Cynthia Erivo Addresses ‘Lovers’ Speculation With Ariana Grande

Cynthia Erivo is finally setting the record straight. After months of online speculation surrounding her close friendship with “Wicked” co-star Ariana Grande, Erivo is speaking out concerning the viral hand-holding, cheek-to-cheek posing, and intense bond that had fans questioning whether their relationship was greater than platonic. Now, in a brand new interview, Cynthia Erivo is directly addressing the rumors and explaining why their connection made some people uncomfortable.

During each press tours for “Wicked” and its sequel “Wicked: For Good,” Erivo and Grande were nearly inseparable, often clasping hands and standing close during interviews and red carpet appearances.

In a brand new interview with Stylist, Erivo addressed the speculation head-on. “At first, I believe people didn’t understand the way it was possible for 2 women to be friends – close – and never lovers,” the London-born star told the outlet. “I’ve never really spoken about this, but there was this strange fascination with the 2 of us, where people either thought we were putting it on for the cameras or that we were lovers.”

Erivo acknowledged that their visible closeness could have confused some viewers, particularly because deep platonic female friendships aren’t often spotlighted in mainstream conversation. “I believe it’s because there’s such little conversation around platonic female friendship that’s deep and real, although it exists in all places. We’re not used to seeing it on camera, in front of individuals,” Erivo said.

She further emphasized, “A relationship where persons are connected sometimes just makes people uncomfortable; we aren’t taught that those relationships are good for us.”

Erivo has previously spoken about her working relationship with Grande, offering insight into how their different personalities actually complemented one another.

“I like quiet and solitude with the intention to focus in, and she or he would want contact or simply a moment of connectivity before we could begin,” she said of her costar. “I believe knowing that, having no prep time, meant that we may very well be influenced by the weather in one of the best possible way.”

Grande has also addressed the now-viral hand-holding moments from the “Wicked” press tour. Speaking on the podcast “Good Hang with Amy Poehler,” Grande admitted, “I do, I do. I channel quite a lot of energy through my hands. And so I’m at all times holding a hand. I’m at all times, like, squeezing a something, as you have learned. I’m at all times reaching for something sometimes.”

She added that she often clutches “who I’m with. Yeah, I prefer to channel support and energy… I didn’t even notice that it was a thing about me until that thing happened.”

Through the late 2024 press tour, Grande was famously seen holding onto Erivo’s finger, a gesture that quickly went viral online. “Yeah, because I didn’t know what the f-ck was occurring,” Grande admitted. “I just desired to be supportive. I used to be like, oh my God. And it felt sweet. It felt beautiful. And it was beautiful,” the “Break Free” hitmaker added.

Elsewhere in her conversation with Stylist, Erivo reflected on the extreme strategy of constructing complex characters and the mental space required to bring them to life.

“It takes you to quite a lot of different places mentally, because you might have to search out out who each of the characters are,” Erivo said. “Perhaps one or two exist for a line or two, but every other character has a full arc of their very own. So you have to discover physically who they’re, mentally who they’re, and vocally who they’re.”

She continued, “It finally ends up feeling such as you’re making a little bit of an orchestra; everyone has their very own melody and rhythm. I’m going back to the basis of what I do, finding characters and determining learn how to bring them to life. It’s challenging, because there are quite a lot of them, but I’m having fun with it.”

But in relation to her relationship with Grande, Erivo is making it clear that the one thing brewing between her and Grande is friendship, not romance.