Cynthia Erivo Breaks Silence on Rumors She’s Dating Ariana Grande
Cynthia Erivo has finally addressed the rumors about her friendship with Ariana Grande. In an interview with Stylist, the actress spoke openly about the intense attention around their bond after working together on Wicked: For Good.
Erivo said people struggled to understand their closeness and quickly jumped to conclusions. “At first, I think people didn’t understand how it was possible for two women to be friends — close — and not lovers,” she explained. She added that the public reaction surprised her because many believed their connection was fake or romantic. “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.”
She believes the speculation happened because deep female friendships are rarely shown in public. “I think it’s because there’s such little conversation around platonic female friendship that is deep and real, even though it exists everywhere,” she said.
“We’re not used to seeing it on camera, in front of people.” Erivo also said emotional bonds can make people uneasy. “A relationship where people are connected sometimes just makes people uncomfortable; we aren’t taught that those relationships are good for us.”
The actress also spoke about her work with Grande in a previous chat on The Awardist. She described their different working styles. “I like quiet and solitude in order to focus in, and she would need contact or just a moment of connectivity before we could begin,” Erivo said. “I think knowing that, having no prep time, meant that we could be influenced by the elements in the best possible way.”
Erivo has had a packed year. In 2025 she starred in Wicked: For Good, released her book Simply More: A Book for Anyone Who Has Been Told They’re Too Much, and dropped her album I Forgive You. She also hosted the Tony Awards, performed in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Hollywood Bowl, and earned an Emmy nomination for her guest role in Poker Face.
Right now she is performing on London’s West End stage in Dracula, where she plays 23 characters. She described the challenge in the same interview. “It takes you to a lot of different places mentally, because you have to find out who each of the characters are.” She compared the process to building music.
“It ends up feeling like you’re creating a bit of an orchestra; everyone has their own melody and rhythm. I’m going back to the root of what I do – finding characters and figuring out how to bring them to life. It’s not easy, because there are a lot of them, but I’m enjoying it.”
Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!
