British actress Cynthia Erivo has opened up about the painful backlash she faced after stepping in to protect her Wicked co-star Ariana Grande during a frightening red-carpet incident.
The Oscar-nominated actress said she was “made fun of” after a fan rushed towards Grande at the Singapore premiere of Wicked: For Good, turning what she described as an instinctive act of protection into a wave of online jokes.
Erivo, 39, said the incident and the reaction that followed revealed what she called the “insidious nature” of how Black women are viewed.
What Happened At The Wicked Premiere
The incident happened during the Singapore premiere of the Wicked sequel when a fan rushed onto the red carpet and grabbed Ariana Grande.
Erivo, who was standing close to Grande, quickly moved to separate the fan from the singer.
The moment was recorded and later circulated widely on social media, where many users joked that Erivo had acted like Grande’s “bodyguard.”
A court in Singapore reportedly sentenced the Australian man involved to nine days in prison for grabbing Grande.
Cynthia Erivo Says She Acted On Instinct
Speaking in an interview with Variety, Erivo said the situation was terrifying because the man would not let go of Grande.
“Nobody moved. Nobody moved,” she said.
“So I moved because my brain went, ‘Get him away! Get him out of here!’ My immediate reaction was, ‘Get him away from us.’”
According to Erivo, many people who later commented on the video did not understand how serious the moment felt to those involved.
“What people couldn’t see is that he wouldn’t let go of Grande. He wouldn’t let go. So I just kept pushing at him to get him off,” she said.
“A stranger is a stranger. Personal space is still personal space. It doesn’t belong to anyone, even if you feel you know the person. In that moment, we were all terrified.”
Online Jokes Left Her Feeling Dehumanised
After the video went viral, Erivo became the subject of memes and jokes, with some social media users referring to her as Grande’s “bodyguard.”
The actress said the jokes were not harmless to her because they focused on her physical appearance and carried deeper assumptions about Black women.
“I think that we haven’t really come to terms with the insidious nature of how we view Black women,” Erivo said.
She added that people made fun of her physique, her shape and the fact that she was bald.
“That’s what was being made fun of. It was my physique, it was my shape, it was the fact that I was bald; it was about what I looked like,” she said.
“And because of that, there was this assumption that I was bigger than my co-star and so I had to be controlling or protecting, and that was my role.”
Erivo said she believed the reaction would likely have been different if the roles had been reversed.
‘My Humanity Had Been Bastardised’
The actress said the public response affected her deeply because something she did naturally was turned into something else.
“I just felt like my humanity had been bastardised,” she said.
She added that the reaction made her uncomfortable with the idea of going through another major awards campaign for her role as Elphaba in the Wicked films.
Erivo said she did not want to put herself through further public scrutiny after seeing how quickly her action was interpreted and mocked online.
“I felt like something I did instinctively had been made to be something that it simply was not because of the way people see women who look like me, and because of the assumptions that are made,” she said.
“I didn’t want to put myself through it. I didn’t feel like I deserved it.”
Cynthia Erivo Also Addresses Ariana Grande Friendship
Erivo also spoke about public reactions to her close friendship with Grande during the Wicked press tour.
The two actresses had previously drawn online attention for their affectionate bond while promoting the film.
Erivo said many people made assumptions about their friendship without knowing the reality.
“It’s very interesting, watching what people’s perception is versus what the reality actually is,” she said.
“Lots of psychologists seated at home deciding who we were, what we were going through, what we were doing and why.”
She added that some people did not seem to believe that she and Grande were genuinely friends.
“I think that people didn’t really believe that we were actually friends. But that’s also because people don’t know me very well,” she said.
“If I’m a friend, then I’m a friend. If I’m not, then I’m not.”
Why The Story Is Drawing Attention
Erivo’s comments have sparked renewed discussion around celebrity boundaries, fan behaviour and the way Black women are treated when they show strength in public.
For many viewers, the incident was simply a frightening red-carpet moment involving Ariana Grande.
But for Erivo, the aftermath became something more painful: a moment where her instinct to protect a friend was turned into jokes about her body, her appearance and her role beside a white female co-star.
Her comments now place the viral incident in a wider conversation about how Black women are often expected to be strong, protective and unemotional, even when they are also affected by fear, pressure and public scrutiny.
FAQ
What happened between Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande?
Cynthia Erivo stepped in to protect Ariana Grande after a fan rushed towards them and grabbed Grande during the Singapore premiere of Wicked: For Good.
Why was Cynthia Erivo mocked online?
After the video went viral, some social media users joked that Erivo acted like Ariana Grande’s “bodyguard.” Erivo said the jokes were hurtful because they focused on her body, appearance and assumptions about Black women.
What did Cynthia Erivo say about Black women?
Erivo said the reaction showed the “insidious nature” of how Black women are viewed, adding that people mocked her physique, shape and bald appearance.
Did the fan face punishment?
According to the report, the Australian man involved in the incident was sentenced by a Singapore court to nine days in prison for grabbing Ariana Grande.
Are Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande friends?
Yes. Erivo said people often made assumptions about her friendship with Grande, but insisted that if she is a friend, she is truly a friend.
