Cynthia Erivo calls out fans 'annoyed’ by Ariana Grande friendship

British actress Erivo, 39, grew close with American singer Grande, 33, while the pair promoted the 2024 big screen musical and its 2025 sequel.

In a new interview, Erivo, who last week hosted Saturday Night Live UK, has spoken about the backlash to their public displays of friendship, noting that "it was interesting that there were many people who had become psychologists from their couches".

The pair grew close while starring in and then promoting the Wicked films

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“There was this weird sort of, what’s the word I’m looking for… annoyance… at the fact that two women could actually be friends," Erivo told The Guardian. "Like, 'Why are they friends? Why are they connected? There must be something wrong with them.'"

She continued: "'Why are they showing emotion? How dare they cry? And how dare they laugh? And how dare they be emotive and alive?'”

Erivo explained that it was a "double-edged sword", saying: "Because if we were dead behind the eyes and showing no emotion, there would have been something else to say about it.

"I wish there was someone who could have been like, ‘Right, this is the proper balance of emotion that you should show. Don’t show this. Don’t show that. Just this amount.'"

Erivo said that their friendship was constantly being questioned

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While their were far fewer viral moments on the second leg of the press tour while promoting Wicked: For Good, the pair added to their growing catalogue of affectionate, and occasionally eccentric, press-tour interactions.

One of the most viral moments was the discussion of "holding space" in which Grande and Erivo clutched each other's fingers.

She then spoke about fans wanting to recreate the moment, to which she replied: “I hate it. I don’t want anyone holding my finger.”