Karwai Tang / WireImage
Jon M. Chu, director of Wicked: For Good, defended the visible friendship between Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo after the pair drew sharp online criticism during the film’s promotional tour. Chu pushed back against the vitriol at a public Q&A, arguing that the actresses’ openness and mutual support should be celebrated rather than attacked.
Speaking at an American Cinematheque screening and Q&A on Monday, December 1, Chu condemned the hostile commentary aimed at the two leads, urging audiences to respect their vulnerability. In a fan-recorded clip of his remarks, he criticized those who respond to genuine warmth with “knife-like” judgement and asked that fans honor the bond that formed on set. Watch the fan-filmed clip.
Grande and Erivo — both Oscar nominees for their performances in 2024’s Wicked — became a persistent topic during last year’s press cycle, frequently generating viral moments for their candid emotional reactions and visible closeness. Billboard even spotlighted a now-famous “holding space” moment from the tour, naming it among notable pop-culture memes. The first Wicked film also proved a major box-office success, grossing more than $750 million worldwide.
Although the press run for Wicked: For Good was comparatively calmer, conversations about the actresses’ friendship quickly dominated media attention. The tour included a string of headline-making incidents — Grande’s absence from the Brazilian premiere, Erivo’s intervention against a red-carpet intruder in Singapore and Erivo losing her voice during the New York premiere (an event where Grande also tested positive for COVID-19) — and social channels soon filled with harsh commentary about the performers’ appearances and intimacy. Over the Thanksgiving weekend (November 29), Grande reshared a 2024 interview clip as “a loving reminder” about the dangers of scrutinizing people’s bodies and relationships.
Those online attacks, however, did not diminish the film’s commercial momentum. Wicked: For Good opened to a $223 million worldwide weekend, topping global box-office charts and setting the record for the largest debut for a Broadway-adapted feature.
On the Billboard 200, the For Good soundtrack matched the No. 2 peak of its predecessor. Several tracks from the album landed on the Hot 100, including “For Good” (No. 43), “No Good Deed” (No. 56), “As Long As You’re Mine” (No. 91) and “The Girl in the Bubble” (No. 100). Both Erivo and Grande continue to be considered strong contenders in their respective categories ahead of the 98th Academy Awards next March.
