Recent claims regarding a salary disparity between the stars of Wicked have been firmly refuted. Reports indicate that Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande received equal compensation for their roles in the film adaptation of the beloved musical, as confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter through multiple sources familiar with the situation, along with an official statement from Universal.
A spokesperson for Universal told THR, “Claims of a pay gap between Cynthia and Ariana are entirely unfounded and stem from online speculation. Both actresses were compensated equally for their contributions to Wicked.” This definitive statement effectively dismisses the circulating rumors.
Discussion of a supposed huge salary difference surfaced on platforms like TikTok and Reddit, where users propagated unverified claims suggesting that Grande earned $15 million while Erivo received only $1 million for their performances.
Despite some media outlets reporting on these rumors, The Cut traced their origins to a dubious source known as Showbiz Galore, highlighting that the initial report appeared to be AI-generated and should be viewed with skepticism.
The Cut pointed out the lack of professionalism in the Showbiz Galore report, noting, “All punctuation, capitalization, and lack of italics is Showbiz Galore’s.” They proceeded to quote the original piece, which stated, “Wicked is a Hollywood musical fantasy movie, directed by Jon M. Chu, produced by Marc Platt and David Stone.
Starring Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, and Jonathan Bailey, this film is based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel. The movie is set to be released in theaters on November 27, 2024. Here is the Wicked Cast And Their Salary.”
Regarding the alleged pay gap, the Showbiz Galore article included the following claims without punctuation, sourcing, or clarity: “Salary of Cynthia Erivo in Wicked is $1 Million” and “Salary of Ariana Grande in Wicked is $15 Million.”
To clarify, if you find yourself wondering about the validity of this rumor, rest assured it can be confidently labeled as completely false.
