Cynthia Erivo Says People Were Annoyed That She and Ariana Grande Were Friends

Cynthia Erivo has addressed the extraordinary scrutiny surrounding her friendship with Ariana Grande. And she sounds understandably tired of people treating their relationship as something requiring psychological investigation.

During a new interview with The Guardian, published October 27, Cynthia discussed the reaction to her close relationship with Ariana during the promotional campaigns for Wicked and Wicked: For Good.

The two actresses became famous for their emotional interviews. They cried together, held hands, comforted one another, and regularly spoke about the significance of portraying Elphaba and Glinda. Some of those moments became viral memes and jokes. But other reactions went considerably further.

People began questioning whether the friendship was genuine, whether the actresses were deliberately performing intimacy for publicity and whether something else was happening between them. Cynthia believes the criticism reflects a wider discomfort with women expressing affection openly. And I think she has a point.

What the Reporting Confirms

In her October 27 interview with The Guardian, Erivo said she was surprised by the intensity of public speculation about her friendship with Grande. She described how their emotional interviews became a subject of ridicule and suggested that the reaction reflected an inability to accept two women being openly close. Erivo also recalled protecting Grande when an individual rushed toward her during a Singapore promotional event in 2025.

Cynthia said the reaction placed them in an impossible position. If they expressed too much emotion, people complained. But if they appeared distant, they would probably have faced criticism for that too.

The Wicked Press Tour Was Extremely Emotional

Now, I will acknowledge something. Some of the Wicked interviews were unintentionally hilarious. The hand-holding. The crying. The solemn expressions. And the way an ordinary promotional question could suddenly become an emotional conversation about the meaning of friendship.

There were moments when the intensity felt almost theatrical. But let’s remember who we’re talking about. Cynthia is a theatre performer. Ariana began her career in musical theatre. They were promoting one of the most emotionally significant stage musicals of the past twenty years. Of course they were dramatic. I would have been more surprised if they had spent the entire press tour behaving like two accountants reviewing quarterly earnings.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Feminegra (@feminegra_)

But the Speculation Became Something Else

There’s a difference between finding a celebrity interview funny and deciding that two women’s relationship must be fraudulent. Or romantic. Or psychologically unhealthy. That is where the conversation becomes uncomfortable.

Women can be affectionate with one another. They can hold hands. Cry. Express admiration. And develop deep emotional bonds without those relationships requiring an explanation. Not every close friendship is secretly romantic. And not every public expression of affection is a marketing strategy.

Cynthia and Ariana worked together on an enormous production. They spent months filming. Singing. Rehearsing. And promoting the films. It makes sense that they developed a strong connection.

Cynthia Also Faced Misogynoir

I think it’s important to acknowledge that Cynthia’s experience wasn’t identical to Ariana’s. Cynthia is a Black woman. And some of the criticism directed toward her carried a particularly unpleasant racial dimension. Her appearance, expressions, mannerisms, and interactions with Ariana became subjects of ridicule.

When she stepped in to protect Ariana during that frightening promotional incident in Singapore, some people began characterising her as a bodyguard rather than an actress protecting her friend. That distinction matters.

Cynthia was not employed as Ariana’s security. She was standing beside somebody she cared about when an individual suddenly approached and grabbed her. She reacted. And she has explained that the situation frightened her. I don’t think that response should have been treated as evidence of anything sinister.

Women Don’t Need to Perform Friendship Correctly

What I find particularly frustrating is the expectation that women should express their relationships in ways strangers consider acceptable. Be affectionate. But not too affectionate. Be supportive. But don’t look dependent. Show emotion. But don’t cry too much. And whatever you do, don’t make people uncomfortable by appearing genuinely attached to another woman.

It’s ridiculous. Different people express affection differently. Some friends barely hug. Others hold hands constantly. Some communicate through jokes. Others have deeply emotional conversations. None of those approaches automatically makes a friendship unhealthy.

The Friendship Has Continued Beyond Wicked

Another detail worth remembering is that Cynthia and Ariana have maintained their connection beyond the original promotional campaigns. In August, Cynthia joined Ariana onstage during her London concert residency. They performed together. And both expressed affection for one another afterwards.

That doesn’t mean strangers know every detail of their private friendship. But it does undermine the idea that their relationship existed solely for a movie marketing campaign.

I hope Cynthia can eventually discuss her work without being asked to explain why she loves her friend. Especially when she has an impressive career beyond Wicked. Her latest film, Prima Facie, tackles sexual violence and the legal system’s treatment of survivors. That’s a substantial subject. And it deserves serious attention.

Cynthia and Ariana’s friendship doesn’t need to make sense to everybody watching. It only needs to make sense to the two women involved.