Cynthia Erivo addresses public 'annoyance' over Ariana Grande friendship

Cynthia Erivo has called out critics of her and Ariana Grande's friendship.

The British actress and pop superstar became firm friends while playing Elphaba and Glinda in Wicked and Wicked: For Good, and their friendship was on display during the global press tours for both films.

Some critics wondered why the pair were so close, and others speculated that it was being faked for publicity.

Addressing the "annoyance" over the friendship, Erivo told The Guardian, "It was interesting that there were many people who had become psychologists from their couches. There was this weird sort of, what's the word I'm looking for... 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."

The Prima Facie actress also called out the scrutiny over their press appearances during the publicity tours.

"Why are they showing emotion? How dare they cry? And how dare they laugh? And how dare they be emotive and alive?" she stated. "It's a double-edged sword. Because if we were dead behind the eyes and showing no emotion, there would have been something else to say about it."

She continued, "I wish there was someone who could have been like, 'Right, this is the proper balance of emotion that you should show. Don't show this. Don't show that.'"

Erivo admitted the media frenzy surrounding the films went "too far" when a man crashed the Singapore premiere of Wicked: For Good and ran up to Grande on the red carpet in November 2025. She stepped in to protect the singer and confront the prankster.

"No one else was moving. We were on a carpet," she recalled of the "terrifying" moment. "We were exposed. My immediate response was: 'Get this man away from us now.'"

The Widows actress took exception to being framed as Grande's "bodyguard", noting that her actions were "a human thing that I would have done for any friend, and hopefully a friend would have done for me".

The Wicked films were released in November 2024 and 2025.