Ariana Grande Did *Not* Get Paid More Than Cynthia Erivo For Wicked
Let’s clear this up for good.
Wicked’s Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande received equal pay for their work on the film despite rumors of a ~wicked~ pay disparity. ICYMI, posts on Reddit and X (formerly called Twitter) went viral in November, claiming that Grande earned $15 million for the film, while Erivo was only paid $1 million. Google’s AI feature inadvertently spread the rumors, further convincing the internet.
Fans were quick to believe the unsubstantiated claims. “Ariana getting paid over $10M more than Cynthia doesn’t sit right with me,” one responded to the rumors on X. “It kinda sickens me how Ariana Grande got paid 14 million more for her role as Glinda than Cynthia Erivo got paid for her role as Elphaba,” another fan wrote on X. “Elphaba is the lead role and you’re only going to pay Cynthia a million? Like I get it Ariana is a major pop star and I like her, but that’s just ridiculous to me.”
Fortunately, these rumors are unfounded. Universal debunked the pay disparity claims in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter on Nov. 26. “Reports of pay disparity between Cynthia and Ariana are completely false and based on internet fodder. The women received equal pay for their work on Wicked,” a spokesperson told the outlet. However, the studio did not confirm what Grande and Erivo were paid, per Variety.
Erivo and Grande have made it clear that they won’t be pitted against each other, especially in consideration of the feud rumors that surrounded Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth when they starred in Wicked on Broadway.
“We communicated like the f*cking champions of communication of the world,” Grande told Vanity Fair about her and Erivo’s strategy for working together. “I’m so grateful for it because we kind of looked at this and we said, ‘Oh, that’s not an option. That’s not going to happen to us.’ ”
Erivo echoed that idea in an interview with Deadline published Nov. 22. “Both of us made the decision and have had the discussion about really being good to each other, making space for each other, being honest with each other and choosing to build our friendship,” she said.
