So, Ariana Grande has officially shared her two cents on the Wicked poster situation, and trust me, it’s giving ✨main character energy✨. If you’re not caught up, here’s the tea: Universal Studios dropped a poster for the highly-anticipated Wicked movie, and it’s basically the movie version of the musical’s OG poster. In this masterpiece, Ariana’s Glinda is leaning in like she’s about to whisper either top-secret gossip or the Wi-Fi password to Elphaba, played by Cynthia Erivo. (Poster above, in case you need a visual to fully appreciate the drama.)
But—because the internet can’t help itself—fans went full Picasso-with-a-laptop on the poster using AI. The result? Cynthia’s entire upper face got swallowed by her big ol’ witch hat. Honestly, it’s giving “Oops, I accidentally used Microsoft Paint” vibes. Cynthia was not amused. She hopped on social media like, “Y’all, this edit is hands down the rudest thing I’ve seen. My hat? Now a face mask?? Unacceptable.”
Fast-forward to Ariana being asked about the situation on the red carpet—because obviously, someone’s gotta poke the drama bear. And Ari? She responded like a true pop icon who’s 87% unbothered but still aware.
“It’s complicated. AI is wild—it’s like, cool one second and then it turns around and steals your lunch money,” she told Variety with the kind of wisdom you’d expect from someone who’s survived both donut-gate and a Nickelodeon phase. “We’re living through this weird period where, like, the robots are learning how to remix our lives, and we just have to go with it. But yeah, it’s bigger than us… like, ‘Existential Crisis: The Musical.’”
Then, she hit us with the classic pop-star shrug: “The fans are out here, doing what they do—making edits, living their best online lives.” Translation: The internet is just the Wild West, and nobody is safe.
But Ari also took a quick emotional detour, adding, “Sometimes, the edits are a lot. Like, full-on ‘too much’ energy. And look, I adore Cynthia—she’s my girl, my witchy soulmate, and the Beyoncé to my Taylor. Respect is key.”
Ariana is somewhere between “let the fans live” and “maybe chill with the hat edits.” And honestly? Same. Now if only the Wicked poster had a hidden QR code with Ariana’s Starbucks order—then we’d really be cooking.
Ariana Grande on artificial intelligence and the #Wicked poster that Cynthia Erivo criticized: "It's very complicated, because I find AI so conflicting and troublesome sometimes, but I think it's such a massive adjustment period…I have so much respect for my sister Cynthia, and… pic.twitter.com/J2YnHxfQ9w
— Variety (@Variety) October 20, 2024