BY: LBS STAFF
Published 1 hour ago
Ariana Grande has reportedly finally explained why she and co-star Cynthia Erivo are always touching each other.
Ariana Grande has finally explained why she and Cynthia Erivo are always touching each other, after their “cringey” antics were blasted by critics, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The actress, 32, was quizzed about the pair’s “touchy-feely” relationship with her Wicked: For Good co-star during a new podcast interview, and gave an intriguing response.
Grande shared she often channels energy through her hands and is “always holding a hand, always squeezing something” or reaching for something, usually whoever tends to be in the vicinity.
Critics have vented their disgust at the duo on social media as they continue to fawn over each other on the Wicked: For Good promo tour.
“Erivo’s groping and, quite frankly, lascivious behavior around Ariana is just too strange and off-putting to allow these interviews to continue,” one person raged.
Another added: “I think Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo have a normal coworker relationship and the excessive amount of crying and touching is a result of a subconscious, unintentional effort to convince people (and themselves) that they have a special bond like Elphaba and Glinda.”
A third chimed in: “I saw interviews during which Grande and Erivo looked like they were picking ticks off each other. Grossed me out to the point I won’t see the movie.”
The two actresses have clearly bonded throughout their Wicked journey together, and the Eternal Sunshine singer says they’ve “worked hard to maintain” that bond. They even do regular check-ins when they’re not together.
“We’re both so busy, but do our best to stay connected in that way and to take care of each other so we can honor the project as much as humanly possible,” she shared.
Grande’s displays of physical affection to 38-year-old Erivo, and vice versa, have sparked many a debate on social media.
Referencing the viral moment in November 2024 when she held Erivo’s finger mid-interview and tapped it, she said, “I didn’t even notice that was a thing about me until that thing happened.”
One month after the headline-making finger grab, Grande broke her silence on it, saying, “(The journalist) said something that meant something to (Erivo), then it meant something totally different to (Erivo), and then (the journalist) tried to kind of get somewhere else.
“I remember in the moment asking myself, ‘Am I OK? Did I not hear something?'”
Erivo previously opened up about her and Grande’s tendency to touch during an interview in November 2024.
“Ari needs contact when there’s emotion,” she shared, adding, “She needs to be close, so I just be there with her for a second.”
Last week, Erivo jumped to the singer’s defense when a fan rushed and grabbed the superstar at the movie’s Singapore premiere, leaving the star traumatized.
RadarOnline.com revealed the incident caused Grande to up her security as she remains haunted by the terror attack at her Manchester concert in May 2017,which left 22 of her fans, many of them children, dead and thousands injured.
And incidents like last Thursday’s, when a fan jumped the rails as she walked the “yellow carpet,” are incredibly “triggering” for her.
An insider told The Daily Mail: “Ariana has been trying to soothe herself because her mind automatically jumps to the darkest possibilities.
“When someone suddenly approaches or charges at her, it triggers her… almost like PTSD, as her mind immediately goes to the worst-case scenario.”
via: RadarOnline.com
The Real Reason Why Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Were Always Touching on the ‘Wicked’ Press Tour
- Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo had extra bonding time during the Wicked and Wicked: For Good press tours.
- The actors, who play Glinda and Elphaba in the double feature, have been open about their friendship while making the film.
- Ariana revealed the real reason why she and Cynthia were always touching during the press tour, explaining that she “channels a lot of energy” in her hands.
When Ariana Grande sang about her “Love Language” on Positions, she was definitely referring to physical touch. In case your eyes have turned away from Oz, Ari and her Wicked co-star, Cynthia Erivo, were constantly touching, holding hands, or embracing during the movie’s press tour. Thus, this very sweet fancam of the pair was born:
During a recent interview for Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast, the “Eternal Sunshine” singer opened up about the real reason she and Cynthia constantly engaged in some sort of physical touch.
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“I channel a lot of energy through my hands,” Ariana explained. “I’m always holding a hand, I’m always squeezing something. As you’ve learned, I’m always reaching for something.”
She continued, “It’s often who I’m with. I like to channel, support, and energy… I didn’t even notice it was a thing until that thing happened,” and of course, she’s referring to her viral “holding space” moment with Cynthia and Out magazine’s Tracy Gilchrist.
Amy jokingly responded, “You’re talking about when you grabbed Cynthia’s little finger. So cute.”
“Yeah, because I didn’t know what the fuck was going on,” Ariana laughed, as the Parks and Recreation star chimed in, “And you just reached over, a little teeny-tiny grab.” The Grammy winner went on to say it was a “sincere and tender and beautiful” gesture, adding, “I just wanted to be supportive. I was like, ‘Oh my God.’”
Cynthia previously opened up about her and Ari’s tendency to touch during an interview in November 2024. “Ari needs contact when there’s emotion,” she shared, adding, “She needs to be close, so I just be there with her for a second.”
As we gear up to watch Wicked: For Good, now seems like a great time to revisit and hold space for the iconic moment:
Their friendship = everything to me.
via: Cosmopolitan
Ariana Grande finally explains why she and Wicked co-star Cynthia Erivo often like to ‘touch each other’
Ariana Grande has opened up about the physical intimacy many fans have noticed her sharing with her Wicked co-star Cynthia Erivo.
The co-workers’ touchy-feely relationship has drawn eyebrows since the first press tour for the smash hit screen adaptation of the musical Wicked last year, even reaching the status of meme after one particularly notable hand-holding moment.
While taking questions from the press, the friendly pair were told that many fans were ‘holding space’ for some of the song’s hits, causing Erivo to become emotional – and Grande to grab one of her fingers in support.
And the pair’s close relationship doesn’t seem to have changed for the press tour for the film’s sequel, Wicked: For Good, which is set to be released in cinemas next week (November 21).
And now, Grande has finally explained her bond with Erivo and why they are often seen physically touching.
Speaking on comedian Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast this week, the ‘Thank U, Next’ singer said their intimacy was an important part of the duo’s success on screen and the wider ethos of the film’s production.
Towards the end of the wide-ranging interview, she told the Parks and Recreation star that she wanted ‘to be safe in each other, with their emotional and physical closeness aiming to keep them ‘as connected as much as possible, every step of the way’.
She went on to explain how she instigated the intimacy, recalling an early conversation with Erivo: “Hey, we’re getting to know each other, we’re gonna learn a lot about each other very quickly, I want you to know there’s nothing that we can’t talk about.”
This gave Poehler her chance to ask about their infamous intimacy, which sparked nervous laughter almost straight away.
“You guys just physically checked in, it’s really sweet how you touch each other,” Poehler said as they both broke down into giggles.
Holding it together, the host went on: “You like to touch, in a non sexual way, in a loving way, like supporting each other. You like to hold each others hands, its very sweet.”
Thinking for a moment to explain her touchy-feely attitude, Grande said: “I channel a lot of energy through my hands, and so I’m always holding a hand, I’m always squeezing something.”
Referencing the ‘holding space’ moment that went viral, the ‘Eternal Sunshine’singer explained that her hands-on approach depends on ‘who I’m with’.
After receiving the odd question, Erivo responded quietly, ‘I didn’t know that was happening,’ before adding emotionally, ‘That’s really powerful.’
“I like to channel support and energy… I didn’t even notice it was a thing until that thing happened,” Grande admitted of the bizarre moment.
“I didn’t know what the f**k was going on.”
She added: “I knew it was tender and sincere and beautiful, and I just wanted to be supportive. It felt sweet, it felt beautiful, and it was beautiful.”
She said this supportive atmosphere had been nurtured as part of the production, which earned $759 million at the box office, with Grande saying that director Jon Chu encourages the cast to take care of each other ‘so we can honor the project as much as humanly possible, and do great work’.
via: Unilad.com
@arianator_for_life_2012 They both needed this!??#wicked #arianagrande #cynthiaerivo #viral #fyp #foryoupage #SummerMashup #godisawoman #fyp?? #foryou #greenscreen #foryourpage #swt
? original sound – arianator_for_life_2012
@pagesix Ariana Grande was asked point blank why she and Cynthia Erivo “like to touch each other” on Amy Poehler’s “Good Hang” podcast. ?
? original sound – Page Six
@itstimetogossip.101 their nails touching each other is so funny #wicked #arianagrande #glinda #elphaba #cynthiaerivo #wickedmovie
? original sound – gossip101
via: RadarOnline.com
