- Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo star in Wicked together
- Grande plays Glinda and Erivo plays Elphaba
- The Wicked stars have been the subject of pay disparity rumors
The Wicked press tour may have ended before Wicked: For Good hits theaters, but stories about the film continue to swirl.
Social media posts previously claimed a pay disparity between Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, alleging Grande earned $15 million while Erivo received $1 million for starring in Wicked.
Read more: Everything we know about Wicked Part 2
In the adaptation, Erivo and Grande play best friends Elphaba and Glinda.
The film’s studio Universal Pictures quickly shut down pay disparity rumors, addressing the controversy in a November statement to The Hollywood Reporter. More recently, Erivo and Grande spoke directly to Variety firmly dismissing the claims and giving us the truth.
Grande and Erivo formed a close bond on the Wicked set when they began filming in December 2022. They showcased their friendship during the movie’s press tour, inspiring countless memes on social media, including the viral holding space meme. (We love that one!)
Read more: Why is the internet ‘holding space’ for Wicked?
Social media fueled unverified rumors about their pay, but with Wicked earning $647 million at the box office so far, a pay disparity seems unlikely.
Now, let’s break down what Erivo and Grande said about the pay drama.
What did Universal Pictures Say?
Universal swiftly denied the pay disparity rumors between Erivo and Grande. A studio spokesperson stated, “Reports of pay disparity between Cynthia and Ariana are completely false and based on internet fodder. The women received equal pay for their work on Wicked.”
Neither Erivo nor Grande disputed the claim, suggesting it is likely to be true.
What have Erivo and Grande said?
The two haven’t publicly addressed the pay disparity in detail until this interview. Grande was first to speak, revealing that the two co-stars “went through [their] contracts together”.
She also said they “called each other up” and discussed elements of their contracts. Wicked director Jon M. Chu also spoke in the interview on the rumor: “This is a modern production,” Chu said. He continued, “This is what Hollywood should reflect. These are co-CEOs of ‘Wicked,’ Inc.”
Ervio chimed in after Grande, elaborating: “We both went through it — ‘What number are we doing? How do you feel about that?’ We were really [expletive] honest,” Erivo says. “And that’s really rare. People don’t do that.”
Erivo and Grande appear to have a united front regarding pay.
Grande also said that when she and Erivo discussed their contracts, they would prioritize each other. Grande stated that “her needs becoming my needs,” referring to Erivo. Erivo repeated what Grande said, echoing the same sentiment.
Wow, these two are like long-lost twins.
Why were there rumors about Wicked pay disparities?
Again, the reason for pay disparities around Grande and Erivo’s roles in Wicked is unknown. We can only speculate why.
One of the possible reasons could be because of Grande’s star power. Despite her technically not being the main character in Wicked, there is no denying Grande is one of the most famous members of the Wicked cast.
Grande’s fame came in 2010 when she starred as Cat Valentine in Victorious and then went on to become a very successful singer after the show ended. Grande is known more now for her discography than she is for acting. Well, maybe until Wicked….
Maybe people assumed she was paid more because of her star power, and how her presence in Wicked could encourage her fans to watch the movie and bring a lot of publicity. Undoubtedly she already has with her relationship with Wicked co-star Ethan Slater who plays Boq in the production.
Although Erivo is an established actress, many people have come to recognize her for playing Elphaba. However, Erivo has had prominent roles before Wicked and before becoming friends with Grande. She starred in Harriet in 2019 and the horror The Outsider in 2020.
Whatever the reason for the internet to pit these two ladies against each other, we are just glad that they are shutting down the BS.
