Cynthia Erivo has shut down rumors that her friendship with Ariana Grande was nothing more than a carefully managed publicity exercise, and made it clear that the two are still close.
Talk to Variety In an interview published on May 27, Erivo, 39, addressed speculation that the bond the couple had visibly formed during their relationship Wicked the press tour at the end of 2024 was made rather than authentic.
His response was typically direct.
“I think people didn’t really believe that we were actually friends,” she said. “But it’s also because people don’t know me very well. If I’m a friend, then I’m a friend. If I’m not, then I’m not.”
The friendship, she confirmed, continued well beyond the end of their promotional duties.
Despite the Wicked franchise having ended with last year’s Villain: for goodshe and Grande still exchange text messages almost every day.
“It’s very interesting to observe people’s perception versus reality,” Erivo said.
“A lot of psychologists were sitting at home deciding who we were, what we were going through, what we were doing and why.”
One moment in particular stands out to Erivo as proof of what their friendship is truly based on.
At the Singapore premiere of the Jon Chu-directed sequel, a man rushed onto the red carpet and approached Grande. Erivo intervened immediately.
“I moved because my brain was like, ‘Get him away! Get him out of here!'” she said, calling the incident “terrifying.”
“My immediate reaction was ‘Get him away from us.’ And what people didn’t see was that he wouldn’t let go. He wouldn’t let go. So I kept pushing him to get out of it.”
Some observers felt she overreacted. She doesn’t agree.
“A stranger is a stranger. Personal space is personal space. It doesn’t belong to anyone, even if you feel like you know the person.”
Grande was equally clear about the depth of the connection.
Talk to NPR in 2025, she described a conscious decision made early in their time together.
“From the beginning, it was important for us to build something real and know that we could have a safe space in each other for this journey because it was going to be great.”
The two also share matching tattoos, which is perhaps the clearest sign that this isn’t a friendship built for the cameras.
