Cynthia Erivo has addressed fans’ ‘strange fascination’ with her relationship with her ‘Wicked’ costar Ariana Grande: ‘People didn’t understand how it was possible for two women to be friends — close — and not lovers.’ https://t.co/G0DWQYn4bG
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) February 14, 2026
“At first, I think people didn’t understand how it was possible for two women to be friends — close — and not lovers,” Cynthia Erivo said about her relationship with Ariana Grande. “I’ve never really spoken about this, but there was this strange fascination with the two of us, where people either thought we were putting it on for the cameras or that we were lovers.”
“I think it’s because there’s such little conversation around platonic female friendship that is deep and real, even though it exists everywhere,” Erivo said. “We’re not used to seeing it on camera, in front of people. A relationship where people are connected sometimes just makes people uncomfortable; we aren’t taught that those relationships are good for us.”
