Cynthia Erivo Finally Addresses Romance Rumors With Ariana Grande After Oscars Snubs
During the Wicked movies, all eyes were on leading ladies Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, specifically their red carpet looks and their close friendship. There were memes, there were jokes, and even rumors that the pair were in love with one another, despite being in relationships with Lena Waithe and Ethan Slater, respectively. Because of their closeness, it’s been alleged that they were snubbed for the Oscars, and now, Erivo is speaking out.
In a recent interview with Stylist, Erivo finally addressed rumors of a secret romance after years of speculation.
“At first, I think people didn’t understand how it was possible for two women to be friends – close – and not lovers. 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.”
“I think it’s because there’s such little conversation around platonic female friendship that is deep and real, even though it exists everywhere. We’re not used to seeing it on camera, in front of people,” Erivo added. “A relationship where people are connected sometimes just makes people uncomfortable; we aren’t taught that those relationships are good for us.”
Despite both being nominated the year prior for their roles in Wicked, they were completely shut out of the Oscars this year for Wicked: For Good. And an anonymous Oscar voter revealed a potential reason why to NewsNation.
“The movie wasn’t that great. The two have amazing on-screen chemistry but spent most of the movie apart,” they said. “I was also just completely turned off by their promotional performances. They creeped a lot of people out and in their rush to feel authentic, came off as cosplaying.”
Along with that, another voter claimed Erivo and Grande “sucked the air out of any red carpet they were on — and no one wanted to go through that again.”
Before you go, click here to see all the most shocking Oscars looks over the years.