Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s ‘evil’ salaries: What Universal says

Despite rumors to the contrary, “Wicked” stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande earned the same amount of money for their starring roles in the hit film.

“Reports of pay disparity between Cynthia and Ariana are completely false and based on internet material. “The women received equal pay for their work on ‘Wicked,'” a Universal spokesperson told TODAY.com. (TODAY.com and Universal Pictures share Comcast as their parent company.)

No specific information was shared about how much they earned.

Recently, rumors surfaced that Grande, who stars as Glinda in the film, earned more money than Erivo, who portrays Elphaba, causing outrage among fans. Posts circulating on social media claimed Grande received $15 million while Erivo received $1 million.

“Wicked” is based on the popular Broadway musical inspired by Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.”

Grande and Erivo, who said they took a few props from the set, developed a close bond while filming the film.

“I think we both also knew we wanted more than just this working relationship; “We wanted to build a friendship beyond that, and that’s what we have now,” Erivo told Willie Geist for Sunday TODAY’s “Sunday Sitdown” on November 10.

Last year, Grande gushed about Erivo when he shared an update on Instagram about filming the movie.

“To hold the beautiful green hands of my radiant twin flame/sister Cynthia every day…to work in the safest, most beautiful and loving, largest yet most intimate/tiny spaces,” she wrote.

The “Wicked” buzz isn’t going away either. The second film is scheduled to hit theaters on November 21, 2025.