Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo Call ‘Wicked’ Equal Pay Rumor “False”

Universal Pictures is putting an end to the rumors that there was a major pay discrepancy between Wicked stars Cythina Erivo and Ariana Grande. Despite Wicked opening to $112 million in its first three days and earning rapturous reviews from critics and audiences alike, not all has been good in the land of Oz. Rumors started circulating online through TikTok and Reddit that Ariana Grande was paid $15 million for playing Galinda, while Cynthia Erivo was only paid $1 million for the lead role of Elphaba.

Universal Pictures, via Variety, has denied the $14 million pay difference between the two Wicked stars. A spokesperson for Universal released a statement on the matter, saying, “Reports of pay disparity between Cynthia and Ariana are completely false and based on internet fodder. The women received equal pay for their work on Wicked.” Universal did not disclose how much Erivo and Grande were paid for the movie.

The assumption appears to stem from the fact that Grande’s status as a pop icon and singer of incredibly successful songs like “Break Free,” “Side to Side,” and “Thank You Next” would net her a massive payday, while star Cynthia Erivo is best known for critically acclaimed roles in movies that underperformed at the box office like Bad Times at the El Royale and Widows.

While there have been cases in Hollywood of another star getting paid more than the lead (the best example was Terrance Howard being paid more than Robert Downey Jr. on Iron Man), there have been no confirmed reports on what Erivo or Grande were paid or where these specific numbers came from.

Release Date November 22, 2024

Cast Cynthia Erivo , Ariana Grande , Michelle Yeoh , Jeff Goldblum , Jonathan Bailey , Ethan Slater , Marissa Bode , Bowen Yang , Bronwyn James , Keala Settle , Peter Dinklage , Aaron Teoh , Grecia De la Paz , Colin Michael Carmichael , Adam James , Andy Nyman , Courtney Mae-Briggs , Sharon D. Clarke , Jenna Boyd

Runtime 160 Minutes

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Misinformation About Movies Spreads Quickly

The rumors that Grande was paid much more than Erivo stemmed from unverified “sources” on social media, with no substantial proof to back them up. They were claims made without evidence, but the information spread quickly, and people began to believe it. The rate at which misinformation in entertainment news is becoming a growing problem, as many are now fed “news” that has no basis in reality.

One need only look at how the story that She-Hulk: Attorney at Law star Tatiana Maslany was seemingly suing Disney for being cut out of Deadpool & Wolverine. The reality is that not only was all that false, but it was just a joke in a Lego Disney+ special. It didn’t matter that it was fake because the not-real news story generated a lot of clicks and people believed it.

Related Fans Mocking Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s Emotional Interviews Are Missing the Point of ‘Wicked’

The two ‘Wicked’ stars have been subject to ridicule for their emotional interviews, which is somehow a bad thing according to internet-dwellers.

With the pay situation seemingly put to rest, now the attention is on the potential awards race. Wicked’s box office and critical popularity have now put it firmly in the race for the Academy Awards, with Erivo and Grande both seemingly in the race for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively. After Wicked, Erivo and Grande should be able to pull in big paychecks for their next film projects.

Wicked
is currently playing in theaters.

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