No, Ariana Grande Was Not Paid 15 Times More Than Cynthia Erivo forWicked: Studio Clears Up Pay Disparity Rumor

Mar. 15, 2025

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande on Nov. 14, 2024.Photo:John Nacion/Variety/Getty

John Nacion/Variety/Getty

Ariana GrandeandCynthia Erivoreceived the same paydays forWicked, the studio clarified after rumors of a large pay gap spread online.

The studio’s message came after now-debunked reports made the rounds online claiming Grande was paid $15 million to play Glinda while Erivo got $1 million to play Elphaba. The studio did not reveal exact amounts paid to the cast members.

Grande, who brings with her a built-in fan base from her music career and a whopping 376 million Instagram followers, and Erivo, a twice-Oscar-nominated star with a Tony win, have both received stellar praise for their performances in the film.

Prior to casting Grande and Erivo as the leads in theWizard of Ozprequel films, directorJon M. Chu considered going for “no-namers” instead.

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo on Nov. 3, 2024.Don Arnold/WireImage

Don Arnold/WireImage

“I wanted to have a very clear slate coming intoWicked,” said Chu, 45. “It’s a big enough property on its own, so we can discover two people. I was like, ‘We’re gonna find no-namers.’ "

“But then we got calls from all these great actresses who wanted to audition and we saw everybody, and they were all really great,” he added. “Anyone could have done this role, except there weretwo people who were meant to do this role, for this particular movie at this particular time.”

While promoting the movie in recent weeks, Erivo and Grande have praised the strong bond they formed while filming the movies. (They even got matching tattoos to commemoratethe shared experience.)

Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande and director Jon M. Chu behind the scenes of “Wicked”.Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

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“I think that was one of my most cherished parts of this experience: I felt held and like I had a friend every step of the way,” Grande toldThe New York Timesof her friendship with Erivo. “I’m really proud of us for how genuinely we took care of each other throughout this whole time.”

Added Erivo, “I’m glad it was us.”

Wickedbroke box office records for the biggest openingweekend for a Broadway-to-film adaptation as it debuted at No. 1 ahead of Thanksgiving.The sequel, part two of the story, is in theaters November 2025.

The movie musical’s cast also features Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Peter Dinklage, Bowen Yang and Marissa Bode.

Wickedis in theaters now.

source: people.com