Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo played Glinda and Elphaba in the two-part film adaptation of Wicked — and in the process, became one of the most talked-about friendships in Hollywood. This article explains who they are, how their friendship formed during the Wicked films, what they have said about it, and where they both stand as of November 2026. To be clear from the start: their relationship is a close professional friendship, not a romance.

Who Are Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo?

Ariana Grande was born on 26 June 1993 in Boca Raton, Florida. She first became known as a teenager on the Nickelodeon shows Victorious and Sam & Cat, then became one of the biggest pop stars in the world, with hits including “Thank U, Next”, “7 Rings” and “Positions”. Her 2024 album Eternal Sunshine marked a return to music after a break, and her move into major film acting with Wicked was one of the most closely watched career transitions in recent Hollywood. See Ariana Grande on Wikipedia for her full career.

Cynthia Erivo was born on 8 January 1987 in Stockwell, London. She is a Tony Award winner for her lead role in the Broadway revival of The Color Purple in 2016, and has also won an Emmy and a Grammy. She was Oscar-nominated for playing Harriet Tubman in Harriet (2019). Before Wicked, she was best known on stage and in serious dramas — a background very different from Grande’s pop career, which is exactly what made their pairing as co-stars so interesting. See Cynthia Erivo on Wikipedia for her career in full.

On paper, the two come from different worlds: Grande, a child star turned pop phenomenon; Erivo, a classically trained stage actor who conquered Broadway. What they share is a work ethic, a devotion to their craft, and — once Wicked began — an experience that would bind them together for years: carrying one of the most beloved musicals ever made onto the big screen.

Wicked: How Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Came Together

Wicked is a two-part film adaptation of the Tony-winning Broadway musical, which itself was based on Gregory Maguire’s novel reimagining the world of The Wizard of Oz. The story follows Elphaba, the green-skinned young woman who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, the popular blonde witch who becomes Glinda the Good. The first film, Wicked, was released in November 2024; the second, Wicked: For Good, followed in November 2025. Jon M. Chu directed both films. More detail is available on Wikipedia’s Wicked (2024 film) page.

Casting was announced in late 2021, after a long search, and filming took place over an extended period in England. The two leads spent months together on set, in rehearsals, in vocal coaching, and on a promotional tour that stretched across two years. The first film was a major success: it earned ten Academy Award nominations, including nominations for both Erivo and Grande, and won two awards.

The demanding shoot mattered. Erivo has said that during the most intense stretches of the Wicked years, she and Grande were “holding on by threads” while trying to take care of each other. The friendship did not form casually — it was built through shared pressure, long days, and a project that both women knew would define their careers.

The Friendship of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo

During the Wicked press tours in 2024 and 2025, Grande and Erivo’s friendship became almost as famous as the films. The pair appeared side by side in interviews, often holding hands or holding each other’s fingers, leaning into one another, fixing each other’s jewellery and clothing, and showing their emotions very openly — laughing, crying, and finishing each other’s sentences. Clips of their interviews went viral again and again, and fans began analysing their dynamic frame by frame.

That attention brought admiration, but also scrutiny. Some people questioned whether the closeness was real, and others seemed uncomfortable with how emotionally open the two were in public. Erivo addressed the reaction directly in an interview with The Guardian, published on 27 October 2026, while promoting her film Prima Facie. She said: “It was interesting that there were many people who had become psychologists from their couches. There was this weird sort of… annoyance… at the fact that two women could actually be friends. Like, why are they friends? Why are they connected? There must be something wrong with them.”

Erivo also described the scrutiny as a double-edged sword: had the two shown less emotion, they might have been criticised for seeming cold or distant. Both women have continued to affirm that the friendship is real — Erivo has said the two still text nearly every day.

Two moments stand out as evidence of how real the bond is. In November 2025, the two revealed matching “For Good” tattoos inked on their palms, named after the song from the musical about how friendship changes people for good. And on 13 November 2025, at the Wicked: For Good premiere in Singapore, a fan rushed towards Grande on the red carpet and put his arm around her; Erivo stepped in quickly to shield her friend. Social media users labelled Erivo “Ariana’s bodyguard” — a label Erivo has challenged, saying it reduced a moment of care to a joke. The director of the films, Jon M. Chu, has also spoken warmly about their bond. More on how the two are seen together is covered in Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo relationship and the reversed-order article on Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo vs. Glinda and Elphaba

Part of the public fascination is how the friendship mirrors the story of Wicked itself. In the films, Elphaba and Glinda meet as roommates at Shiz University: Elphaba is the outsider, misunderstood for being different, while Glinda is the popular, polished favourite. Despite their differences, they become close, and their friendship changes them both — “for good”, as the famous song puts it.

Fans quickly noticed the parallels. Erivo, the serious stage actor, and Grande, the glittering pop star, are as different in background as Elphaba and Glinda. And, like their characters, they found common ground through a shared experience. The difference is that the friendship in real life has no plot twist: it is simply two colleagues who helped each other through an enormous project.

This is also why it is important to describe the relationship accurately. Some online speculation has tried to frame the friendship as romantic, but neither woman has described it that way, and both have been clear — Erivo most explicitly in her October 2026 Guardian interview — that it is a friendship between two women. Presenting it as anything else would be inventing a story the people involved have not told.

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in 2026

After the Wicked era, the two have each moved into new work. Erivo stars in Prima Facie, a film adaptation of the stage play about sexual assault and the justice system, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 13 September 2026 and was scheduled for release in the United Kingdom on 13 November 2026. She has also continued to talk about how her friendship with Grande carried her through the long Wicked years.

Grande, meanwhile, has continued her own varied career in music and acting. Her path since Wicked has drawn its own commentary — including the changes in her public image discussed in Ariana Grande before and after Wicked — and she has also been linked with her Wicked co-star Ethan Slater, covered in Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater. What has not changed is the visible friendship with Erivo: the two have stayed close since the films wrapped, and their matching tattoos remain a quiet, permanent mark of the Wicked years.

As of November 2026, the story of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo is best understood as a success story about friendship: two women from different worlds who made one of the biggest musical films ever, supported each other through it, and then had to defend the simple fact that they liked each other — in public, on the record, and more than once.

FAQs About Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo

Are Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo dating?

No. Their relationship is a close professional friendship. Both have described it as a friendship, and Erivo said in an October 2026 interview with The Guardian that she was struck by how some people seemed annoyed that two women could simply be friends.

Who did Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo play in Wicked?

Grande played Glinda and Erivo played Elphaba in Wicked (2024) and its sequel Wicked: For Good (2025), directed by Jon M. Chu.

Did Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo get matching tattoos?

Yes. In November 2025, they revealed matching “For Good” tattoos on their palms, inspired by the song from the musical about the lasting impact of friendship.

What did Cynthia Erivo say about their friendship in 2026?

In an interview with The Guardian published on 27 October 2026, Erivo said it was “interesting that there were many people who had become psychologists from their couches” and described a “weird sort of annoyance” at the idea that two women could genuinely be friends.

What happened at the Singapore premiere of Wicked: For Good?

On 13 November 2025, a fan rushed towards Grande on the red carpet and put his arm around her. Erivo stepped in to shield her friend. Some social media users called Erivo “Ariana’s bodyguard”, a label she has challenged.