{"id":341779,"date":"2026-05-28T05:33:40","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T00:03:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/?p=341779"},"modified":"2026-05-28T05:33:40","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T00:03:40","slug":"cynthia-erivo-addresses-being-called-ariana-grandes-bodyguard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/28\/cynthia-erivo-addresses-being-called-ariana-grandes-bodyguard\/","title":{"rendered":"Cynthia Erivo Addresses Being Called Ariana Grande\u2019s \u2018Bodyguard\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Cynthia Erivo<\/strong> is getting candid in regards to the public\u2019s perception of her relationship with Ariana Grande<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Erivo and Grande captured attention after starring as besties in \u201cWicked.\u201d Beyond their on-screen chemistry, fans became fixated on how close the pair appeared during interviews, often leaning on one another and holding hands at press events.<\/p>\n

Their interactions quickly fueled online speculation, and while Erivo has addressed the chatter before, she is now speaking more directly about how she was judged due to her appearance.<\/p>\n

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Mirrorpix \/ MEGA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In a recent interview, Erivo opened up in regards to the scrutiny surrounding her close bond with Ariana Grande and the best way public perception has shaped commentary on her appearance.<\/p>\n

Erivo recalled the response after she stepped in to guard Grande when a stranger tried to grab her throughout the Singapore premiere of \u201cWicked.\u201d <\/p>\n

Several memes and TikTok videos depicted her as Grande\u2019s \u201cbodyguard\u201d following the incident.\u00a0Speaking in regards to the situation, Erivo told Variety<\/a>, \u201cI feel that we haven\u2019t really come to terms with the insidious nature of how we view Black women.\u201d<\/p>\n

She acknowledged that some people may disagree together with her perspective, but maintained that the criticism clearly centered on her looks as a lady of color.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause that\u2019s what was being made fun of. It was my physique; it was my shape; it was the indisputable fact that I used to be bald; it was about what I looked like,\u201d the London- born star explained. <\/p>\n

In response to the \u201cHarriet\u201d star, many immediately painted her because the protective one due to those stereotypes. The \u201cWidows\u201d star also reflected on the assumptions people made about her friendship with Grande, calling out those that believed they may define the pair\u2019s relationship from the surface.<\/p>\n

The actress noted that many individuals seemed unwilling to just accept that their connection was real. \u201cI feel that folks didn\u2019t really imagine that we were actually friends,\u201d Erivo shared, adding that the 2 still speak nearly every single day.<\/p>\n

Cynthia Erivo Previously Denied Romance Rumors With Ariana Grande<\/h2>\n
\"Cynthia
Steven Bergman\/AFF-USA.COM \/ MEGA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This shouldn’t be the primary time Erivo has clarified the character of her reference to Grande. Earlier this 12 months, she shut down rumors suggesting their friendship was romantic.<\/p>\n

As The Blast reported, Erivo explained that many individuals struggled to imagine two women may very well be very close without being romantically involved and that they were probably faking it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Erivo identified that the confusion likely got here from how deep female friendships are rarely shown or discussed in public spaces. She noted that while such connections are common in real life, they don\u2019t often get attention on screen or in mainstream conversations.<\/p>\n

\"Cynthia
Jeffrey Mayer\/JTMPhotos, Int\u2019l. \/ MEGA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Because the actresses promoted the hit musical adaptation, their affectionate interactions became a significant talking point online. Some critics even speculated that their behavior could have hurt their Oscar probabilities, as neither got any nominations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In response to The Blast, one anonymous Academy voter claimed that the final result wasn\u2019t surprising. They explained that while the 2 actresses had strong chemistry, the film itself wasn\u2019t impressive and kept them apart for many of the story.\u00a0The voter added that what put him off more was their \u201cpromotional performances.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cThey creeped numerous people out, and of their rush to feel authentic, got here off as cosplaying,\u201d the person shared.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cynthia Erivo Confronted A Fan For Breaking A Theater Rule<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Cynthia
Lisa OConnor\/AFF-USA.com \/ MEGA <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Outside of the headlines surrounding Grande, Erivo recently drew attention after pausing her West End production of \u201cDracula\u201d to confront an audience member who was allegedly filming the performance.<\/p>\n

In response to The Blast, a TikTok user recounted that the 39-year-old stage star stopped the show for several minutes after spotting someone recording contained in the theater.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One other attendee confirmed that Erivo directly addressed the person from the stage before staff escorted them out for violating the no-filming policy.<\/p>\n

Ariana Grande Has A\u00a0Latest Album On The Way<\/h2>\n
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ZUMAPRESS.com \/ MEGA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While Erivo continues making headlines, Grande has also generated buzz after announcing a brand-new album.<\/p>\n

As The Blast reported, the \u201cThank U, Next\u201d singer recently unveiled the quilt art for her upcoming record on Instagram, showing herself smiling as loose brown hair framed her face.<\/p>\n

Grande revealed the project, titled \u201cPetal,\u201d is scheduled for release on July 31, 2026. Alongside co-writing the project, she also served as executive producer, working with producer Ilya, known for collaborations with artists like Taylor Swift and Sam Smith.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Cynthia Erivo is getting candid in regards to the public\u2019s perception of her relationship with Ariana Grande.\u00a0 Erivo and Grande captured attention after starring as besties in \u201cWicked.\u201d Beyond their on-screen chemistry, fans became fixated on how close the pair appeared during interviews, often leaning on one another and holding hands at press events. Their […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":341780,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[337],"tags":[720,8730,24319,3428,19203,19204,18044],"class_list":["post-341779","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-addresses","tag-ariana","tag-bodyguard","tag-called","tag-cynthia","tag-erivo","tag-grandes"],"aioseo_notices":[{"message":"The permalink for this post just changed! This could result in 404 errors for your site visitors.","status":"warning","options":{"id":"0a2ae5f84bc2c0423042ed7ec22d2e40","isDismissible":true,"actions":[{"url":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/wp-admin\/admin.php?page=aioseo-redirects","label":"Add Redirect to improve SEO","class":"aioseo-redirects-slug-changed"}]},"allowedContexts":["posts"]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341779","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=341779"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341779\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":341782,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341779\/revisions\/341782"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/341780"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=341779"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=341779"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=341779"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}