Learn which music popstar is going to star in ‘Meet The Parents’ upcoming sequel

Ariana Grande is heading back to the big screen, this time joining a beloved comedy franchise. The Wicked star is confirmed to appear alongside Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller in the upcoming sequel to Meet the Parents, as E! News has shared.

While specific details about Grande’s role are still under wraps, she’ll be part of a major family reunion in the film’s fourth installment.

Returning cast members include Blythe Danner and Teri Polo, bringing back familiar faces from the Focker-Byrnes family. 

John Hamburg, who co-wrote all three previous films, Meet the Parents (2000), Meet the Fockers (2004), and Little Fockers (2010), is set to direct this new chapter. He steps in for Jay Roach, who directed the first two, and Paul Weitz, who directed the third.

Although the title and plot of the sequel haven’t been revealed yet, a release date is already set. Fans can look forward to the comedy’s return on November 26, 2026—marking nearly 15 years since the last film hit theaters.

Ben Stiller, who plays Greg Focker, previously hinted at the possibility of a reunion.

“I think everybody wants to make it happen,” the actor told Entertainment Tonight earlier this year. “Somebody noted a year or two ago that I was the same age that De Niro was when we did the first one. But any chance to work with De Niro, I’ll take it.”

For Grande, this project marks a return to her acting roots after focusing heavily on her music career. 

She recently opened up about rediscovering her passion for performing. 

“I think I love acting,” she said on the Las Culturistas podcast with Matt Rogers and Wicked co-star Bowen Yang. “I love musical theater. I love comedy, and it heals me to do that — finding roles to use these parts of myself.”

With familiar faces, new energy, and a long-awaited continuation, the next Meet the Parents installment is already building excitement ahead of its 2026 release.