“So Nice to My Mom”- Ariana Grande Recalls Meeting Robert De Niro for the First Time 11 Years Ago

Published 11/09/2026, 1:45 AM CST
2025 EE BAFTA Film Awards Ariana Grande, 2025 EE BAFTA Film Awards, The Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London, UK, 16 February 2025, Photo by Richard Goldschmidt London London UK

Ariana Grande and Robert De Niro recently recalled their first encounter, which took place more than a decade ago. After an impressive run with her musical tour and the release of her new album, the singer is set to return to the big screen with the upcoming comedy film Focker-in-Law. She has teamed up with De Niro and Ben Stiller for the movie.

However, before working together, Ariana Grande and De Niro met on a show. A rare old selfie brought back memories of their first encounter.

Ariana Grande and Robert De Niro look back at nostalgic selfie

Ariana Grande, Robert De Niro, and Ben Stiller recently appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to talk about their movie, Focker-in-Law. Interestingly, this is also where the singer first met De Niro nearly 11 years ago. Jimmy Fallon even brought out the decades-old selfie of Grande and De Niro.

"Look at how cute and little wierd," she said.

"I was so excited. I asked him for a selfie. You were so nice to my mom," she recalled.

Caption: Robert De NiroCredits: Imago

Grande admitted in the show that she was excited about the selfie. De Niro has also previously praised the actress and her work. In an interview with the Today show, he shared that he had yet to watch the Wicked movies. But he shared that he plans to watch them with his daughter.

"No, I haven't. I'm trying to see it with my daughter," he said.

"Yeah, she's terrific. She's great," he added.

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While it is not known whether De Niro has had time to watch the Wicked movies, the new film starring both Grande and De Niro will soon be arrriving on the big screen.

What is Focker-in-Law?

Focker-in-Law is the fourth film in the Focker movie franchise. The film follows Greg and Pam Focker’s son, Henry, who wants to marry Olivia Jones. However, his family believes that she is not the right match for him.

Ariana Grande arriving at the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards in Los Angeles, California - Jan 26, 2020 - GRAMMY Awards 2020, Los Angeles California United States Staples Center

Both Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller are returning to reprise their roles in the sequel to the 2010 movie Little Fockers. This will also be the first time Grande and De Niro have worked together on a project. The movie will be released on November 25, 2026. This is certainly the perfect holiday movie to watch this year. Whether the trio's comedy wins hearts remains to be seen.

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What do you think about Ariana Grande and Robert De Niro's adorable selfie? Let us know in the comments. 

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Pritha Debroy

1461 articles

Pritha Debroy is an Entertainment writer at NetflixJunkie who can seamlessly switch between breaking down an NBA play and obsessing over the latest K-drama twist. She has written over 3,400 NBA and NFL articles, but her true joy lies in diving into Netflix’s trendiest shows—unpacking themes, stories, and yes, the occasional celebrity chaos. When she is not writing, you’ll find her devouring thrillers (anything by Freida McFadden is an instant yes), revisiting comfort classics like 10 Things I Hate About You and 27 Dresses, or hunting for her next binge-worthy series.

Edited By: Aliza Siddiqui

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