Ariana Grande Joins the Focker Family: Everything We Know About ‘Meet the Parents 4’

Ariana Grande, Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Blythe Danner, and Teri Polo are reuniting audiences with a familiar blend of awkward comedy and heartfelt chaos in the long-awaited fourth installment of the Meet the Parents franchise.

PEOPLE confirmed on May 30 that Meet the Parents 4 is officially happening, with a theatrical release scheduled for November 25, 2026. The announcement marks over 20 years since the original film first introduced us to Greg Focker’s unforgettable in-law troubles.

Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro will return as Greg and Jack, the famously mismatched duo of nervous son-in-law and intense ex-CIA father-in-law. Director John Hamburg, a longtime collaborator and co-writer on the original trilogy, will direct and pen the script.

Ariana Grande is set to join the cast in a new role. Though details remain under wraps, reports suggest she may play the fiancée of Greg and Pam’s now-grown son. Her casting comes on the heels of her acclaimed performance in Wicked: Part One, which earned her an Oscar nomination.

Meet the Parents, which premiered in 2000, became a global hit, earning over $330 million at the box office. Its sequels, Meet the Fockers (2004) and Little Fockers (2010), pushed the franchise to a combined gross of more than $1.1 billion.

During an October 2020 Today show reunion for the film’s 20th anniversary, the original cast expressed their enthusiasm for a sequel. De Niro remarked, “I’m game. I think it would be great.” Stiller echoed the sentiment, saying he’s “always open” to working with the cast again. Teri Polo added, “I’m just riding the coattails, so whatever they say.”

While the new film’s plot remains under wraps, De Niro revealed in a March 2025 interview with Sirius XM that he had read an early version of the script and found it “pretty good.” The film aims to carry the story forward in a way that reflects how the characters have evolved since 2010’s Little Fockers.

Original cast members Blythe Danner and Teri Polo are also expected to reprise their roles as Dina and Pam, respectively. Behind the scenes, producers include De Niro, Stiller, John Lesher, Jane Rosenthal, and Jay Roach, who directed the original trilogy.

Fans eager to catch up on the Focker family’s antics before the sequel’s release can stream Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers, and Little Fockers now on Hulu.