Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo Earned the Same Salary, Says Universal Pictures

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were paid the same salary for their co-starring roles in Wicked, according to a Universal Pictures spokesperson. The response follows unsubstantiated rumors on social media around the Wicked stars earnings on the blockbuster musical.

“Reports of pay disparity between Cynthia and Ariana are completely false and based on internet fodder,” a Universal spokesperson said in a statement to Variety Tuesday. “The women received equal pay for their work on Wicked.”

TikTok and Reddit users falsely reported that Grande earned $15 million, while Erivo made $1 million. To make matters worse, several news outlets repeated the inaccurate findings. The Universal spokesperson did not disclose how much the co-stars both earned.

A rep for Universal Pictures did not immediately return Rolling Stone‘s request for comment.

The film, which hit theaters Friday, draws inspiration from Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel Wicked, which serves as a revisionist prequel to The Wizard of Oz. The Jon M. Chu film adapts Part One of the hit musical and begins with Erivo’s green-skinned Elphaba as an ostracized, Shiz University student who bunks with Grande’s Glinda. After an unlikely makeover and a dance duet at a school function, the sworn enemies become best mates. Things take a turn for the worse after Elphaba and Glinda visit The Wizard, played by Jeff Goldblum, in the Emerald City.

Wicked earned a whopping $164 million on its opening weekend, globally, making it the third largest opening weekend after Deadpool & Wolverine and Inside Out 2. Part Two has a release date set for Nov. 21, 2025.