Ariana Grande accused of ‘queerbaiting’ after her comment about Wicked character Glinda’s sexuality
Ariana Grande reflected on her Wicked character’s sexuality in a recent interview, saying that Glinda “might be a little closeted.”
Grande, 31, and her co-star Cynthia Erivo, 37, who plays the Wicked Witch of the West Elphaba, spoke to the British outlet Gay timesand asked about fans shipping their characters as a romantic duo.
However, Ariana’s answers sparked backlash from some fans, who accused her of “queerbaiting.”
“Glinda might be a little closeted. You never know! Give it some time,” she said in the interview.
Grande also said that Oz is a “celebration of uniqueness,” adding, “Everyone is just so beautifully strange and that goes all the way back to L. Frank Baum’s books, where literally the most overused word in the books is” foreign.”‘
The star went on to say, “Every day in the Emerald City [the capital city of the fictional Land of Oz] is a Pride parade… just like the chickens, those chickens are gay.”
Ariana Grande, 31, was accused of ‘queerbaiting’ after reflecting on the sexuality of her Wicked character Glinda in a recent interview with co-star Cynthia Erivo, 37, who plays Elphaba
“Glinda might be a little closeted. You never know! Give it some more time,” Ariana said of the Good Witch character, after being asked why some fans are shipping the two as a romantic duo
Elsewhere in the interview, she called Doctor Dillamond, played by Peter Dinklage, a “gay icon.”
Meanwhile, Erivo said of her green witch, “I think Elphie, she goes where the wind blows.”
“I think she loves Glinda. I think she likes love. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with celebrating the deep bond they both have.”
‘They do have a relationship. It’s true love, and that’s probably why people ship it, you know?’ Erivo added. ‘Because what they build together is an unbreakable bond and love.’
Grande then said of her Good Witch character, “And trust and truth. Such a safe space for each other, and that’s what all relationships should be, whether romantic or platonic.”
“I mean, it’s just true love, and I think it transcends sexuality,” Grande said.
“It’s just kind of a deep safety in each other. And that’s probably why they’re shipping it.”
The interviewer then asked if everyone in Oz was LGBTQ+.
“I guess so,” Cynthia said. “Yes,” Ariana agreed.
“I mean, it’s just true love, and I think it transcends sexuality,” Grande said. “It’s just kind of a deep safety in each other. And that’s probably why they ship it’
Meanwhile, Erivo said of her green witch: “I think Elphie, she goes where the wind blows. I think she loves Glinda. I think she likes love’; Ariana and Cynthia seen in a still life
‘They do have a relationship. It’s true love, and that’s probably why people ship it, you know?’ Erivo added. ‘Because what they build together is an unbreakable bond and love’
Elsewhere in the interview, Ariana said that Doctor Dillamond (pictured), who is voiced by Peter Dinklage in the film, is a “gay icon” and that “every day in the Emerald City is a Pride parade… just like the chickens, those chickens are gay
In Wicked, Glinda and Elphaba start out as enemies but grow into friends while in school.
There are romantic plots in the film, as Glinda pursues Prince Fiyero, who is secretly interested in Elphaba, and Boq (played by Grande’s real-life friend Ethan Slater) pines for Glinda, who does not return his affection.
Following the interview, fans quickly went online, with one writing: ‘the queerbaiting is getting too out of hand.’
Queerbaiting is a marketing technique in which creators reference same-sex romance or other LGBTQ+ representation without actually portraying it.
Another asked: ‘Why can’t they just be platonic?’
‘OH????’ another said simply.
Another fan added: ‘ariana reposts gelphie memes on her story, likes a post about the flower fields being lesbian colored, says the boy is mine, is about elphaba, then says glinda is in the closet is …’
‘Ariana is going fast on this ship! First she says Glinda is kind of closeted and now she’s wearing Elphie’s hat?! Girl.’
However, some fans had a different take, with one commenting to X: ‘Ariana confirmed that Glinda is a bit out of the closet! We won!’
Following the interview, which fans quickly took online, one person wrote: ‘the queerbaiting is getting too out of hand’
‘OH????’ another said simply
Another fan added: ‘ariana reposts gelphie memes on her story, likes a post about the flower fields being lesbian colored, says the boy is mine, is about elphaba, then says glinda is in the closet is …’
Another asked: ‘Why can’t they just be platonic?’
‘Ariana is going fast on this ship! First she says Glinda is kind of closeted and now she’s wearing Elphie’s hat?! Girl’
However, some fans had a different take, with one commenting to X: ‘Ariana confirmed that Glinda is a bit out of the closet! We won!’
‘As a theater child I can only say that Glinda is definitely in the closet and not just a little bit’
“ariana grande officially got my support by thanking lesbian glinda,” someone else said
“ariana grande officially got my support by thanking lesbian glinda,” someone else said.
The leading ladies also did an interview GLAADwhere they were asked what they hoped LGBTQ audiences would gain from Wicked.
‘That you deserve everything good. That your difference makes you special. That your strangeness is beautiful. That I love you.’
“Elphaba is just like you, and she understands what it feels like to be alone and feel different, but that doesn’t make you any less special than you were born to be,” Erivo said.
About the fantasy world of The Wizard of Oz, Grande said, “Oz is a very strange place and always has been, even from L. Frank Baum’s books. It’s always been strange.’
While in the middle of promo mode, the two stars of the film apologize for all the tears they shed while talking about their friendship and the film.
“We cried 500 times today. And honestly, this is a PSA. Sorry guys,” Grande was heard saying in a video shared by E! News.
“It is what it is,” her British-born co-star added. “We just can’t do anything about it.”
Grande jumped back in: “I can’t imagine it, and you know what? If you want to say how annoying it is, I’ll say it first,” she said as she sat next to Erivo for an interview.
Wicked: Part One hits U.S. theaters on November 22, with the sequel, Wicked Part Two, following the following year, opening in theaters on November 21, 2025.
‘I said it first. I’m annoyed. I’m tired. My tear ducts… I’m tired, emotionally tired.’
“We went through something huge and we really stuck together,” Erivo explained.
Jon M. Chu directed the highly anticipated film adaptation, which also stars Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Yeoh.
Wicked: Part One hits U.S. theaters on November 22, with the sequel, Wicked Part Two, following the following year, opening in theaters on November 21, 2025.