Ariana Grande Shouted Out Her ‘Victorious’ Days During Her Kids’ Choice Awards Speech
Almost six years after making her last appearance on Victorious, Ariana Grande is reflecting on her Nickelodeon origins. The singer, who began her TV career on the children's network before shifting her focus to the music industry, was feeling nostalgic as she accepted an honor at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. While she couldn't get slimed or celebrate with her fellow attendees in person this year, Ariana Grande's Kids' Choice Awards 2020 acceptance speech reflected on how "appreciative" she was for the network that helped her start out her career.
On Saturday, May 2, a handful of stars like Ellen DeGeneres, Kristen Bell, Dwayne Johnson, Camila Cabello, Shawn Mendes, and Robert Downey Jr. virtually tuned in for the network's annual ceremony. While the celebration looked a little different this year amidst social distancing guidelines, the evening — which was hosted by Grande's former Victorious co-star Victoria Justice — made sure to honor the biggest stars of the year just the same.
The "Thank U, Next" songstress was nominated for two awards: Favorite Song and Favorite Female Artist. While the former category went to Billie Eilish for her chart-topping hit "Bad Guy," Grande was honored for her body of work during the ceremony by scooping up the latter award and beating out fellow nominees Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Katy Perry, Selena Gomez, and Taylor Swift.
While Grande is now best known for her work in the music industry with countless pop hits under her belt, she took a moment to reflect on her Nickelodeon origins and the "tremendous" meaning those memories have for her. It was just a very fitting bonus that host Justice presented her former co-star with the honor.
"I'm very appreciative. And Nickelodeon always will hold such a tremendous place in my heart, not only because of Victorious and Sam & Cat and the amazing years I spent working with them, but also just for Spongebob, you know?" Grande said in a video shared by the network on Twitter. "So I've always, uh, I'm always very honored to be a part [of this]."
The singer then addressed her fans, adding, "I wanna say thank you so much for all your love and for making me your Favorite Female Music Star. I really appreciate it. And I love you guys so much. Thank you so much. Love you."
Other big musicians were also recognized during the award ceremony, which crowned Shawn Mendes' as the Favorite Male Artist and BTS as the Favorite Music Group. Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello scooped up Favorite Music Collaboration for their hit duet "Señorita," and Taylor Swift was recognized as the Favorite Global Music Star. Meanwhile, Lil Nas X walked away with Favorite Breakout New Artist. Although the ceremony looked a little different this year, it still ended up being a night full of superstars.
