Universal Addresses Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo Wicked Pay Gap Rumors

Ariana Grande did not make significantly more money than her Wicked costar Cynthia Erivo, despite recent speculation.

“Reports of pay disparity between Cynthia and Ariana are completely false and based on internet fodder,” a spokesperson for Universal told Us Weekly in a statement on Tuesday, November 26. “The women received equal pay for their work on Wicked.”

The false rumors claimed that the Grande, 31, made millions more for her role as Glinda in Wicked — which hit theaters on Friday, November 22, and earned $162.5 million worldwide on opening weekend — than Erivo, 37, did for her portrayal of Elphaba, a.k.a. the Wicked Witch of the West.

“It’s a rumor that started on Reddit … and completely not true,” a source close to Grande told Us. “The women received parity on their pay.”

Equal pay between the leads isn’t surprising, especially considering how Grande and Erivo have continuously been supportive of each other throughout the film’s production and press tour.

“I feel really inspired by her fierce ability to be truthful and protect herself,” Grande said of the Tony winner in an interview with The New York Times earlier this month. “Just by being around her, I have become more of an ally to myself when I used to do a lot of self-abandoning, and I really do credit that to our friendship.”

Tearing up, she continued: “Through spending this time with her and also with a character that believes in herself, I feel like I’ve been able to heal certain parts of myself that were in deep need of having a friend like Cynthia and a friend like Glinda.”

Erivo returned Grande’s kind words in a sweet Instagram tribute in celebration of the film’s premiere. “Elphaba, Thank you for the gifts you have brought me. Galinda/ Glinda/ Ariana Grande-Butera, I love you,” she captioned behind-the-scenes pics and clips from filming on Friday. “You are the truest, kindest, human being. It has been an honor to share this experience of a lifetime with you.”

Based on the hit Broadway musical, Wicked tells the backstory of the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch as they evolved from school rivals to best friends to unintended enemies. The second half of the two-part movie adaptation hits theaters in November 2025.

Grande and Erivo have gone viral throughout the film’s press tour for getting emotional about how their character’s deep connection translated into real life in interviews.

“I think we found a little piece of ourselves in each other,” Erivo said during a conversation on “Jake’s Takes” earlier this month.” “I think there are little pieces of us that, when we got together to do this together, when we first started, each of us was missing a little chunk. And I think we’ve been able to see in each other a bit of a reflection, and so I think I’ve gotten a little bit of her softness, and she’s got a little bit of my strength.”

Grande, for her part, added: “Truthfully … we’re a bunch of little cry babies over here.”