Why are Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo always crying? It’s a strange question, but one the internet has been debating over in recent weeks.
Over the course of the Wicked press tour, both Ariana and Cynthia have seemed to be visibly emotional, and it’s even become a running joke on social media. One user shared a meme on X, writing ‘POV: its a crying contest but Ariana grande and Cynthia Erivo show up.’ Another user shared a video of Ariana talking to a man in a suit on X, with the caption ‘Movie critic makes Ariana Grande cry at an after party of the LA Wicked screening.’
Now, Ariana and Cynthia have addressed all the crying talk in a red-carpet interview. Wicked finally made its much-anticipated premiere at the State Theatre in Sydney Australia last week, and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles Saturday.
At the Los Angeles premiere, Cynthia told ET ‘We're sorry. It just happens. It happens. We can't help it. We're trying our best, but there's a lot of emotional things that happen and we're just going with it.’ Ariana followed up her comments, saying ‘Yeah, you need to understand. It's been like three years, people!’ adding ‘why does emotional availability scare you so?'
Wicked, which is set to premiere in London tonight, has been years in the making and suffered many setbacks, and delays due factors such as the production of Cats, strikes and the pandemic.
This isn’t the first time Ariana and Cynthia have addressed their teary promotional appearances. In an interview shared last week by E!News, Ariana and Cynthia hold each other’s hands, while they seem on the verge of tears. ‘We can’t,’ Ariana says. ‘We’ve cried 500 times today. And honestly, this is a PSA. So sorry, guys.’ Cynthia adds ‘It is what it is. There's just nothing we can do about it.'
Ariana then addresses the speculation, saying ‘And you know what? If you’re just gonna comment saying how annoying it is, I’ll say it first,’ adding, ‘I’m annoyed, I’m tired. My tear ducts [are tired].’
Ariana then admits that the pair had only just had their own ‘private cry’ in the parking lot. We’ve come through a massive, massive thing, and we’ve really stuck together,’ says Cynthia. ‘Yeah, the stuff you don’t see is the most special stuff,’ Ariana adds.
The pair seem to then tear up, before Ariana pretends to leave, quipping ‘It’s enough!’
Some social media users raised about Ariana earlier this month, commenting that she looked thinner than usual as she attended the Los Angeles premiere of Wicked. One X user wrote ‘I’m not usually one to comment on other people appearances or weight but has anyone else noticed how thin Ariana Grande has become in recent months. She’s always had quite a slim frame but recently she looks a bit too thin and almost ill.’ Another wrote ‘Ariana Grande has also become painfully thin. I fear we’re back to 90’s/00’s ultra skinny chic again.’
However, others have called out the double standards of this talk. One user wrote ‘Why is it okay to publicly shame someone for being “too thin”? How is that not body shaming? Yes, I’m talking about Ariana Grande in particular.’
In April this year, Ariana took to TikTok to respond to concerns over her appearance. ‘The body that you’ve been comparing my current body to was the unhealthiest version of my body. I was on a lot of antidepressants and drinking on them and eating poorly,’ she explained. ‘[I was] at the lowest point of my life when I looked the way you consider my healthy, but that in fact wasn’t my healthy.’
She also expressed that people should feel ‘less comfortable’ commenting on others’ bodies, even if they’re well intentioned. ‘There are ways to compliment someone or to ignore something that you see that you don’t like, that I think we should help each other work towards,’ she said.