a live favorite as well, and his appearance at the first Woodstock Music and Arts Festival in 1969 and in the subsequent movie elevated him to star status. His Leon Russell-led Mad Dogs & Englishmen band was legendary in 1970, and Cocker maintained a steady career that included 22 studio albums and hit renditions of the Box Tops’ “The Letter,” Julie London’s “Cry Me a River” and Billy Preston’s “You Are So Beautiful.” Cocker won a Grammy Award in 1983 for “Up Where We Belong,” his Billboard Hot 100-topping duet with Jennifer Warnes for the film An Officer and a Gentleman, and received an Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2007.
“Music was paramount to him,” says Pam Cocker, who says she’s been voting for him every day and adds that Victor Cocker, who still resides in England, is equally excited about the nomination. “He had a lot of interests…but he was really just about making music and thinking about the next song, listening to songs all the time. It was just everything to him. He deserves this; he certainly was a legend. We just have to see what happens and hope it’s his time.”
Fan voting is being conducted via vote.rockhall.com until April 21. Voters can vote once per day and choose up to seven of the 14 nominated acts.
The 25th annual BET Awards is set to air on Monday, June 9. It will mark the first time that Culture’s Biggest Night, as the show likes to call itself, will not air on a Sunday night since 2008. The show shifted to Sundays in June 2009 after airing on Tuesdays for its first eight years on the air, 2001-2008.
The move to Monday avoids a conflict with the Tony Awards, which are scheduled for Sunday, June 8, on CBS. The. network in recent years has simulcast the BET Awards, though this year’s simulcast partners have not yet been named. CBS has aired the Tonys every year since 1978. The date and host (Cynthia Erivo) of this year’s Tonys were announced two weeks ago.
The BET Awards will air live on BET from Los Angeles. The venue and host have not yet been announced. The show has been held at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live every year since 2013 (except for a virtual show in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic). Taraji P. Henson hosted the show last year, and also in 2021 and 2022.
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Last year, Drake led the nominations for the BET Awards with seven nods, but was shut out on the night. Usher received a lifetime achievement award, but the best news for him was probably coupling that honorary award with a win in a competitive category – best male R&B/pop artist. Tyla and Victoria Monét also won two awards on the night.
Connie Orlando, EVP of specials, music programming & music strategy for BET, serves as executive producer for the 2025 BET Awards, along with Jamal Noisette, SVP of tentpoles & music community engagement. Jesse Collins Entertainment is the production company for the show, with Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay also serving as executive producers.
The BET Experience 2025 (BETX) is set to run from Thursday, June 5, through Sunday, June 8. The event promises “exclusive performances, celebrity panels, fan experiences, and more” from “the biggest names in entertainment, sports and culture.”
The 77th Emmy Awards will broadcast live coast-to-coast from the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles on Sunday, Sept. 14 (8-11 p.m. ET/5-8 p.m. PT) on CBS. The show will also be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+. The Creative Arts Emmy Awards, where the bulk of Emmys are awarded, […]
Barbra Streisand’s My Name Is Barbra won audiobook of the year at the 2025 Audie Awards, which were presented on Tuesday (March 4) at Pier Sixty in New York.
Streisand’s audiobook won a second award, autobiography/memoir. Karen Dziekonskiof Penguin Random House Audio accepted on Streisand’s behalf. “Every recording session with Barbra was an absolute open door into her process,” Dziekonski said. “It showed what a steadfast and committed artist that she is. And a remarkable human being.”
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These wins help make up for Streisand’s recent Grammy loss for best audio book, narration and storytelling recording. The award went (inevitably) to Jimmy Carter’s Last Sundays in Plains: A Centennial Celebration. The former president died at age 100 on Dec. 29, near the end of the Grammy voting period.
Streisand’s audiobook competed in the autobiography/memoir category with a work by another certified music legend, Elton John. Unlike Streisand, John didn’t narrate his own memoir (Farewell Yellow Brick Road).
Whoopi Goldberg won the award for narration by the author. Goldberg, who was present to accept, expressed her gratitude to all the narrators in the room. She then jokingly said, “You all should know that I probably have each and every one of you in my phone because I have 10,000 audiobooks.” She added, “I grew up dyslexic so hearing things read to me is heaven.”
Kate McKinnon won in the humor category for The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science. She narrated the audiobook with Emily Lynne.
Stephen King won the award for short stories/collections for You Like It Darker: Stories. King narrated the audiobook with Will Patton.
Here are the nominees in selected categories for the 2025 Audie Awards, with winners marked.
The awards are voted on by members of theAudio Publishers Association (APA), which bills itself as the premier awards program recognizing distinction in audiobooks and spoken-word entertainment.
Audiobook of the Year
George Orwell’s 1984; By George Orwell, adapted by Joe White; Performed by Andrew Garfield, Cynthia Erivo, Andrew Scott, Tom Hardy, Chukwudi Iwuji, Romesh Ranganathan, Natasia Demetriou, Francesca Mills, Alex Lawther, and Katie Leung; Published by Audible Originals
WINNER: My Name Is Barbra; Written and narrated by Barbra Streisand; Published by Penguin Random House Audio
Playground: A Novel; By Richard Powers; Narrated by Edoardo Ballerini, Robin Siegerman, Eunice Wong, Pun Bandhu, Krys Janae, and Kevin R Free; Published by Spotify Audiobooks
Poor Deer; By Claire Oshetsky; Narrated by Sophie Amoss; Published by HarperAudio
The Sing Sing Files; Written and narrated by Dan Slepian; Published by Macmillan Audio
Autobiography/Memoir
Farewell Yellow Brick Road; By Elton John, foreword by David Furnish; Narrated by Richard Armitage, Vikas Adam, Daniel Henning, Ray Porter, Jesse Einstein, Fred Berman, Edoardo Ballerini, Mark Boyett, Kevin T. Collins, Peter Ganim, Mike Cooper, John Lee, and Oliver Wyman; Published by Audible Studios
In My Time of Dying: How I Came Face to Face with the Idea of an Afterlife; Written and narrated by Sebastian Junger; Published by Simon & Schuster Audio
Knife; Written and narrated by Salman Rushdie; Published by Penguin Random House Audio
WINNER: My Name Is Barbra; Written and narrated by Barbra Streisand; Published by Penguin Random House Audio
The Third Gilmore Girl: A Memoir; Written and narrated by Kelly Bishop; Published by Simon & Schuster Audio
Audio Drama
Brokedown Prophets; By S.A. Cosby, Kevin Hart, Charlamagne Tha God, and SBH Productions;Performed by Jonathan Majors, Brian Tyree Henry, Dasha Polanco, Jeremy Jordan and a full castPublished by Audible Originals and SBH Productions
The Coldest Case: The Past Has a Long Memory; By James Patterson, Aaron Tracy, and Ryan Silbert; Performed by Aaron Paul, Krysten Ritter, Beau Bridges, Greta Lee, Kevin Pollak, Jordan Bridges, Terrence Terrell, Patton Oswalt, and a full cast; Published by Audible Originals
WINNER: George Orwell’s 1984; By George Orwell, adapted by Joe White; Performed by Andrew Garfield, Cynthia Erivo, Andrew Scott, Tom Hardy, Chukwudi Iwuji, Romesh Ranganathan, Natasia Demetriou, Francesca Mills, Alex Lawther, and Katie Leung; Published by Audible Originals
Journey’s End; By R.C. Sherriff; Performed by James Callis, Josh Cole, Jack Cutmore-Scott, Tobias Echeverria, Adam Godley, Ian Ogilvy, Darren Richardson, Simon Templeman, and Matthew Wolf; Published by L.A. Theatre Works
Wild with Happy; By Colman Domingo; Performed by Colman Domingo, Alex Newell, Sharon Washington, Tyler James Williams, and Oprah Winfrey; Published by Audible Originals
Business/Personal Development
And Then We Rise; Written and narrated by Common; Published by HarperAudio
WINNER: Come Together; Written and narrated by Emily Nagoski, PhD; Published by Penguin Random House Audio
Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters; Written and narrated by Brian Klaas; Published by Simon & Schuster Audio
Humans Who Teach: A Guide for Centering Love, Justice, and Liberation in Schools; Written and narrated by Shamari Reid; Published by Heinemann
Women Money Power: The Rise and Fall of Economic Equality; Written and narrated by Josie Cox; Published by Recorded Books, Inc., a division of RBmedia
Fantasy
Black Shield Maiden; By Willow Smith and Jess Hendel; Narrated by Willow Smith; Published by Penguin Random House Audio
WINNER: Bookshops & Bonedust; Written and narrated by Travis Baldree; Published by Macmillan Audio
The Bright Sword; By Lev Grossman; Narrated by Nicholas Guy Smith and Lev Grossman; Published by Penguin Random House Audio
Goddess of the River; By Vaishnavi Patel; Narrated by Sneha Mathan; Published by Hachette Audio
Someone You Can Build a Nest In; By John Wiswell; Narrated by Carmen Rose; Published by Tantor Audio, a division of RBMedia
Humor
Erasure: A Novel; By Percival Everett; Narrated by Sean Crisden; Published by Tantor Audio, a division of RBMedia
Glory Days; By Simon Rich; Narrated by John Mulaney; Published by Hachette Audio
Joyful Recollections of Trauma; Written and narrated by Paul Scheer; Published by HarperAudio
WINNER: The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science; By Kate McKinnon; Narrated by Kate McKinnon and Emily Lynne; Published by Hachette Audio
Wilder Widows Walk on the Wilder Side; By Katherine Hastings; Narrated Pamela Dillman; Published by Flyte Publishing
Multi-Voiced Performance
Anita de Monte Laughs Last; By Xochitl Gonzalez; Narrated by Stacy Gonzalez, Jonathan Gregg, and Jessica Pimentel; Published by Macmillan Audio
Butcher; By Joyce Carol Oates; Narrated by Amy Shiels, Edoardo Ballerini, Cassandra Campbell, Robert Fass, Tavia Gilbert, Jeremy Carlisle Parker, Danny Campbell, and Max Meyers; Published by Penguin Random House Audio
Five Broken Blades; By Mai Corland; Narrated by Greg Chun, Zion Jang, Roger Yeh, Donald Chang, Jaine Ye, and Sophie Oda; Published by Recorded Books, Inc., a division of RBmedia
From Here to the Great Unknown; By Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough; Narrated by Julia Roberts and Riley Keough; Published by Penguin Random House Audio
Snake Oil; By Kelsey Rae Dimberg; Narrated by Kristen Sieh, Andi Arndt, and Renata Friedman; Published by HarperAudio
WINNER: When the Sea Came Alive: An Oral History of D-Day; By Garrett M. Graff; Narrated by Edoardo Ballerini and Garrett M. Graff, with a full cast; Published by Simon & Schuster Audio
Narration by the Author(s)
The 23rd Hero; Written and narrated by Rebecca Anne Nguyen; Published by Castle Bridge Media
WINNER: Bits and Pieces; Written and narrated by Whoopi Goldberg; Published by Blackstone Publishing
Bookshops & Bonedust; Written and narrated by Travis Baldree; Published by Macmillan Audio
Knife; Written and narrated by Salman Rushdie; Published by Penguin Random House Audio
Sorry for the Inconvenience; Written and narrated by Farah Naz Rishi; Published by Brilliance Publishing
Original Work
The Boar’s Nest; By Rachel Bonds, Holly Gleason and Dub Cornett; Narrated by Mandy Moore, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, W. Earl Brown, Stephen Louis Grush, John Hoogenakker, TJ Osborne, and a full cast; Published by Audible Originals
Casanova LLC; By Julia Whelan; Performed by Sebastian York, Julia Whelan, Edoardo Ballerini, and Johnathan McClain; Published by Audiobrary
Earthlight; By J. Michael Straczynski; Narrated by Erik Braa, Pete Bradbury, Jonathan Davis, William DeMeritt, Robert Fass, Jeff Gurner, Ryan Haugen, David Lee Huynh, Mars Lipowski, Saskia Maarleveld, Kathleen McInerney, Brandon McInnis, Sean Kenin Elias Reyes, Stefan Rudnicki, Salli Saffioti, Kristen Sieh, Christopher Smith, Marc Thompson, and Will Watt; Published by Penguin Random House Audio
WINNER: Hellboy and the BPRD: The Goddess of Manhattan [Dramatized Adaptation]; By Christopher Golden and Thomas E. Sniegoski; Performed by Tim Carlin, Rob McFadyen, Nora Achrati, Scott McCormick, Eric Messner, Lydia Kraniotis, Ken Yatta Rogers, Michael John Casey, Amanda Forstrom, Marni Penning, Steven Carpenter, and a full cast; Published by GraphicAudio, a division of RBmedia
Two Can Play; By Ali Hazelwood; Narrated by Kelsey Navarro Foster; Published by Spotify Audiobooks
Short Stories/Collections
Glory Days; By Simon Rich; Narrated by John Mulaney; Published by Hachette Audio
The History of Sound; By Ben Shattuck; Narrated by Ben Shattuck, Zachary Chastain, Paul Mescal, Dion Graham, Ellen Adair, Steven Jay Cohen, Jim Seybert, Dawn Harvey, Chris Cooper, Rebecca Lowman, Jenny Slate, Ed Helms, and Nick Offerman; Published by Penguin Random House Audio
Letters from Klara; By Tove Jansson and Thomas Teal – Übersetzer; Narrated by Indira Varma; Published by Saga Egmont
What If We Get It Right?; Written and narrated by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson; Published by Penguin Random House Audio
WINNER: You Like It Darker: Stories; By Stephen King; Narrated by Will Patton with Stephen King; Published by Simon & Schuster Audio
Madonna and Guy Oseary hosted their annual Oscars afterparty on Sunday night (March 3) and, as usual, the event brought together winners holding their trophies as well as some of the biggest names in Hollywood. The Queen of Pop took to Instagram to share photos from the star-studded event, featuring behind-the-scenes getting ready pictures, snaps […]
The country music industry honored those who get (and keep) country music’s top shows on the road on Monday night (March 3), as the 19th CMA Touring Awards were held in Nashville, as members of Nashville’s country music industry elite gathered at Marathon Music Works.
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The annual awards ceremony honored winners in 20 categories, in addition to honoring one touring individual with the lifetime achievement award. Notably, the touring sector represents the largest category of CMA membership.
CMA CEO Sarah Trahern called artists’ touring crews “the backbone of country music’s incredible live experience.” Singer-songwriter-entertainer Keith Urban, who has twice won the CMA’s entertainer of the year honor, served as host for the event for a third year.
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Luke Combs’s Growin’ Up and Gettin’ Old Tour crew won the lion’s share of the evening’s trophies, including the evening’s most coveted honor, the crew of the year. Members of Combs’s team and crew also won in categories including tour manager of the year, production manager of the year, lighting director of the year and publicist of the year.
Host Urban said jokingly at one point, “Welcome to the Luke Combs touring awards.” Combs’ record-breaking 2024 stadium tour — which broke attendance records in its first three weekends — has further cemented two-time CMA entertainer of the year winner Combs’s superstar status.
Luke Combs and his team won the overall “crew of the year” honor, in addition to numerous other accolades throughout the CMA Touring Awards ceremony.
John Russell/CMA.
“This is one of the coolest nights of my career,” Combs said as he took the stage and welcomed his entire touring crew onstage with him. “I have done so many incredible things, played os many incredible shows in so many incredible places and none of that happens without these people up here… I owe everything that I have to these guys onstage and so many other people who couldn’t be here with us tonight.” He also thanked all of the touring crews of all country artists for all their hard work behind the scenes.
Last year’s crew of the year winner, Chris Stapleton’s “All-American Road Show Tour” crew, took the trophy with them around the world on Stapleton’s tour. Combs promised to carry on the tradition, saying, “We are going to take this thing to some places that country music has never been this year.”
More touring members were honored in categories including lighting director, tour video director, tour videographer/photographer, stage manager and tour manager. Guitarist Charlie Worsham, who picked up the CMA’s musician of the year honor in November, was named touring musician of the year, for his role on the road with Dierks Bentley.
The evening also highlighted the importance of caring for mental health, as the CMA’s senior vp, industry relations and philanthropy Tiffany Kerns led a segment of the evening devoted to spotlighting the trade organization’s work to help touring crews care for their mental health. They also spotlighted the work of organizations Amber Health, All Access Onsite, MusiCares, Backline, Music Health Alliance and Porter’s Call. The evening also spotlighted the CMA’s Touring Mentorship Program, which aims to give early-career touring professionals access to guidance from experienced touring professionals.
“A healthy professional leads to a healthy community,” Kerns said.
Later in the evening, the late concert promoter Ben Farrell was honored with the CMA Touring Awards’ lifetime achievement award. The accolade is reserved for an individual who has achieved the highest level in the country music field of touring. Farrell began his country music career in 1970 and worked in the industry for 52 years. He remained at Varnell Enterprises for the entirety of his career. Notably, during that time, he also served three decades as a concert promoter for Garth Brooks, first joining Brooks in 1989.
Brooks was among several people who took part in a video tribute to Farrell, with Brooks noting, “I knew him, I loved him, and if you knew him, you loved him, too.”
Over the years, Farrell also worked with such artists as The Statler Brothers, Merle Haggard, Randy Travis, Kenny Chesney, George Strait and Charley Pride. Among those honoring Farrell’s legacy Monday night were his wife Autumn, daughter Ella Grace and Morris Higham president/partner Clint Higham.
Higham was also feted as a winner during the evening, being named manager of the year. Higham is known for his decades of work with artists including four-time CMA entertainer of the year winner Chesney, as well as other Morris Higham clients including seven-time CMA group of the year winners Old Dominion, Country Music Hall of Famer Barbara Mandrell and estate work for late music legends Kris Kristofferson and Roger Miller.
See the full list of CMA Touring Awards winners below:
Business manager of the year: Julie Boos (Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy)Coach/truck driver of the year: Wendy Holt (Lainey Wilson)Venue of the year: Ryman Auditoriium (Nashville)Publicist of the year: Carla Sacks (Sacks & Co.)Lighting director of the year: Kevin Northrup (Luke Combs)Tour video director of the year: Tyler Hutcheson (Luke Combs)Tour Videographer/photographer of the year: Andy Barron (Chris Stapleton)Talent agent of the year: Austin Neal (The Neal Agency)Front of House engineer of the year: Todd Lewis (Luke Combs)Monitor engineer of the year: Michael Zuehsow (Luke Combs)Support services company of the year: Dega CateringBackline technician of the year: Derek Benitez (Chris Stapleton)Touring musician of the year: Charlie Worsham (Dierks Bentley)Talent buyer/promoter of the year: Adam Weiser (AEG Presents)Manager of the year: Clint Higham (Morris Higham Management)Production manager of the year: Jerry Slone (Luke Combs)Stage manager of the year: Donnie Floyd (Morgan Wallen)Tour manager of the year: Ethan Strunk (Luke Combs)Unsung hero of the year: Robin Majors (Kenny Chesney)Crew of the year: “Growin’ Up and Getting’ Old Tour” Crew (Luke Combs)Lifetime achievement award: Ben Farrell
It’s only two days past the 2025 Oscars, so some may think it’s too soon to start thinking about the 2026 Oscars. But it’s not too early to consider that history could be made: Wicked: For Good, the upcoming sequel to Wicked, could become the most nominated film sequel in Oscar history.
If it repeats its 10 nominations from this year and picks up two more, it would set a new record. If it picks one more, it would tie the record, which is currently jointly held by The Godfather Part II, which received 11 nods in 1975, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the third installment in that franchise, which received 11 nods in 2004.
Even if Wicked: For Good merely matched Wicked’s tally of 10 nods, it would become one of the most nominated sequels in history. It would tie Mad Max: Fury Road, the fourth installment in that franchise, which received 10 nods in 2015.
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Wicked’s 10 nominations this year were best picture, best actress (Cynthia Erivo), best supporting actress (Ariana Grande), best costume design, best film editing, best makeup and hairstyling, best production design, best original score, best sound and best visual effects.
There are three categories where Wicked: For Good could improve on its performance from this year. Jon M. Chu was passed over for a nod as best director for Wicked. A nomination for Wicked: For Good could serve to acknowledge his work on both films. Jonathan Bailey was passed over for a best supporting actor nod. And according to reports, there will be two new songs in Wicked: For Good, which would both be eligible for best original song consideration. None of the songs in Wicked were new, and thus, were not eligible.
One of the new songs will be for Elphaba, the character played by Erivo; the other will be for Glinda, the character played by Grande. Erivo will be a co-writer on her song, which could be her easiest path to her first Oscar — and EGOT status. Erivo has won a Tony, a Grammy, and a Daytime Emmy, all for The Color Purple and related projects, but has yet to win an Oscar, despite three nods so far.
If Erivo becomes an EGOT at the 2026 Oscars, she will become the youngest woman to EGOT. That title is currently held by Jennifer Hudson, who was 40 years and nine months old in 2022 when she achieved the feat. Erivo will be about 39 years and two months old at the time of the 2026 Oscars; the exact date of the show hasn’t been announced.
But Erivo would not become the youngest EGOT overall, which she would have become if she had won Sunday for best actress. That distinction has long been held by songwriter and librettist Robert Lopez, who was 39 years and one week old in 2014 when he achieved the feat. Songwriter and producer Benj Pasek was 39 years and two months old in 2024 when he joined the exclusive club.
Erivo was nominated for best original song in 2020 for co-writing “Stand Up” from Harriet. She was also nominated for best actress for that film.
Stephen Schwartz, of course, would also make history if a song from Wicked: For Good won an Oscar. Schwartz has won two Oscars for best original song — for “Colors of the Wind” from Pocahontas and “When You Believe” from The Prince of Egypt. A third win would make him one of just 10 songwriters in Oscar history to win three with three songs.