Ariana Grande is quietly creating distance from Cynthia Erivo after an intense stretch of promotion for their film Wicked: For Good, shifting a partnership that once looked inseparable into something more measured. The move comes on the heels of a whirlwind press tour, health scares, and mounting fan speculation about whether the two stars are still as close off camera as they appeared on set. Behind the headlines, the recalibration looks less like a feud and more like two performers protecting their energy as their careers pull them in different directions.
The press tour that pushed their bond to the limit
Insiders say Ariana Grande is now taking a deliberate breather from her co-star after the exhausting global rollout of Wicked, a choice framed as a personal reset rather than a dramatic falling out. Reports describe Ariana Grande as “reportedly stepping back” from Cynthia Erivo following the promotional blitz for Wicked: For Good, with sources stressing that the decision is about space and self-preservation rather than hostility, a nuance that undercuts the more sensational feud narratives swirling online, and is rooted in the same dynamic that saw her briefly halt parts of the press run when the schedule became overwhelming, according to one account of her Instagram reveal.
That strain was not just emotional but physical, with another report noting that Both Grande and Cynthia Erivo tested positive for Covid during the making of Wicked: For Good, a setback that temporarily delayed production and forced the team to pause before filming the song “Popular,” underscoring how demanding the project had already been before the publicity machine even started. By the time the film’s press tour neared its conclusion, the combination of long travel days, fan events, and lingering health concerns had created a backdrop in which a short-term step back from constant togetherness, as described in coverage of Ariana Grande’s decision to take a break, reads as a pragmatic choice rather than a rupture.
From Hollywood besties to a cooler, more private dynamic
For fans who watched Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo transform Wicked into a pop culture event, the shift feels especially stark because their friendship was once marketed as a central part of the film’s appeal. Coverage has repeatedly described Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo as Hollywood besties, admired for how openly they supported each other on red carpets and in interviews, with sources recalling that the warmth continued even when cameras were not around, a detail that helped cement their image as a genuine off-screen duo rather than a studio-manufactured pairing. That is why recent reporting that Grande and Erivo’s bond, which seemed inseparable during filming and press appearances, has “cooled” and now looks more like a respectful professional relationship has landed with such force among fans tracking every interaction.
Insiders now talk about Ariana and Cynthia’s Changing Dynamic, saying that Grande and Erivo are still cordial but no longer attached at the hip, a framing echoed in reports that emphasize “It’s still all love” even as they spend less time together in public. One source went further, characterizing their connection as a “bizarre friendship” that might not stand the test of time, and predicting that “You’re not going to see them” leaning on each other in the same way going forward, a line that has been widely cited in discussions of whether their bond was always destined to be temporary and is now naturally receding as both women move into new phases of their careers, as outlined in a piece on whether it would.
Golden Globes optics, awards snubs, and what comes next
The most visible flashpoint in this evolving story arrived at the Golden Globes, where Ariana Grande’s solo appearance on the carpet instantly fueled speculation that something had gone wrong. While Grande’s relationship with Slater appears steady, her once constant pairing with Erivo has noticeably cooled, and observers noted that Cynthia Erivo was not at the Golden Globes despite her acclaimed work in Wicked: For Good, a contrast that sharpened the sense of distance between them and prompted fresh questions about why the duo, who once seemed inseparable, were suddenly charting separate paths at such a high profile event, as explored in analysis of why Cynthia Erivo was.
Online, that absence collided with existing chatter about a supposed feud, with one widely shared piece noting that a story about their relationship drew 101 comments and highlighted how fans were dissecting every red carpet and social media post to see whether the friendship had fractured, even as some questioned if it was “even true” that there was bad blood. At the same time, Ariana Grande has publicly defended Cynthia Erivo in the face of awards season disappointments, including a widely discussed Wicked: For Good awards snub that saw Ariana Grande Reacts stories circulate as she addressed Cynthia Erivo’s lack of recognition from the Critics Choice Awards, a moment that suggested continued loyalty despite the cooler public dynamic and was further underscored when she later broke silence on Erivo’s awards treatment.
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