Amy Madigan pulled off a major upset at the 31st Critics Choice Awards on January 4, 2026, winning Best Supporting Actress for her role as Aunt Gladys in horror film Weapons, defeating frontrunner Ariana Grande (Wicked: For Good) and sparking immediate fan backlash. The 75-year-old veteran actress beat a competitive field including Elle Fanning, Teyana Taylor, and Wunmi Mosaku in a surprise victory that has boosted her Oscar chances.
Madigan’s performance as the eccentric, scissor-wielding witch in Zach Cregger’s $268 million horror hit earned her first major award recognition in 40 years since her 1986 Oscar nomination for Twice in a Lifetime.
Grande’s fans erupted on social media, declaring “the wrong witch won” and calling the result “a major injustice,” while Madigan expressed genuine shock, telling the crowd “I really wasn’t expecting all of this.” The win signals potential momentum for Madigan’s Oscar campaign, as the actress who nearly quit acting before landing Weapons now finds herself an unlikely awards season frontrunner and viral TikTok sensation.
The Shocking Upset Victory
Madigan Defeats Grande in Major Surprise
Amy Madigan delivered one of the night’s biggest shocks at the 31st Critics Choice Awards on Sunday, January 4, 2026. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Madigan won Best Supporting Actress for her role as Aunt Gladys in horror film Weapons, beating frontrunner Ariana Grande who was nominated for playing Glinda in Wicked: For Good. The upset also defeated Elle Fanning, Teyana Taylor, and Wunmi Mosaku.
Madigan appeared genuinely stunned, telling the crowd: “I really wasn’t expecting all of this. I thought people would like the movie and I thought people would dig Gladys, but you love Gladys. It is crazy.” She thanked fans for embracing the character, noting she receives “makeup tutorials and paintings. I even got one weird thing about how she’s a ‘sex icon,’ which I didn’t go too deep into that one.”
Fan Backlash Erupts Online
The Nerd Stash reports Ariana Grande’s fans erupted immediately after the loss. “The wrong witch won,” declared one fan, while another wrote: “AMY MADIGAN IMA LET YOU FINISH BUT ARIANA GRANDE HAD THE BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS PERFORMANCE!!!” Social media exploded with reactions questioning the outcome and calling Grande “robbed.” Despite the controversy, IndieWire called it a “surprise win” that gives Madigan crucial Oscar momentum.
Amy Madigan’s Remarkable Comeback
From Nearly Quitting to Awards Contender
According to Wikipedia, Amy Marie Madigan was born September 11, 1950, in Chicago. The 75-year-old veteran began as a rock singer before transitioning to acting, earning her only Oscar nomination in 1986 for Twice in a Lifetime. The Hollywood Reporter reveals Madigan nearly quit acting before landing Weapons, telling husband Ed Harris (married since 1983): “I feel like people have retired me.”
Harris responded: “Just wait. Something is going to come your way that’s going to get you everything that you need.” His prediction proved accurate, though the couple recently lost their Malibu home in the Palisades fire, making this recognition especially meaningful.
The Aunt Gladys Phenomenon
Director Zach Cregger’s Weapons grossed over $268 million worldwide on a $38 million budget. Madigan’s Aunt Gladys—an eccentric witch with bright red wig, smeared lipstick, and tiny baby teeth who kidnaps 17 third-graders—became an instant horror icon. Primetimer notes the character spawned Halloween costumes and viral TikTok trends, with the queer community embracing Gladys as a camp icon.
What This Means for Oscars
Veterans vs. Pop Stars
The Hollywood Reporter analyzed the implications: “For Wicked: For Good’s Ariana Grande and One Battle’s Teyana Taylor, losing at the Critics Choice Awards to Madigan has to hurt, because members of the Academy are even more inclined than members of the CCA to reward a veteran. In other words, if Madigan can beat them here, she can beat them there.”
The pattern echoes Ruth Gordon, who won Best Supporting Actress at the 1969 Oscars for playing a batty old lady in horror film Rosemary’s Baby. Madigan now has crucial momentum heading toward Oscar nominations on January 17, 2026.
Critics Choice Awards 2026: Best Supporting Actress Results
| Nominee | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Amy Madigan | Weapons (Warner Bros.) | WINNER |
| Ariana Grande | Wicked: For Good | Nominee (Upset loss) |
| Elle Fanning | Sentimental Value | Nominee |
| Teyana Taylor | One Battle After Another | Nominee |
| Wunmi Mosaku | Sinners | Nominee |
| Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas | Sentimental Value | Nominee |
Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Bloody Disgusting
Amy Madigan’s Critics Choice victory represents one of 2026’s most unexpected awards moments, delivering a career resurgence for a 75-year-old actress who thought Hollywood had “retired” her. While Ariana Grande’s fans expressed outrage, the surprise win positions Madigan as a serious Oscar contender who could repeat history by becoming another veteran character actress winning for a horror role—proving that in Hollywood’s awards race, decades of craft and a scene-stealing performance can triumph over pop culture popularity and frontrunner status.
