- The internet went wild back in November, when Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s bizarre exchange with a journalist went viral
- Grande has now opened up about the incident on a UK chat show
- The Wicked actor still isn’t completely sure what ‘holding space’ means…
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s bizarre ‘holding space’ meme has become the stuff of media-tour legend.
Since the incident happened back in November – when they sat down with interviewer Tracy Gilchrist to discuss their upcoming movie – the Wicked co-stars have found themselves asked about the exchange several times.
But Grande, 31, is clearly done processing what happened – as she has once more opened up about holding space with Erivo, 38.
Appearing on the UK’s Graham Norton show – alongside other guests including Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell – Grande, who plays Glinda in the film, talked once more about how the viral moment came about.
“So this wonderful woman, Tracy, was interviewing us, and she’s amazing. And we love her so much – she’s a queen, and she’s so kind, she’s an icon,” she explained. “But she said to Cynthia – forgive me if I don’t quote it perfectly – ‘I saw online that a lot of people are taking the lyrics of Defying Gravity and really holding space with that’.
“For me, I’m sitting next to Cynthia, and I’m like, ‘Holding space with that…’. Then Cynthia goes, ‘I didn’t know that was happening’. And I’m like, ‘Wait, what’s happening?’ So I kind of missed it, I’m like, ‘What is happening’ at that point.”
Grande went on, “Tracy then responds, but doesn’t know what Cynthia took it as, it seems? It seems like Tracy was like, ‘I saw it a few times, I’ve seen it a few times. I mean, I am in queer media’. And I’m like, ‘What the f*** is any of this interaction, what does it mean?!’
“I’m just trying to comfort Cynthia because she’s very emotional. We’re very physical touch, we’re very that way, and so I grab her finger because I see that she’s getting choked up by what Tracy has shared, and I’m like, ‘Oh s***’. And I go like this [tapping Witherspoon’s finger] because I don’t know what else to do with myself.”
Ariana Grande still doesn’t understand what ‘holding space’ means
With the other guests on Norton’s sofa also looking puzzled now, Ferrell questioned, “Was it like Morse code?”
“I don’t know!” exclaimed Grande. “It was just energy that I didn’t know what to do with, and it came out in that way because it was well-intentioned and I wanted to be loving and there for her – why this [taps again], I don’t f***ing know.”
Norton then asked if anyone had bothered to explain what ‘holding space’ actually means since that moment, to which the Dangerous Woman singer said, “No, I still don’t know what it meant!”
“I think, you know, it was just a beautiful way of saying people identify with the lyrics and it brings them strength – of course that is what it meant,” Grande went on. “But it was just a really strange thing.
“I was grateful to see the reaction of the world when this clip came out because I was like, ‘Oh great, I’m not broken! They felt weird too, they felt so confused too!’”
Ariana Grande reacts to her first Oscar nomination
While we’ll never fully be over the viral clip, it’s not the only thing Grande had to discuss this week.
The pop star has just bagged her very first Oscar nomination for her role in Wicked.
Up for the Best Supporting Actress gong at the ceremony, which will take place on March 2, Grande revealed her excitement in an interview with Variety, straight after hearing her name being called out.
“I’m in London. I just got out of the bath,” she said. “Oh! My therapist is calling to congratulate me. Hold on. I’ll tell her I’ll be right back.”
Quickly taking the call, Grande returned to the conversation. “Oh my god, I’m sorry. I don’t even know what to say,” she continued. “It’s really hard to speak. I just got off the phone with my mom and my best friends and Kristen Chenoweth. And I have been texting with Cynthia [Erivo] and Jon [M. Chu] all morning.
“I sobbed. I actually haven’t stopped sobbing since then. It’s been really overwhelming.”
She later took to Instagram to express her gratitude.
“I’m humbled and deeply honored to be in such brilliant company and sharing this with tiny Ari who sat and studied Judy Garland singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow just before the big, beautiful bubble entered,” Grande continued. “I’m so proud of you, tiny.
“Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart, for this acknowledgement @theacademy.”
