Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Say Pay Disparity Rumors Are ‘Completely False’

“Wicked” stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo were paid the same amount for leading the movie musical.

Universal Pictures released a statement on the matter to deny online rumors about salary discrepancies.

False stories about Grande and Erivo’s compensation for their work on “Wicked” circulated over the weekend thanks to unsubstantiated claims by TikTok and Reddit users that Grande earned $15 million to play Glinda the Good while Erivo was paid $1 million to portray Elphaba, the eventual Wicked Witch of the West.

A spokesperson for Universal said, “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.’”

Of course, the studio behind the big budget musical declined to confirm the amount that Grande and Erivo were paid.