Cynthia Erivo has debunked 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 very close.
talking to Variety In an interview published on May 27, Erivo, 39, addressed speculation that the bond the couple visibly formed during their Wicked The press tour at the end of 2024 was held rather than genuine.
His response was characteristically direct.
“I think people didn’t really believe we were friends,” he said. “But that’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, he confirmed, has continued well beyond the end of his promotional duties.
Despite the Wicked franchise having finished with last year Evil: foreverShe and Grande still exchange text messages almost every day.
“It’s very interesting to look at what people’s perception is versus what the reality actually is,” Erivo said.
“A lot of psychologists 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 really based on.
At the Singapore premiere of the Jon Chu-directed sequel, a man ran down the red carpet and approached Grande. Erivo intervened immediately.
“I moved because my brain was saying, ‘Get him out! Get him out of here!'” he said, describing the incident as “scary.”
“My immediate reaction was ‘Get him away from us.’ And what people couldn’t see is that he wouldn’t let him go. He wouldn’t let him go. So I kept pushing him to make him cum.”
Some observers felt she overreacted. She doesn’t agree.
“A stranger is a stranger. Personal space is still personal space. It doesn’t belong to anyone, even if you feel like you know the person.”
Grande has been equally clear about the depth of the connection.
talking to NPR In 2025, he described a conscious decision he made at the beginning of their time together.
“It was important for us from the beginning 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 tremendous.”
The two also share matching tattoos, perhaps the most unmistakable sign of all that this isn’t a friendship built for the cameras.
