Ariana Grande Says Some Fans Think She & Cynthia Erivo Are ‘Secretly Married’

Ariana Grande has seen how fans have been shipping her with Cynthia Erivo during the Wicked promotional cycle, to the point where some people think there’s actually something going on between the two stars in real life. 

And in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter published Tuesday (Feb. 11), the “Yes, And?” singer addressed the theories surrounding her relationship with her costar. “People think we’re secretly married,” she told the publication. 

It’s clear to anyone watching that Grande and Erivo are very close, often comforting each other during teary-eyed interviews and red-carpet appearances. But some fans have taken things one step further and have started speculating that there’s a romantic connection between them, despite the fact that both women are in relationships with other people; the Victorious alum has been dating fellow Wicked star Ethan Slater since 2023, while the Pinocchio star has reportedly been with actress Lena Waithe for several years.  

So why the rumors? Grande says it’s likely “the Gelphie stuff,” aka people shipping her Wicked character, Glinda, with Erivo’ s Elphaba.  

“I wish I could unsee some things,” the two-time Grammy winner said of the sexual artwork people have made using their characters’ likenesses. “I mean, wow, I had a feeling, but I didn’t know it would be on this scale or this graphic.” 

To be fair, the theory that Elphaba and Glinda are more than just friends is a little less unfounded than the theories about their real-life counterparts. Grande has said herself that she thinks her character “might be a little in the closet,” and in January, she told Variety, “[Glinda] loves Elphaba so much, and that forgiveness and that unconditional love that they share — I think they’re in love with each other.” 

Despite the pervasiveness of the speculation surrounding Grande and Erivo, it’s not the first time the “We Can’t Be Friends” artist has had to deal with whispers about her love life during the Wicked era. The rumor mill went crazy when it was first reported in 2023 that she and Slater were in a relationship following their respective splits from ex-husband Dalton Gomez and ex-wife Lilly Jay, a tabloid cycle Grande slammed as “bulls–t” in a September Vanity Fair article, adding, “The most disappointing part was to see so many people believe the worst version of it.” 

Now, Grande tells THR that dealing with rumors will “never be unpainful.” “But also, I walk with the awareness that I’m an artist and this is a path that I’ve chosen,” she added. “So I just try to protect myself so that I never start to resent the art.” 

See Grande on the cover of THR below.