Universal Pictures has officially zapped those wild paycheck rumors about Wicked right out of the air! The internet has been buzzing louder than a flying monkey on caffeine, claiming Ariana Grande (Glinda) pocketed a spellbinding $15 million, while Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba) was left with a mere melancholy $1 million. Cue the dramatic Defying Gravity chorus.
But don’t you dare cry for Cynthia or throw glitter for Ariana just yet, because according to Universal, those numbers are about as real as a house landing on a witch.
“Reports of a pay gap between Cynthia and Ariana are completely false and based on internet fodder,” a Universal spokesperson declared, probably while sipping a cauldron of tea. Yes, “internet fodder,” which is code for “y’all made this up on TikTok.” They even brought in unnamed but reliable sources—because what’s Hollywood without a good “unnamed source”?—to confirm that the two leading ladies were paid equally for their enchanted performances.
So, no, there’s no diva vs. sorceress drama here, just two incredibly talented women sharing equal slices of the Emerald City pie. And honestly, if there was a paycheck discrepancy, wouldn’t Glinda just hand Elphaba some diamonds to make it right? That’s so on-brand for her.
Moral of the story: don’t believe everything you read online, especially if it involves giant paychecks and Broadway-level shade.
