The Shrinking star was speaking with E! News correspondent Justin Sylvester when Justin suddenly spotted Ariana Grande walking up on the red carpet.
Turning away from Jessica, Justin said, “You guys, Ariana Grande is coming right up right now!” Jessica laughed awkwardly and appeared to try to play along, saying, “She’s coming up!”
“Ariana, how are you, honey?” Justin added, as Jessica drifted aside. But Ariana, seemingly noticing what had just happened, didn’t immediately engage. Instead, she stopped to acknowledge Jessica first.
“You look so stunning, congratulations!” Ariana told her. “You’re amazing.”
Jessica thanked Ariana and appeared to reassure her, seemingly saying, “It’s OK,” as she started to walk away. Ariana then leaned in for a goodbye hug, which Jessica accepted, replying, “Of course.”
As you can imagine, the moment did not sit well with viewers.
At the same time, many praised Ariana for how she handled the situation.
Jessica Williams, you’re an icon. You looked amazing, and I’m so glad Ari stopped you to give you your flowers. You can watch Jessica now on Shrinking, and to see the red carpet moment between her and Ariana, go here.
