Cynthia Erivo Says Questions About Her Friendship With Ariana Grande Have Been Unfair

Cynthia Erivo has said she is annoyed that people questioned whether she and Ariana Grande could really be friends during the Wicked press tour. In an interview with The Guardian, published on 27 October 2026, she said some people seemed to think something must be wrong with two women who got along well.

Erivo plays Elphaba and Grande plays Glinda in Jon M. Chu's film adaptation of the stage musical. Variety, which reported her comments on 28 October 2026, said the two were also criticised for showing emotion. Crying, laughing and being openly expressive drew comments, and Erivo described the reaction as a double-edged sword. Showing no emotion, she said, would have drawn criticism too.

Their press-tour moments were some of the most shared clips of the campaign. Fans saw the pair hugging and crying, and pinching each other's pointer fingers as they held space for one another. Erivo's comments land on a friendship that has been discussed in public for some time. Earlier this year, People reported that she had said the two were "holding on by threads" toward the end of the tour. Other outlets also reported that she had pushed back on rumours that their friendship was staged or that they had fallen out.

The interview also turned to a frightening moment from the film's launch. Erivo said she found it terrifying when a man grabbed Grande on the red carpet at the Wicked: For Good Asia-Pacific premiere at Universal Studios Singapore, held on 13 November 2025. Her reaction at the time, she said, was "Get this man away from us now."

She also said she is uncomfortable with being described as Grande's bodyguard after that night. Erivo said the description was rooted in misogyny and misogynoir, a term for sexism and racism aimed at Black women. Her comments came while she was promoting Prima Facie, a courtroom drama she stars in about sexual assault, which the Guardian has described as a searing new film.

Erivo's remarks show how closely the two actors' public image has been watched during the Wicked campaign. They also show how much of that attention has focused on their feelings and their friendship, rather than on the film itself.